G-DRIVE ArmorATD: 2 minute review
SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD specs
interface: SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps (USB 3.1 Gen 1)
connector: USB Type-C
drive: (1) 2.5″ hard drive
Data transfer rate: 1TB, 2TB: Up to 140MB/s read speed, 130MB/s write speed
4TB: Up to 135MB/s Read 125MB/s Write
5TB: Up to 135MB/s Read 125MB/s Write
Operating temperature: 41°-95°F (5°-35°C)
Size (LxWxH): 1TB, 2TB: 5.12″ x 3.43″ x 0.83″ / 130mm x 87mm x 21mm
4TB, 5TB: 5.20″ x 3.46″ x 1.18″ / 132mm x 88mm x 30mm
weight: 1TB, 2TB: 0.51 lb / 0.23 kg
4TB, 5TB: 0.77 lbs / 0.35 kg
operating system: macOS 10.12+ (Time Machine compatible), Windows® 10+ (via reformatting)
Box contents: G-DRIVE ArmorATD, USB-C to USB-C Cable, USB-C to USB-A Cable, Quick Start Guide
Western Digital has been in a branding jumble lately, and this product epitomizes the company’s lack of restraint in using its many labels.
SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD merged two previously separate trademarks, SanDisk and G-DRIVE, and added ArmorATD in hopes that customers of either of these lines would be tempted by it.
What the package doesn’t quite explain is what ArmorATD stands for, but it has a sort of military feel to it, and we’ll assume it sounds tough.
The reality of this product is a 2.5-inch traditional drive mechanism, elegantly designed in an aluminum case and surrounded by rubberized bumpers for additional cushioning from physical abuse.
The drive’s port is USB-C, but SanDisk has kindly provided cables for both USB-C and USB-A connections on the computer side. However, the lack of an included pouch to carry the drive and its cables opens up yet another opportunity for third-party case makers.
In addition to drop protection, the bumper also has a plug that covers the USB-C port, helping the drive get an IP54 dust and water rating.
Please note that IP54 is not the same level of protection as IP68 or IP69. ArmorATD is rated for splash resistance only and is only rated when the bumper port cover is in place and cables are disconnected. Considered splash proof.
SanDisk doesn’t offer anywhere to store cables, so the chances of them being plugged in when the drive gets covered in splashes and dust seem slim at best.
The great thing about the cable is that it’s long enough at 60 cm, making ArmorATD as easy to use on your desktop system as it is on your laptop.
However, the length of the cable suggests that data transfer speeds are not high, and traditional hard drives certainly don’t need SSD-level performance.
The lack of performance is where this design hits the mobile SSD juggernaut. The speed of this unit is about 25% faster than what you would normally expect from a Gen 1 SSD, and 15% faster than a Gen 2 design.
Given that SSDs are likely to be lighter and more impact resistant, ArmorATD relies on price per TB for its trade.
Our 1 TB review model costs £97.99 or $97.99 in the US, about £10 or $10 more than the Crucial X8, a drive that can transfer at 1,000MB/s.
The X8 isn’t IP54 rated, but it’s pretty rugged and much faster.
The 5 TB option is close to the cost of a 2 TB X8 and one-third the price of a 4 TB X8, so where ArmorATD wins is when it comes to capacity.
Compared to other rugged traditional hard drives, it’s not the cheapest, but it’s high quality and comes with a 3-year warranty.
The more important issue here is that fully utilizing 5 TB on the largest ArmorATD is a practical challenge. Reading and writing that amount without interruption would require 10+ hours of continuous use.
SanDisk makes an SSD version of this drive, but it’s significantly more expensive than any of the Crucial X6 or X8 designs.
Overall, like an external hard drive, the ArmorATD is well made and reasonably resistant to shocks, dust and water, but its transfer performance remains a bottleneck for many users.
For those who just want to perform limited daily backups on an external drive, ArmorATD is a good choice, albeit a bit pricey.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD: Pricing and Availability
- how much does it cost? Starting at $98 / £98 for 1 TB models
- When are you coming out? Available now
- where can i get it? Widely available from major online retailers in most regions and directly from Western Digital.
Western Digital is one of the suppliers that has been successful in keeping online retailers on the same price page as their retail stores. However, the 1 TB ArmorATD is about 20% cheaper on Amazon, while the larger capacities are much closer to official outlet prices.
In the UK, we plan to pay £97.99, £124.99, £174.99 and £195.99 for the 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB and 5 TB options respectively. These values translate to $97.99, $117.99, $170.99, and $188.99 in the US, giving ArmorATD a higher value outside of Europe given the exchange rate.
A comparable product is the LaCie Rugged Mini 5TB, with the 5TB option at £159.99 / $167.99 at most online retailers.
This makes ArmorATD about 25% more expensive.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD: Design
- elegant design
- both cables
- Conventional HDD
Compared to the recently featured Silicon Power A85 5TB, the construction quality of SanDisk products is much higher. But basically it’s the same concept, an extruded aluminum tube covered in plastic.
The beauty of this design is that it uses an industry-standard USB-C port, so if the third-party cable is damaged or lost, SanDisk’s included cable can be replaced.
The rubber bumpers are already installed, so unless you’re not going to take it outside or are just clumsy, it’s probably best to leave it on.
Removing the bumper is easy, but you’ll need to be careful putting it back on as you’ll need to align the port covers over the ports.
The bumper is designed to allow the activity LED light to shine through, but the placement of this light makes it a little less visible.
The cables are of good length and top quality and are also branded with the ‘G’ for G-DRIVE.
A note provided by SanDisk says the USB-C port is of the Gen 1 (5Mbit/s) variety, but the drive never approaches the 500MB/s the technology suggests.
Based on the brand, let’s assume that the ArmorATD has a Western Digital 2.5 inch drive inside.
It goes without saying that anyone looking to create a robust drive is starting in the wrong direction with a traditional hard drive. It can easily be damaged if dropped during operation, and can be damaged even when the drive is not spinning.
SSDs have to handle shock loads that would destroy the heads and platters of traditional hard drives, unless they’re badly manufactured.
Putting the drive in a metal tube and rubber bumpers helps, but the mechanism isn’t as shock-proof as solid-state electronics.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD: Features
- robust housing
- Up to 5TB of space
- No software
Other than its apparent robustness, the ArmorATD has no notable features.
SanDisk offers drives pre-formatted for Apple macOS. This can be confusing for Windows owners unfamiliar with how to reformat a drive.
Given the premium price of this drive, it was disappointing that Western Digital didn’t provide any software for this unit.
The unit is Time Machine compliant, so this shouldn’t be an issue for Apple users, but it would be nice to have sync software for PCs included.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD: Performance
- slow
- no hardware encryption
The performance coming from SSD benchmarks, or rather the lack of performance on traditional hard drives, is something of a culture shock.
According to the datasheet, the 1TB and 2TB options for this drive are rated at 140MB/s read and 130MB/s write. The larger 4TB and 5TB drives are unfortunately even slower with 135MB/s read and 125MB/s write.
Why SanDisk didn’t ask for a hybrid drive or extra cache is a mystery, but the ArmorATD’s performance is as nimble as you’d expect from a bare 2.5-inch mechanism connected via USB.
Our testing confirmed these numbers almost exactly on our 1 TB review hardware.
There are two ways to see these results, one of which SanDisk might adopt is that all 2.5 inch conventional hard drives use a head and platter to read and write data. is this slow.
Our view is not very realistic. If my predictions are correct, NAND flash will be massive and very cheap, making his SSD over 4 TB for less than his 4 TB model of this drive, significantly faster and even more shock resistant. improve.
Obviously, those who don’t want to wait for these products to come out can get their hands on the ArmorATD now, but some buyers may regret it in the medium term.
The drive also doesn’t support hardware encryption, which is becoming increasingly common with SSD options.
It’s worth considering only the ArmorATD’s larger capacity, and they are even slower than the 1TB and 2TB models. These drive capacities are not worth buying. Because there are SSDs available that offer the same robustness and many times the performance for the same price.
I can’t help but be impressed with the quality of this product, but it seems like a transitional product waiting for the market economy to die out.
The G-DRIVE ArmorATD is a decent product within its specific use case, but struggles to justify its cost in an increasingly competitive market.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD: Report Card
| worth | Not the cheapest or most rugged external 5TB drive | 3/5 |
| design | A tube with a drive inside, but well designed. | 3/5 |
| Features | Naturally, there are not many functions. | twenty five |
| performance | Traditional hard drives are slow, and larger capacities make them even slower. | twenty five |
| total | Plenty of space, sturdy and well designed, but expensive. | 3/5 |
Should I buy the G-DRIVE ArmorATD?
