G-Drive ev ATC – The Rugged 1 TB Hard Drive With Thunderbolt
G-Technology’s G-Drive ev ATC is one of the sturdiest hard drives today. The hard drive boasts of Thunderbolt connectivity and is encapsulated in an ultra-protective packag. The G-Drive ev ATC (All-Terrain Case) is robustly developed and is shock resistant, dust resistant, waterproof and pressure-resistant too. It includes 1TB of storage and can drive fantastic Thunderbolt speeds.
This is the hard drive that is one hell of a gadget with incredible storage space and functional in suboptimal conditions. It is bus-powered and hence the data within the gadget is safe from all external problems. It also has a 7200 RPM for fast data processing and transfers. The hard disk is also compatible with the Evolution series which means that it can be swapped with the other hard disks in the series.
What’s in the Box?
The G-Drive ev ATC has a storage space of 1TB G-Drive ev RaW and externally it features a rugged outer casing along with a USB to Micro-B cable connection that can be connected to the Mac if it is not connected with Thunderbolt cable from inside. One has to read the instruction manual to know the steps to remove the inner drive from the outer casing and use it with other G-Technology products as required and desired.
Salient Features and Sturdy Design Attributes
- Two major parts of the hard drive includes the hard plastic rubber all-terrain case and the inner parts contain the 1TB hard drive.
- The outer shell is constructed with the help of black plastic and uses blue rubber accents at the sides for solid cushioning in case of drops.
- It is a solid, quality product that can withstand abuse and harsh external conditions.
- Branded with company’s signature “G” logo with an LED to indicate if it is active.
- Includes Thunderbolt cable set outside the perimeter of the drive covered with a blue rubber cap.
- The buckle gives way to the top part of the enclosure and access to the hard drive inside, which has its outer casing connected with SATA interface.
- Top opening encased with rubber, preventing water and dust from entering the case when closed.
- With a G-Dock, one can pull out the drives, and take it on the go, and then plug it back in the dock again.
- Size wise, the G-Drive ev ATC is bulky but will fit fine in a backpack since it measures 6.46 by 4.25 by 1.20 inches.
- It is made of black plastic rather than an aluminium casing for enhanced durability and drastically lighter weight.
Capability to Withstand External Conditions
The G-Drive ev ATC is an “all-terrain” hard drive which can withstand a 6 and a half foot drop and yet light enough to float in water. Additionally, according to the makers, it can survive for 30 seconds in water which is one foot deep and can withstand rain or water spray although the thunderbolt opening gets wet. The hard drive is automatically formatted for Macs and those who want to use it with Windows need to reformat it once they buy it.
Read/ Write Speeds
The 7200 RPM ev RaW hard drive can manage read/write speeds of 136MB/s with average write speeds of about 122MB/s and read speed of 132MB/s.
Average speeds are a bit lower at 120MB/s write speed through the USB 3.0 slot.
In Closing
Since the G-Drive ev ATC can survive abuse including drops, liquid spills, dust sand, and more, it is great for mobile workers who are tested in these conditions. It is pricey but since it has the lowest hard drive failure rates in the market, it is reliable and robust itself.
The G-Drive ev ATC with Thunderbolt slot is priced at $229.95 on the company website and also available at Amazon.
Nisarg is the Business Development Manager at Nimblechapps, a top mobile game development company and has been with the organisation since its inception in 2014. He likes to update his knowledge on changing trends in technology and marketing and pens his thoughts regarding the same on various blogs and LinkedIn.