The SanDisk G-Drive Pro is an ultra-rugged, professional grade portable NVMe SSD built for transferring large files and is aimed at video editors, photographers and creative professionals. It uses a single Thunderbolt 3 port (40Gbps) to deliver high performance in a compact size.
The SanDisk G-Drive Pro is future-proofed to keep up with storage demands. It offers high-speed storage options of up to 4TB for offloading and editing high-res images, 8K videos and large documents.
The high-speed transfer rates of up to 2800MB/s read and 2400MB/s write speeds and Thunderbolt 3 interface enables you to edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, quickly render VR projects and experience them at full resolution, and makes your workstation mobile.
There are three different versions available in different storage capacities of 500GB, 1TB, 2TB. The SSD is rated for temperatures between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius and is backed by a 5-year warranty. A big thank you to WD for sending us this review unit.
Highlights
- Speeds up to 2800MB/s read and 2400MB/s write
- Capacities up to 2TB
- Compact form factor
- Ultra-rugged design with up to 3M drop protection and 1000lb crush resistance
Specifications
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TBs |
| Form Factor | External SSD |
| Operating Temperature | 5°C~35°C |
| Interface | Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) Port |
| Sequential read/write | 2,800MB/s read 2,400MB/s write |
| Endurance | Ultra-rugged design with up to 3M drop protection and 1000lb crush resistance Aluminum core to help maintain high-speed performance |
| Weight | 0.20kg |
| Dimensions | 112 x 80 x 17 mm |
| Warranty | 5 years |
Unboxing
The G-Drive Pro comes in a white, SanDisk-branded, cardboard packaging. The SSD is protected inside in a plastic container to keep the drive safe during shipping.
The packaging includes:
- G-DRIVE PRO SSD
- 1 x .5m Thunderbolt 3 Cable (40Gbps)
- Quick Start Guide
The SanDisk G-Drive features an industrial design. Its main body is made of a rubberized material while the ends are made of metal to ensure durability and shock-resistance. SanDisk says they have designed this SSD casing using hand-picked components for endurance, while a cool aluminum core helps prevent overheating to maintain a consistent high level of performance.
The SanDisk G-Drive measures 112 x 80 x 17 mm in size, weighs about 200 grams. It is quite portable and compact considering the ruggedness. The back side of the drive has the Thunderbolt port and a activity indicator light can be found at the front.
Performance
Our review unit is the 2TB version. On paper, performance should be 2,800MB/s in sequential reading and 2,400MB MB/s in writing when connected via Thunderbolt 3 interface.
During tests, the SanDisk G-Drive performed very well and consistent. Transferring files, videos and large documents is quick with this portable SSD. During everyday use, the speeds are in the range of 500-900 MB/s, depending on the size of files. We moved a large 30GB video file from the local drive to the G-Drive Pro in just under a minute.
In CrystalDiskMark, the SanDisk G-Drive comes out with 2,717 MB/s and 2,364 MB/s in sequential reading and writing respectively which is nearly the same as advertised.
Conclusion
The SanDisk G-Drive works great as a rugged, portable storage solution for power users and creative professionals to quickly transfer and store large files, photos, videos and documents consistently via the Thunderbolt 3 interface.
The downside is that most older laptops, PCs, mobile devices such as phones and tablets can’t provide enough power to the drive for it to work. The SanDisk G-Drive is currently available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities and is backed by a limited five-year warranty
