WD 5TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive

Specifications

Capacity

5TB

Interface

USB 3.0

Form Factor

2.5-inch

Read Speed

130 MB/s

Write Speed

125 MB/s

Endurance

—

Warranty

2 years

Brand

Western Digital

Price / TB

$43.20/TB

Value Score Breakdown

Our Verdict

The WD Elements 5TB costs $216.00 ($43.20/TB). The 6TB variant in this category is $258.39 ($43.07/TB), adding 1TB for $42.39. At nearly identical per-terabyte pricing, the 6TB is the better purchase for any buyer open to both capacities. The 5TB makes sense only when budget is a firm constraint and $42 matters more than 1TB of headroom, or when comparing head-to-head with the Seagate Portable 5TB already in this catalog: check current prices for both at time of purchase. Both Elements models use USB 3.2 Gen 1 and share the 165,214-review data pool. At 4.6 stars it is well-reviewed at this capacity tier. For desk storage where AC power is acceptable, the WD My Book 8TB ($298.26, $37.28/TB) offers better per-TB economics with more capacity. Choose this only if 5TB is the exact capacity needed and saving $42 over the 6TB model is a priority.