Rugged platter storage for Mac loyalists
The SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD (starts at $89.99 for 1TB; $109.99 for 2TB as tested) is a cost-effective, semi-rugged external hard drive available in capacities up to 5TB. As a spinning (5,400rpm) platter drive, its speed is typical of its class, meaning well short of the performance of solid-state drives. This makes the ArmorATD less-than-ideal for users needing to back up many large files in a hurry, but it should work well for travelers or mobile workers who need lots of capacity for the spend, versus what their money would buy in an external SSD. Platters That Play Well With Macs The ArmorATD is one of the first products in Western Digital’s SanDisk Professional line of storage solutions, which combines a rebranding of WD’s G-Technology series with the introduction of some new products. A slightly modified version of the G-Technology ArmorATD, the G-Drive ArmorATD has a new color scheme—the case has changed from blue to space gray—and comes formatted in HFS+ instead of exFAT. HFS+ is a Mac-friendly format, one of two (along with APFS) compatible with the macOS backup system Time Machine. Unlike exFAT, which is both Mac- and Windows-compatible, HFS+ can be used only on a Mac. If you need to use the ArmorATD with both Windows PCs and Macs, you’ll need to reformat it to exFAT. This can be done with a Mac’s Disk Utility, where HFS+ is called Mac OS Extended (Journaled). If you only have a Windows machine and want to convert the format to NTFS, you can do so using the Windows Disk Management utility by carefully deleting the HFS+ partition and reformatting the drive as NTFS, wiping the drive clean. Utilities such as Paragon NTFS-HFS Converter offer a simple and straightforward way to convert drives between HFS+ and NTFS. Should you reformat the ArmorATD, you will want to back up all your data first. (The Paragon utility even prompts you to do so.) As for software, SanDisk doesn’t include any on the drive. By contrast, the WD My Passport (5TB) supports AES-256 hardware encryption and password protection through its WD Security app. It also includes utilities for checking drive health, backing up and reformatting the drive, and downloading data from cloud storage. True to its name, the Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch provides backup software (via a free download); it also supports 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption with password protection. Measuring 0.8 by 3.4 by 5.1 inches, the ArmorATD can fit in one hand, and it’s easy to grip the black, rubberized removable sleeve that cushions the drive. The device’s silver-gray surface shows through on the top and bottom. On the side, a rubber plug attached to the drive conceals a USB-C port with a USB 3.
