The WD My Book is an external hard disk with enormous storage capacity. It is primarily aimed at users who work with large amounts of data and want to store it reliably. The product line includes a selection from 4 to an impressive 24 TB of storage space. Support for USB 3.2 Gen 1 is intended to ensure fast transfer, so that any backups, media or work files can be stored in no time at all. In addition, password protection and integrated hardware encryption guarantee a high level of data security. In this respect, the WD My Book is not only suitable for home use, but could also be of interest for professional use.
In this product test, we examine the My Book from Western Digital in the 22 TB version. It remains to be seen whether the HDD can convince at the current street price of around 500 euros.
Technical data
| Model designation | My Book 22 TB |
| Model ID | WDBBGB0220HBK-EESN |
| Storage capacity | 22 TB |
| Interface type | USB 3.2 Gen 1 |
| Connectors | Micro-B, power supply |
| Operating temperature | 5 °C – 35 °C |
| Storage temperature | -20 °C – 65 °C |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 139.3 x 49 x 170.6 mm |
| Weight | 1.0 kg |
| Warranty period | 3 years |
| Price | € 486.47 * |
Scope of delivery
- White and orange packaging
- Includes hard disk, power supply and USB cable
The WD My Book 22 TB is delivered in a white and orange box. In addition to the hard disk itself, the box also contains the corresponding power supply unit and a USB cable for connecting to the PC. Of course, the usual paper documents such as the operating instructions are also included.
Appearance & workmanship
- Plastic casing with glossy top and ribbed, matt underside
- Noise during read/write operations
- Robust construction with secure stand thanks to rubber feet
The manufacturer uses a plastic casing for the My Book. The design is divided into two sections and is divided into a glossy top and a matt black, ribbed underside. Two rubberized strips support the bottom of the hard drive and also indicate that the HDD is designed for upright operation. In addition, ventilation slots are located on this and on the top to effectively dissipate heat. However, there is no separate button for switching the hard disk on and off. It is switched on automatically when the PC is booted and switched off again when it is shut down. It should also be noted that the hard disk is operated exclusively via USB. The WD My Book is therefore not suitable as a NAS, unless you want to dismantle the housing and remove the hard disk.
During operation, it is noticeable that the HDD can sometimes become a little louder due to the mechanics. This of course depends on the read and write processes and is therefore more or less intense in everyday use, but manifests itself in rumbling or rattling noises. In this context, it would be advisable not to position the WD My Book directly next to you, but rather at some distance. Possible vibrations from the hard disk are also transferred to the table surface via rubber feet.
In terms of workmanship, the WD MY Book makes a robust and durable impression. The housing conveys stability and the external HDD is quite handy at just over one kilogram. However, this does not automatically protect it from tipping over, which is why a little more care should be taken, especially with HDDs. In addition, fingerprints are particularly noticeable on the glossy upper half of the hard disk, whereas they are barely visible on the matt side. For this reason, it is advisable to carry the hard disk on the underside.
The built-in technology at a glance
- Rear connections with microUSB 3.0 for data transfer
- Hard disk: WD220EDGZ with 7200 rpm
- Factory formatted with exFat
All connections of the WD My Book 22 TB are located on the back of the drive. The microUSB 3.0 port is used for data transfer, while the hard disk is supplied with power via the 12 V or mains connection. The associated power supply provides up to 18 watts of output power. Finally, the Kensington lock is located in the bottom right-hand corner. If you take a look behind the scenes, you will see the WD220EDGZ with a speed of 7200 rpm. USB 3.2 Gen 1 is used as the interface.
If you now connect the external hard disk to the PC, the My Book from Western Digital is ready to go straight away. The formatting step is not necessary as the HDD is already formatted with exFAT at the factory. All you need to do is assign a drive letter and from then on you can archive all files on the hard disk. As far as usable storage is concerned, 20.0 TB can actually be used on our 22 TB model according to Windows Explorer.
Software
- WD Drive Utilities: Diagnostics, sleep timer, erase data and format hard drive
- WD Discovery & Security: Management, platform access, 256-bit AES encryption
- Acronis True Image for WD: Complete or selective PC backups and recovery
Western Digital offers various software downloads for its My Book series. These include WD Drive Utilities, which can be used to perform drive diagnostics. It is also possible to set the sleep timer for the hard disk, delete all data on the hard disk and format it.
The WD Discovery application enables the management of external drives. At the same time, it serves as a platform via which other applications from the manufacturer can be called up. Another tool from the manufacturer is WD Security, which is used to encrypt the hard disk. After entering a password, the 256-bit AES hardware encryption is automatically activated. The good thing about this is that it does not affect performance. As a result, encryption can also be activated in the private sector without hesitation and without compromising data transfer.
Last but not least, there is the backup software Acronis True Image for Western Digital. It can be used to create complete backups of the PC, whether under Windows or macOS. Alternatively, individual directories, files and programs are sufficient for the backup. It can also be used to restore older backups in no time at all.
Test system
Our test system consists of the following components:
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI
- Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 RAM 32GB 6000MHz CL30 AMD EXPO
- XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX
- Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB
- ENERMAX Revolution D.F.X 1050W
- Thermaltake Ceres 500 TG ARGB Snow
All subsequent performance tests were carried out with this test system. In order to utilize the full data rate of the WD My Book, the supplied USB-A cable was of course used and connected to a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port on the mainboard.
Performance test
In order to measure the performance of the WD My Book 22 TB and compare it with the manufacturer’s specifications, we used several proven benchmarking tools. We used the following applications for this test:
- CrystalDiskMark
- HD Tune Pro
- ATTO Disk Benchmark
- AS SSD Benchmark
Results of the performance test
- External HDD achieves up to 237 MB/s in sequential read and write
- Endurance test: 227 MB/s transfer at 45°C maximum temperature
- 4K test: long access times, typical HDD performance
CrystalDiskMark & transfer of a 500 GB test file
In the CrystalDiskMark benchmark, the WD My Book 22 TB achieves relatively identical values for both sequential reading and writing. Here the hard disk settles at approx. 236.5 MB/s. In contrast, the values in the 4K test drop significantly, which is common in the HDD sector.
Using a 500 GB test file, we also want to check how the WD My Book performs in the endurance test. A standard backup copy can be used to compare the test file. This is the case, for example, when the hard disk of the operating system is backed up with backup software. The entire copying process at this point took approx. 40 minutes and 7 seconds at a largely constant transfer speed of 227 MB/s. While the peak performance was approx. 231 MB/s, the minimum value was around 218 MB/s. As far as the temperature is concerned, this rose to around 45 °C over the period, a good value from our point of view. A slight heat development could be detected on the casing itself, although it never heated up excessively.
HD Tune Pro & ATTO Disk Benchmark
We continue with HD Tune Pro and the second tool, ATTO Disk Benchmark. These confirm almost similar results to those already found:
AS SSD Benchmark
To get straight to the point: It sounds a little ironic to test an HDD in the AS SSD benchmark. Nevertheless, the WD My Book survived, even if you should definitely plan a few coffee breaks for the 4K test. The calculated score is of course only comparable to a limited extent, as this test is essentially about SSD key figures. Nevertheless, the access times can be compared very well, which are approx. 15 ms for reading and approx. 2 ms for writing. This tool also certifies a transfer rate of approx. 220 MB/s for the WD My Book with 7200 RPM.
The AS SSD compression benchmark shows a somewhat unsteady picture. Both when reading and writing, the line jumps up and down at short intervals. However, this is normal behavior for HDDs due to the mechanical parts. This puts the bandwidth between the 186 and 248 MB/s mark for both reading and writing.
WD My Book 22 TB test: Conclusion
All in all, the WD My Book 22 TB proves to be a hard disk with enormous storage capacity and the usual reliability of the manufacturer Western Digital. It can be set up in no time at all, allowing backups or extensive media collections to be stored on it. Nevertheless, it naturally takes a little longer for all files to end up on the hard disk. This is of course due to the HDD factor itself. The average transfer speed is therefore around 230 MB/s, which should be perfectly adequate for backups or similar.
One of the plus points is the 256-bit AES hardware encryption without any loss of performance, although this must be activated manually in the manufacturer’s own software. In addition, the model does not tend to overheat even during longer data transfers, which means that the transfer rate remains largely constant. In contrast, the noise factor is the My Book’s biggest weakness. An on/off switch would also be desirable, as is the case with the in-house WD Elements.
With regard to the place of use, the WD My Book is designed for stationary use. In view of the high storage capacity and the price, this naturally results in a good TB-to-euro ratio. If you need even more storage space, you can opt for the WD My Book Duo, which offers up to 44 TB. However, if you want faster data transfer, an external SSD is recommended, although this comes at a higher cost per TB.
WD My Book 22 TB
Access times
Transfer rate (read)
Transfer rate (write)
Price-performance ratio
85/100
The WD My Book is a reliable external HDD with plenty of storage capacity and user-friendly software. However, it can be a little noisy at times during operation.
