SanDisk Professional offers great external backup solutions for those who want to protect their data. We got a chance to review the new SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD, and here are our thoughts about the drive.
Design
When it comes to reliable external drives, manufacturers offer drives with rugged designs, and the G-DRIVE ArmorATD falls in that category. SanDisk mentions that the drive features an anodized aluminum enclosure with pro-grade durability , surrounded with a protective bumper. The drive is IP54 certified for rain and dust resistance. There is also the “G” logo on the top side.
The device comes with dimensions of 133.096mm x 88.9mm x 32.004mm and weighs about 381g. The USB-C port is covered by the bumper portion, protecting it from dust or moisture. The USB-C port is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. SanDisk mentions that the drive is ready to be used with macOS right out of the box (Time Machine-compatible), with no requirement to reformat. However, Windows users will need to reformat the drive, and we had to do it from the disk management.
There is also an LED indicator located on the left side of the USB-C port. The cables that come with the drive isn’t very long.
The contents of the box include the G-DRIVE ArmorATD, a USB-C to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and a quick start guide. SanDisk also claims that the drive has crush resistance up to 1000 lbs.
Performance
SanDisk offers the G-DRIVE ArmorATD in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB, and 6TB capacities, and we got the 5TB model as the review sample. Since the drive houses a traditional hard drive, the speeds will be very modest. The hard drive’s sounds are also barely heard, however, we do slightly feel the moving parts of the spinning disks while the drive is in use. We tried the drive on our testbed that features the AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, the ASUS ROG Crosshair X670 Hero motherboard, a 1TB WD SN580 SSD, an XFX Radeon RX 5700XT GPU, and an XFX 1000W PSU. We ran CrystalDiskMark with the drive selected, and the below image shows the results.
Verdict
We recommend the new SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD for those who want a reliable storage solution to back up their important data, and this applies to professionals, content creators, photographers, etc. The drive features a tough chassis made of anodized aluminum enclosure with pro-grade durability and is surrounded with a protective bumper that can withstand crush resistance up to 1000 lbs. The drive is also IP54 certified for dust and rain resistance.
The drive features a USB-C port for connectivity and works with macOS out of the box, without the need for any reformatting. It’s even perfect for Apple Time Machine backups. Windows users will need to reformat the drive before their first use. The device weighs around 381g. SanDisk also includes the drive with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable. The drive is compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports. While the speed of the hard drive may not be as fast as an SSD, the lifespan is much better and more reliable for HDDs.
