SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD review

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SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD: Two infinitesimal review

The modulation to SSD from accepted hard thrust retention has been a gradual one. But with the limits of 2.5-inch drives being astir 5TB currently, the SSD looks apt to overtake bequest exertion this twelvemonth successful some velocity and disposable capacities.

The G-DRIVE scope of outer SSDs, nether the SanDisk Professional branding, offers a enactment of robust outer drives ranging successful size from 500GB to 4TB. And, of these, the SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD is the lowest rung connected this ladder.

Where different drives connection Thunderbolt technology, this thrust is exclusively USB 3.2, and the champion larboard for it is 1 with USB 3.2 Gen 2 level bandwidth.

The thrust is contained wrong a artifact of milled aluminium covered successful a TPU skin, providing a utile level of durability and water/dust resistance. According to SanDisk, the extortion is IP67 modular (not h2o submersion), and the enclosure tin withstand 2000lb of crushing unit alongside a driblet of 3M onto a carpeted factual floor.

The PRO-G40 (opens successful caller tab) from the aforesaid root has higher crush resilience and IP68 dust/water resistance, but the G-DRIVE SSD should beryllium capable to grip immoderate knocks and biology encounters. Though, this isn’t a instrumentality we’d instrumentality swimming.

Included successful the container are 2 50cm cables, 1 each for USB-C and USB-A connections, allowing it to beryllium connected to astir computers that enactment USB.

While it volition enactment with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 (aka USB 3.1), to get the champion transportation speeds from it requires a larboard with USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbit/s.

For those that ain an Apple Mac, conscionable link the thrust and past usage it to manually transcript files oregon configure it for Time Machine use.

As it comes pre-formatted for Apple APFS, Windows PC owners volition request to recognize however to usage the Management Console and measurement absorption to reformat the thrust to a record strategy that Windows volition understand.

That SanDisk doesn’t see immoderate cross-system footwear assemblage with a inferior to configure the thrust for immoderate OS is disappointing, and they besides supply nary bundle for this thrust oregon others successful the aforesaid range.

Considering the outgo of this hardware, it is remarkably abbreviated connected added value.

One country it does radiance is that the NVMe wrong has the capableness for 256-bit AES-XTS hardware encryption, enabling the contents of the thrust to beryllium secured effectively.

Though, the proprietor indispensable supply encryption tools to fastener and subsequently unlock the contents stored connected the drive, if they privation to usage this functionality.

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD: Price and availability

• How overmuch does it cost? From $94.99 / £138.99
• When is it out? It is disposable now
• Where tin you get it? Widely disposable from the larger online retailers successful astir regions and straight from Western Digital.

Bought straight from the makers, the 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB are £138.99, £227.99, £356.99 and £673.99 successful the UK. In contrast, US customers are offered the aforesaid capacities for lone $94.99, $129.99, $209.99 and $429.99.

Based connected existent speech rates, UK customers pay, connected average, betwixt 80% and 120% much for the aforesaid capableness straight from Western Digital.

Even with VAT factored in, UK customers are getting a remarkably earthy deal. And online retailers specified arsenic Amazon aren’t undercutting Western Digital by immoderate important amount.

And for those wondering if this precocious pricing is Brexit related, it isn’t. The prices for this scope successful France are arsenic inflated, being €163.99,  €264.99, €410.99 and €769.99.

Since this thrust is lone USB Gen 3.2 Gen 2 capable, determination are galore brands and products that connection the aforesaid capacities and show levels for importantly less.

A bully illustration is the Crucial X8 4TB, a likewise robust plan with akin show implicit USB. In the UK, this costs £274.58, including VAT, and successful the USA, it's $279.99. And Crucial besides makes the X6 which is 10 dollars cheaper for the aforesaid 4TB of space.

That you tin bargain 2 Crucial X8 for the terms of a azygous SanDisk Professional SSD that isn’t immoderate faster suggests that either Crucial is underselling its enactment oregon SanDisk has wholly mislaid the pricing plot.

Making it somewhat water/dust resistant and hardware encryption doesn’t warrant much than doubling the cost, unfortunately.

• Value: 2 / 5

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE Desktop: Design

• Tough enclosure
• Both USB-C and USB-A cables
• No transportation case

The milled aluminium and rubberised coating supply a sturdy location for the NAND module mounted wrong the SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD.

Given the IP67 rating, it should grip the unusual splash of water, being dumped successful the particulate and, with 2000lb of crush resistance, accidentally driven implicit by a household car.

One curiosity is that the thrust tin supposedly grip being dropped 3 metres, but successful the good print, that’s onto factual covered successful carpet. The carpet request seems to beryllium thing of an unusual detail, arsenic the satellite wasn’t afloat carpeted erstwhile we looked last.

Where this thrust is amended than the much costly PRO-G40 (opens successful caller tab) is that it astatine slightest comes with some the USB cables astir customers volition need, and they are besides a decent length.

But the aforesaid arsenic that counterpart, SanDisk doesn’t supply a pouch oregon lawsuit to transportation the thrust and its cables, a niche that immoderate 3rd enactment volition undoubtedly fill.

The lone diagnostic of the thrust is simply a tiny achromatic LED connected the bottommost that flashes to bespeak activity, and that’s the lone detail.

For those wondering if the enclosure could beryllium repurposed, determination appears to beryllium nary evident mode inside. And, portion it mightiness beryllium imaginable to dismantle, determination are nary guarantees that the NAND flash module wrong uses a modular M.2 slot.

But we tin accidental with immoderate certainty that immoderate effort to unfastened it would instantly invalidate the five-year constricted warranty.

Overall, this is simply a precise nicely engineered and constructed outer thrust that looks capable to header with maltreatment that mightiness beryllium expected to termination those outer SSDs that are made mostly of plastic.

• Design: 3 / 5

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD: Features

• Up to 4TB options
• Apple Pre-formatted
• No software

Probably the champion facet of this plan is the disposable capacity, arsenic galore of the different SanDisk Professional SSDs are capped astatine 2TB, wherever 4TB of retention is available.

For those purchasing the G-DRIVE SSD for their Apple Mac, each they request to bash is link it to a caller Apple Mac computer, arsenic the thrust is pre-formatted with APFS.

Microsoft Windows-using customers volition request the method cognition and assurance to usage the Windows absorption console to delete the existing partition and make a caller NTFS oregon exFAT volume.

Why they didn’t usage exFAT and a inferior that runs connected some platforms to reformat the thrust for some groups is simply a mystery. Because that’s usually what Western Digital does, the overarching concern that owns the SanDisk brand.

What Western Digital besides usually provides with its My Passport drives are immoderate Windows bundle utilities that transcript idiosyncratic files to the thrust oregon instal caller firmware releases.

The G-Drive SSD comes with nary of these, regrettably. We tin lone reason that those who designed the G-Drive SSD assumed that it would beryllium mostly Apple macOS users purchasing this drive, and they person Time Machine and don’t request immoderate different tools.

Whatever the thinking, for those that don’t ain a Mac, this is different compelling crushed not to bargain this solution.

• Features: 2 / 5

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD: Performance

• Good USB speeds connected Gen 2
• Gen 1 adjacent to SATA SSD
• Solid benchmark scores

Inside the G-Drive SSD is an NVMe stick, astir apt overmuch similar the ones that astir radical usage successful their laptop oregon desktop systems.

We cognize this due to the fact that the show present is astatine slightest doubly that of a SATA SSD, astatine astir 1,000MB/s.

Obviously, transportation speeds astatine this level are lone imaginable if the big instrumentality has an SSD that’s astatine slightest susceptible of that speed, if not marginally quicker, and USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports.

The larboard benignant is captious due to the fact that USB 3.2 Gen 1 lone offers 5Gbit/s of bandwidth, which equates to astir 500MB/s, oregon the aforesaid velocity arsenic SATA SSDs tin achieve.

Therefore, for those with USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1) ports, determination is small constituent successful purchasing this thrust implicit cheaper options due to the fact that you volition ne'er spot its existent performance.

When connected to a PC utilizing USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, our speeds topped retired astatine astir 1,050MB/s reads with 1,000 MB/s writes connected CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4, irrespective of USB-A oregon USB-C.

The little optimistic AJA System trial presented 881MB/s reads and 871MB/s writes utilizing a 16GB trial file.

The good irony of these numbers is that the NVMe wrong tin undoubtedly spell quicker, but the USB connections are the limiting origin here.

As a USB drive, these numbers are coagulated and equivalent to those that we’ve seen from the Crucial X8 and its like. There are faster USB drives that usage the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard, specified arsenic the PNY EliteX-PRO and Kingston XS2000. For those curious, Thunderbolt-connected SSDs tin beryllium 3 times these speeds, thing to see for those that person that larboard and tin spend those drives.

In short, the show of this thrust is acceptable wrong the discourse of the USB interface it supports, but it’s hardly thing special.

• Performance: 4 / 5

The G-Drive marque powerfully hints astatine delivering thing special, supra and beyond what others are offering. Often successful presumption of performance, but besides the warranty and reliability.

But problematically, galore brands are offering the aforesaid USB 3.2 Gen 2 show and 5-year warranty arsenic the SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD, and astir aren’t asking this overmuch for those things.

This hardware is beautifully made, and successful 5 years’ time, it is apt to inactive look bully and beryllium moving good owed to its absorption to h2o and dust. But volition the 1TB, 2TB, oregon 4TB capableness look similar a ample magnitude of abstraction then, and volition 1,000MB/s transportation speeds beryllium accelerated enough?

Given the velocity of alteration we’ve seen successful the past 5 years, the reply to some those questions mightiness good beryllium no.

SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD: Report card

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