[ad_1]
The G-Technology G-Drive ev ATC with Thunderbolt ($229.95) is a rugged 1TB external hard drive with a tough case that’s designed to survive drops, dust, and water. There’s a permanently attached Thunderbolt cable on the outside, and a storage cartridge inside that you can remove and easily replace or connect without the bulky external shell. The drive is on the expensive side, but it might be worth it if you need heavy-duty portable storage for a Thunderbolt- or Thunderbolt 2–equipped Mac or Windows workstation.
Design and Features
The exterior component of the ev ATC is the All-Terrain Case (ATC), a watertight polycarbonate clamshell that’s black with bright blue accent lines running around the edges. The case measures 1.2 by 4.25 by 6.46 inches (HWD) and weighs about 14.4 ounces with the internal cartridge installed. It’s quite a bit larger than less rugged external drives like the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) (0.37 by 2.99 by 4.46 inches, 4.3 ounces). Opening the case involves flipping a toggle latch similar to the kind you’d find on a springform cake pan.
Inside, there’s a hard drive cartridge that’s removable, so it can easily be replaced or connected to a desktop like the Apple Mac Pro or the iMac( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) if you want to transfer files, or a supported docking station such as the G-Technology G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window). The black cartridge has a SATA connector (so it can connect with a G-Dock ev) and a micro USB 3.0 connector (for the included USB 3.0 cable) for hooking it up away from the case. Spare silver-colored ev hard drive cartridges are available in 500GB ($99.95) and 1TB ($149.95) capacities. As with the G-Dock ev, you can replace the drive cartridges if the drive stops working or if you don’t want to delete the data on the drive. If you tend to burn through drives (because you’re a video editor, for example), it may be more economical to purchase just one ev ATC, and replace the internal module when it wears out.
Similar Products
Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim Review
Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC Review
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt (500GB SSD)
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt (500GB SSD) Review
G-Technology G-Drive mobile USB-C
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our G-Technology G-Drive mobile USB-C Review
Transcend Storejet 300 for Mac
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Transcend Storejet 300 for Mac Review
LaCie 5big Thunderbolt 2
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our LaCie 5big Thunderbolt 2 Review
Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive Review
CalDigit T4 RAID
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our CalDigit T4 RAID Review
LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our LaCie Porsche Design Mobile Drive Review
LaCie Rugged RAID
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our LaCie Rugged RAID Review
Promise Pegasus2 R2+
Check Stock
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Promise Pegasus2 R2+ Review
Western Digital My Passport (2016, 4TB)
See It
(Opens in a new window)
Read Our Western Digital My Passport (2016, 4TB) Review
The drive’s permanently attached Thunderbolt cable comes stowed in a groove running around a third of the case body, with a removable cover for the plug. Once deployed, the approximately 6-inch cable can be connected directly to your pre-2016 MacBook Pro($699.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) or any other system with a Thunderbolt 2 port like the Dell Precision M3800($999.77 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window). Most portable hard drives have detachable cables, but some rugged drives, like the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC($94.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt( at Amazon)(Opens in a new window), leave them attached so they’re less likely to get lost. The external ports in these non-rugged drives are more susceptible to damage from water or dust entry.
The submarine-like door and sealed Thunderbolt cable also keep the external enclosure watertight, to a rating of IP66. That means you can safely drop the drive into bucket of water or a pile of dust, but you won’t want to leave it there for long. The shell helps the ev ATC float, so a quick dunk shouldn’t be a problem as long as you retrieve it relatively quickly. G-Technology also claims that the drive is rated for drops of 6 feet (2 meters), which we anecdotally tested successfully onto a carpeted floor. The drive has a three-year warranty, which is fairly standard for rugged drives.
Pricing and Performance
The drive only comes in a single 1TB capacity, though a USB-only version is available for $129.95. This $229.95 Thunderbolt version translates to about 23 cents per gigabyte. That’s almost double the price of the Buffalo MiniStation Extreme NFC (13 cents per gigabyte), but a lot less than the 500GB SSD version of the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt ($1 per gigabyte). For comparison, the G-Technology G-Drive mobile USB-C($38.00 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) comes in at 12 cents per gigabyte and the 2TB version of the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Slim at 4.9 cents per gigabyte, though both are non-rugged drives.
The ev ATC is reasonably fast for a hard drive, thanks to its 7,200rpm mechanism (most portable drives spin at 5,400rpm). It took an average of 12 seconds to transfer our 1.2GB test folder via drag-and-drop, and on the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test it returned throughput results of 130.6MBps read and 125MBps write. (Both tests were performed using the Thunderbolt cable on the case, not the USB 3.0 interface on the storage cartridge.) True, these rates are far behind those you’ll see with SSDs, like the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt SSD (382MBps read, 347MBps write), but the ev ATC is competitive with other spinning hard drives like the G-Drive Mobile USB-C (131.7MBps read, 123.2MBps write, using the USB 3.0 interface) and the Transcend Storejet 300 for Mac (124.1MBps read, 123.8MBps write, using Thunderbolt).
Conclusion
For a durable, waterproofed hard drive for your MacBook Pro, Mac desktop, or Thunderbolt-equipped Windows workstation, the G-Technology G-Drive ev ATC is a good option if Thunderbolt connectivity is a must. If you don’t need that, the same-capacity USB-only version can save you a significant amount of money. In either case, the ability to swap out the hard drive cartridge is a good feature if you like to archive physical hard drives, or if you have a tendency to wear out hard drive mechanisms quickly. That way you only have to buy the rugged exterior chassis once, and can replenish the actual storage as you need to. The ev ATC will certainly last on a construction site a lot longer than the non-rugged G-Drive or the Transcend StoreJet 300.
3.5
(Opens in a new window)
(Opens in a new window)
The G-Technology G-Drive ev ATC is a rugged external hard drive with a removable enclosure that’s made for traveling users who regularly find themselves at the mercy of the elements.
[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/g-technology-g-drive-ev-atc-with-thunderbolt
