The SanDisk Professional series is Western Digital's comprehensive storage solution for individual professional users, from portable to massive, high-speed, and has corresponding products.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD is a special presence in the SanDisk Master series. To say that it is special is better to say that it is an enhanced "ordinary" mobile hard disk, not only with internal enhancements, but also external enhancements and capacity enhancements, the latter of which is particularly important.
Only in this way can G-DRIVE ArmorATD meet the specific needs of specific users.
The "massive" of 5TB is undoubtedly the most attractive place of G-DRIVE ArmorATD. Balancing capacity and portability factors, the 5TB capacity point is so embarrassing for removable storage products - that is, the need to copy DVD-ROM (4.7GB, born in Hollywood, the G-DRIVE brand was originally born for film and television producers) is weakened, otherwise the mobile hard disk with a 3.5-inch hard disk is almost the only choice, so that whether it is from the portable hard disk itself or the power adapter that must be carried, the "mobile" ability is greatly reduced.
Laptops used to be the main application area for 2.5-inch hard drives, but today this market has been almost completely conquered by SSDs. Coupled with the fact that there has been no major breakthrough in storage density, even WD itself only supplies the largest 2TB of products, and 5TB requires an "old" hard disk with a thickness of 12.5mm to achieve, which makes the large-capacity ArmorATD more rare.
In terms of speed, HDDs are no longer the opponents of SSDs, but their capacity is still ahead. And in terms of performance, the speed stability of hdDs is very good, and there will be no spike in speed when the SSD is close to full.
With the help of the cache, the ArmorATD 5TB can read at 250MB/s, while in real use, its read and write speeds can reach 126MB/s and 117MB/s, respectively. Of course, there is a certain bias in the results of different test software.
CrystalDiskMark 8 actual mixed mode testing.
HD Tune Pro 5.70 read test.
HD Tune Pro 5.70 write test.
Due to speed limitations, ArmorATD does not have a strong willingness to update the interface, and still maintains a USB 3.1Gen1 interface with a speed of 5Gb/s. The disk body is USB-C and is equipped with two 40cm long data cables, the other end is USB-C and USB-A. Large capacity 2.5-inch mechanical hard disk to do mobile hard disk use, the power supply capacity of the USB-A interface is a big test, in the actual test, ArmorATD 5TB power supply demand is lower than the USB-A peak of 5V 500mA, USB-C or Thunderbolt3/4 interface power supply is not a problem, slightly reduce the 5400r/min hard disk rotation acceleration speed, in exchange for better compatibility, this balance is worth it.
In addition to capacity and speed, ArmorATD is more unique in its "three-proof" capability. In addition to the gray anodized aluminum disc housing that can withstand 1,000 pounds (454 kg), the ArmorATD surface is covered with a silicone vest to provide better impact protection for the disc body, while also providing additional waterproof plugs for the USB-C interface. The mobile hard disk nominal three-proof ability to reach IP54, no fear of rain and dust, a total of 3 loads of impact-resistant "armor", protection is quite outstanding, can withstand 1m high drop without loss of data.
Considering the special presence of G-DRIVE ArmorATD and its 5TB version for the professional mobile storage market, the price of less than 1500 yuan is really attractive, which can protect the user's valuable data, and it is not money to spend more. In addition to this series, Western Digital also has a number of 5TB products with built-in 2.5-inch hard drives such as the WD_BLACK P10 for gamers, My Passport for the mainstream market, and Elements for the entry-level market, for consumers with different requirements.