Gear

G-RAID with Removable Drives

G-RAID with Removable Drives High-Performance Enterprise RAID Storage Solution

There are a lot of external storage solutions with many different configurations available today. Depending on your specific needs, it's no longer just about size and speed, but about connections and compatibility. For most photo and design pros, the combination of all of these elements is important, but reliability is the must-have for today's digital world. As G-Technology has long been known for their excellent products and the most current connectivity, their new G-RAID with Removable Drives high-performance line with Enterprise-grade drives may be the balance you need of both space and speed for a wide range of systems.

While this version of the G-RAID doesn't offer a Thunderbolt 2 connection, G-Technology does have models that offer it. In this case, the model tested had just about everything else, making it more compatible for more end users. In other words, if your computer meets the system requirements, but isn't the latest model, you can enjoy the fast transfer speeds with larger video and graphics files. The G-RAID includes eSATA, USB 3 (USB 2 compatible), and FireWire 800 connectivity, but your operating system must be Mac OS X 10.7 or later. Windows users must be using Windows 8.1, or 8 and 7, which requires reformatting before use.

The 8-TB (model tested) drive has minimal fan noise, reading just under 35 decibels at approximately 4′ away. The cables are long enough for placement on the floor or at enough of a distance to make the drive nearly silent. Given its competition, the G-RAID has a higher price than some similar drives, but its Enterprise drives, up to 300 MB/s access times, and the additional connection ports set it apart from the rest. If you need big storage with serious speed, but without Thunderbolt, the G-RAID with Removable Drives storage solution is an outstanding choice.

Company: G-Technology
Price: 4 TB: $449.95; 8 TB: $749.95; 12 TB: $1,199.95
Web: www.g-technology.com
Rating: 4
Hot: Quiet; fast; connection options; removable storage
Not: Price; no support for Windows XP or older systems

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