G-Drive Mobile USB-C Portable Hard Drive
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Pros
- Runs smoothly
- Quiet
- Cost-effective
- USB-C connectivity
- High capacity
A cost-effective way to have powerful digital storage with you at all times.
The past few years I’ve been struggling with digital storage. It’s been a long-time problem for me as sometimes I have systems that can’t be expanded. This became a particular problem when I switched to my first MacBook Pro (a 2011 model). I’ve relied a lot on external storage and love the portable drives that I can carry with me. I’ve always wanted to give G-Technology a try. I finally got the chance to try it with the G-Drive Mobile USB-C portable hard drive.
DETAILS
The G-Drive Mobile USB-C portable hard drive is a 1TB pocket powerhouse that packs a punch. The drive is designed for users looking for speed with a sleek design and Time Machine compatibility. The hard drive inside the shell is a mechanical drive (not SSD) and it has a 7200RPM spin. You can connect to it through USB-C and it comes with two cables – USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A. There are four colors to choose from – rose gold, space gray, silver, and gold. The Mobile USB-C retails for around $75 and has a transfer rate of 136 Mb/s (according to its specs). One of the perks of this particular drive is that it is formatted for Mac machines and can easily be reformatted for Windows users. That’s a bit unusual for portable hard drives. They are usually preformatted for Windows. The hard drive has a 3-year limited warranty and utilizes a plug-n-play set-up.
SPECS
- Interface: USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen 1)
- Drive Speed: 7200 RPM Class
- Transfer Rate: Up to 136MB/s
- Compatibility: Mac OS® 10.9+, Windows® 10, 8.1, 7 (via reformat), USB-C™ ready; USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt™ 3 compatible
- Dimensions: 5.08″ x 3.23″ x 0.51″, 0.37 lbs
Kit Contents
- G-DRIVE mobile USB-C™ hard drive
- 1x USB Type-C to Type-C cable
- 1x USB Type-C to Type-A cable for backward compatibility
- Quick Start Guide
- 3-Year limited warranty
USER EXPERIENCE
The G-Drive Mobile USB-C portable hard drive comes packaged in a G-Technologies branded box. There is a plastic window cut out of the box so that you can see the product inside. The main details of the device are highlighted with stickers and cardboard flags – the drive capacity and speed. I am really glad they call out the speed of the drive because there is also a G-Drive Mobile USB-C that has a 5400 RPM spin. I wasn’t aware of that until I started researching the 7200RPM model on G-Tech’s website. The hard drive is about the size of my iPhone 7 and it has a smooth beveled aluminum case. The letter “G” is embossed in on the hard drive case as it represents the G-Technology logo. Because it’s a mechanical drive, the Mobile USB-C weighs quite a bit more than a portable SSD. The upside to that is it costs far less. For example, G-Technology has a 1TB Mobile SSD that retails for more than $260 while this drive is only $75. The SSD is going to be more durable travel-wise, but as long as you don’t play catch with the hard drive, the standard mechanical drive should hold up well.
When I receive a hard drive, I run a few standard tests on it. First, I will check to see if it collects any heat. I had the G-Drive plugged into my MacBook Pro for more than 2 hours and it did not heat up at all. It was quiet and did not have any issues transferring data during that time. Next, I pulled a couple of system profiles on the drive to ensure that what was promised in the box was actually in the hard drive. I was able to verify that it is a 1TB drive formatted as Mac OS Extended and that only 664.4MB was used out of the box. The last two tests I ran had to do with determining the drive’s speed. I ran Blackmagic’s Disk Speed Test and ended up with a result of 118.6/134.4 MB/s write/read speed. I also copied a file from my computer to the hard drive and timed its transfer with a stopwatch. The file was 2.36GB in size and took approximately 18.49 seconds to copy. This translates to a transfer rate of 128.3 MB/s, which is closer to the 136 MB/s transfer rate that is included in the specs.
CONCLUSION
The G-Drive Mobile USB-C is a very capable hard drive. It’s durable and sleek-looking. With its USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface (via USB-C), data transfers very quickly and it runs incredibly smooth. I do enjoy portable SSDs, but it’s hard to beat the cost-effective portable mechanical drives like the G-Drive Mobile USB-C.
For more information, visit g-technology.com.
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