Although the launch of Apple’s new MacBook Pro models has caused considerable consternation due to their lack of legacy USB-A ports for hard drives and other accessories, there’s no denying that the new computers’ Thunderbolt 3 ports with USB-C integration offer some interesting new options.
At the PhotoPlus Expo in New York G-Technology were showing their new G-DRIVE slim SSD USB-C drives. These speedy drives come in 500GB and 1TB capacities and are bus-powered, making them perfect for field use. They can offer 540 MB/s read and 500 MB/s write speeds in an extremely portable little box. The 1TB model sells for $379.95 US and the 500GB for $229.95 US.
For the fashion conscious there were also new 1TB G-DRIVE mobile USB-C drives in a range of colours to metallic finishes to match your Macbook. These have regular 7200 rpm spinning disks inside, with a maximum transfer rate of 136MB/s. Price is $119.95 US.
USB 3.1 Gen 2 runs up 10 Gbps, which is twice as fast as USB 3.0 (5 Gbps). It also isn’t as fast as Thunderbolt 2 (20 Gbps ) or 3 (20 Gbps), but in reality all these connections are more than fast enough to handle a single external SSD or spinning disk. The real benefit of the latest G-technology models is that they offer an excellent price to performance ratio, just as long as you have the computer to take advantage of it.
For more info on G-Technology drives visit their website.
