A Fast G-Drive SSD R is All You Need When Editing on the Go

by Olaf von VossNovember 27^th, 2017

Are you on the lookout for a blazing-fast, rugged but small SSD for editing on the go? The new G-Drive SSD R-Series of mobile drives might tick all the boxes.

These SSD R drives are availabe in 500GB, 1TB and a whooping 2TB. G-Technology promises a very durable and rugged product, offering up to 5 years of warranty – a pretty long time in a market that’s plagued by Moore’s law.

G-Drive SSD R-Series

The tiny drive enclosure accomodates the SSD itself, a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) connector and some engineering tricks that keep the SSD inside safe from harm. The R stands for rugged! Because this unit is meant to be on the road with you, it’s rated IP67 which means it will withstand up to 30min in 1m water depth, for example. See the chart below to get a brief overview of the different IP ratings.

Ingress Protection rating chart with highlightet IP67 rating

Since water is not the only potential hazard to your brand new SSD R, these G-Drives are also shock proof, and are capable of surviving a 3m drop onto a concrete floor (on a carpeted concrete floor that is, according to the tiny yet important footnote on the G-Technology site). Additionally, the SSD R-series features a 1000lb (~450kg) crushproof rating.

Here’s the official product video from G-Technology:

Speed and Performance

There are three models available: 500GB, 1TB and 2TB, and they all sport the same USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 connector (learn more about it here). According to G-Technology, the SSD R-Series is capable of up to 560 MB/s transfer speeds.

For compatibility, a USB 3.0 and 2.0 adapter is included in the box, but using one of theses really defeats the purpose of a drive like this. In order to use a G-Drive SSD R for editing on the go, you better have a fast laptop with a USB-C plug handy.

These mobile drives are pretty tiny, with all three models measuring only 3.74” x 1.97” x 0.57” (94  x  50  x  14.5mm).

Pricing and Availability

The G-Drive SSD R-Series of fast mobile drives is already available, but they aren’t exactly cheap. They do, however, offer quite a bit of peace of mind for your valuable data – something you can’t stress often enough. Once you’ve re-formatted your recording media, all you’ve got left is your mobile drive for backup! Don’t save money on cheap and unreliable hard drives. Instead, save at least two individual copies of your footage and keep in mind that these backup drives contain all of your day’s hard work.

link: G-Technology

What is your backup strategy when you’re out and about? Share your experience in the comments below!