The Ever-Shrinking Cost of Data: Western Digital’s 20TB Drive at an Unbelievable Price
The relentless march of technological progress continues, and in few areas is that progress more evident, and more beneficial to the average consumer, than in the realm of data storage. For years, we’ve witnessed a steady increase in storage capacity coupled with a simultaneous decrease in price. It’s a trend that defies conventional economic wisdom and empowers individuals and businesses alike to manage ever-growing volumes of data with unprecedented ease and affordability.
Just a few short years ago, the notion of owning a single terabyte of storage space seemed almost fantastical. It was a reserve for enterprise solutions and high-end users. Now, we carry double that amount on a tiny microSD card, barely larger than a fingernail. This constant innovation is driven by the ingenuity of engineers who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, finding new ways to cram more and more data into smaller and smaller packages.
Today, we’re witnessing another milestone in this ongoing revolution. The cost of storage has plummeted to what might be its most accessible point yet, measured on a per-byte basis. Western Digital, a long-standing leader in the storage industry, is offering a massive 20TB external hard drive at an astonishingly low price.
The WD Elements 20TB external hard drive, originally launched at $550, is currently available on Amazon for a mere $279. This price point translates to roughly a penny per gigabyte, perhaps a penny and a half if you’re being exceedingly precise. Regardless, it’s an incredible value, marking a significant reduction in the cost of storing vast amounts of data.
The implications of this affordability are far-reaching. For photographers and videographers, this drive offers ample space to store entire libraries of high-resolution images and 4K video footage. For gamers, it provides the ability to download and install a huge collection of games without worrying about running out of space. For businesses, it offers a cost-effective solution for backing up critical data and archiving important files.
Beyond its impressive capacity and affordable price, the WD Elements 20TB drive boasts remarkable ease of use. The setup process is remarkably straightforward, requiring no specialized technical knowledge. Simply plug the drive into a USB Type-A 3.0 or 2.0 port on your computer using the included USB cable. Once connected, your operating system will automatically recognize the drive, and it will appear as a selectable option in your file manager, whether it’s File Explorer on Windows or Finder on a Mac.
While smaller external drives typically draw power directly from the USB connection to your computer, the WD Elements 20TB drive requires an external AC adapter. This is due to the higher power demands of its massive storage capacity. However, connecting the AC adapter is as simple as plugging it into a standard wall outlet.
For Mac users, formatting the drive is necessary before it can be used. This process ensures compatibility with the macOS file system and optimizes performance. Fortunately, formatting the drive is a relatively simple procedure that can be accomplished using the Mac’s built-in Disk Utility application. Simply plug in the drive, open Disk Utility, select the WD Elements drive from the list, and follow the on-screen instructions to format it. It is crucial to format the drive before saving any data to it, as formatting will erase any existing data on the drive.
While the WD Elements 20TB drive is compatible with Xbox and PlayStation consoles for storing digital games, it is not the ideal solution for gaming due to its slower read/write speeds. Modern games, especially those designed for the current generation of consoles, demand lightning-fast data access for loading levels, textures, and other assets. The WD Elements drive, being a traditional hard drive, is not as fast as solid-state drives (SSDs).
For gamers seeking high-capacity, high-performance storage for their consoles or PCs, Western Digital recommends the WD_BLACK D50 external SSD. SSDs offer significantly faster read/write speeds, resulting in quicker loading times and a smoother gaming experience. While SSDs typically come at a higher price point per gigabyte than traditional hard drives, the performance benefits are well worth the investment for serious gamers.
The WD Elements 20TB external hard drive represents a remarkable achievement in data storage technology. Its massive capacity, combined with its incredibly low price, makes it an ideal solution for anyone who needs to store large amounts of data. While it may not be the best choice for gaming, its ease of use and affordability make it a compelling option for a wide range of applications, from backing up personal files to archiving professional projects. As storage capacities continue to increase and prices continue to fall, it’s clear that the future of data storage is bright. We can only imagine what innovations and breakthroughs lie ahead, further empowering us to manage and utilize the ever-growing digital landscape. The WD Elements 20TB drive is a testament to the ongoing progress and a glimpse into the even more affordable and accessible storage solutions that await us.
