Durable and reliable travel backup: The SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD

It’s World Backup Day and I have just received the SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD 5TB rugged and portable hard drive to try out. I’d really love to test this out while traveling, as that is what I will be mostly using it for, unfortunately, I’m not jumping on a plane for another month or two.

So here are my thoughts just from getting it set up, running and using it as a portable storage device or backup. You’ll also find all that technical stuff I love so much. 

Note: Western Digital sent us the SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this drive are our own.

Pros:

• Sturdy
• Easy to set up
• Up to 5TB of storage with transfer rates up to 140MB/s
• Shock resistance up to 1m on a carpeted concrete floor for the 4TB and 5TB capacity models.
• Backed by a 3-year limited warranty
• Rain, dust and crush resistance for up to a 1,000lbs

Cons:

• A little heavy
• Bulky
• The interface is USB 3.1 Gen 1, which could be updated to USB 3.2 Gen 2 instead.

SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD Technical Specifications

All of the technical specifications for other PGYTECH OneGo Solo are from the product listing page on the Western Digital website:

• Capacity: 5TB
• Form Factor: 2.5”
• Interface: USB 3.1 Gen 1
• Connector: USB-C
• Compatibility: macOS 10.12+ (Time Machine compatible), Windows 10+ (via reformat)
• Compatible with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt™ 3
• Dimensions: 5.12”L x 3.43”W x 0.83”H
• Weight: 0.77 lb / 0.35 kg
• Warranty: 3-year limited warranty

In the box:

• G-DRIVE ArmorATD
• USB-C cable          
• USB-C to USB-A cable
• Quick Start Guide

SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD — First impressions

Right out of the box I was impressed with the rubber bumper that surrounds the drive. It is heavy and snug on the anodized aluminum enclosure. The box says, “it’s strength you can feel,” and it does feel strong. I tend to throw an external drive in my backpack when I’m heading out somewhere locally or on flights and this would definitely make me feel a little better about doing that.

It also feels a little bit heavy; weighing in at three-quarters of a pound seems a bit on the weighty side for carrying around while traveling. Especially if you’ve switched over to Solid State Drives, that is a huge difference.

SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD — Setup and use

I’m testing this on my 2019 MacBook Pro, 2.4GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9 with 32GB 2667 Mhz DDR4 memory. It’s just plug-and-play on a Mac, simple enough. Plug it in and find the G-Drive in your finder. For use with Windows, it will need to be reformatted first.

My plan is to use this drive exclusively for extra storage when I’m traveling. I have been using a standard Western Digital My Passport, but this SanDisk G-Drive ArmorATD will be able to withstand bouncing around in my bags better.

While initially my images are uploaded via Lightroom Classic to my MacBook Pro, I will also copy them over to the SanDisk G-Drive Armor ATD. That way if something horrible happens to my MacBook Pro, I’ll still have the latest photos I’ve taken on my trips.

I’m looking forward to throwing this in my carry-on bag for my next trip.