Price, availability, and specsDesign and compatibilityTransfer speed testsCompetitionShould you buy it?
Here’s why it’s such a good storage choice for laptops and desktops.
This review was made possible with a review sample provided by Western Digital.
You need to reformat the HDD for Windows since it comes formatted for macOS out of the box.
The company did not see the contents of the review before publishing.
It’s compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 1.
It has a rugged rubber casing that’s crush-resistant up to 1,000 pounds and has an IP54 rain/dust rating.
It boasts read and write speeds that are higher than 130 MB/s.
This being the case, it’s better suited to travel than your average HDD.
However, that doesn’t mean you should chuck it around.
Hard drives are far more fragile than SSDs because they operate using mechanical parts.
As such, you’ll always want to handle this HDD gently.
The rugged casing simply increases this HDD’s resistance to damage but doesn’t completely shield it.
The larger the capacity you go with, the thicker the main metal casing will be.
This shouldn’t cause any problems with your average travel bag, though.
The HDD is still small enough to easily slip inside laptop bags and backpacks.
That way, it should be easy to connect it with more devices right out of the box.
The port itself is compatible with both Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 1.
Thankfully, Western Digital has a handystep-by-step HDD reformatting guide, which makes this process easy.
You need to reformat the HDD for Windows since it comes formatted for macOS out of the box.
I ran the test again just to be sure, and I got the same results.
I even noted that it was as high as 312 MB/s, which is excellent.
Anyone who specifically wants an HDD for gaming should look at my colleague Ben Wilson’sWD_BLACK P10 review.
This gadget works with PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Just note that you cannot run games for Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5 on this HDD.
Of course, you might also want to check out our list of thebest external SSDs.
SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD’s rubber casing is crush resistant and has a IP54 rain/dust rating.
For my number one pick, I suggest you take a look at ourSamsung T7 Shield review.
It’s notably faster than the HDDs previously listed, as it reaches read speeds up to 1,050 MB/s.
My Passport Ultra: Should you buy it?
The USB-C port is protected by a rubber(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
Otherwise, sticking with an HDD lets you get a lot more storage for less money.
Anyone who wants a more damage-resistant HDD should definitely consider the SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD.
This SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE ArmorATD is the perfect rugged HDD for those who tend to travel.
(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
It is available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 5TB, and 6TB capacities.
My Passport Ultra comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable as well a as a USB-C to USB-A adapter.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD test with CrystalDiskMark shows a 199 MB/s read speed and a 180 MB/s write speed.
Western Digital offers a less expensive 6TB HDD in the form of My Passport Ultra.
G-DRIVE ArmorATD might not be a sleek-looking as some other hard drives, but it is more resistant to damages than average.
