I thought it would be cheaper to do this with an SSD in m.2 form factor for the 2TB model but these HDDs are only $99 on Amazon. A much smaller rugged SSD version of this would be a lot tougher, but for the larger options at this price it seems like a reasonable option.
Still if you really cared about it being. Touch a hdd just doesn't make much sense. Being more temperature, movement and dust sensitive by nature while also being a lot heavier.
It's spinning rust. It can't saturate a USB-B port. And you probably want to connect it to all sorts of obsolete hardware as well (rugged stuff tends not to be upgraded as often).
The physical port has nothing to do with the speed. USB 3.1 Gen 2 10 Gbps is available over Micro-B. Just as there are USB-C devices that are only USB 2.0 480 Mbps.
Moving to USB-C is just future-proofing to the day that USB-C is everywhere.
In fairness, the micro-B connector that supports USB3 speeds is much wider than the "normal" micro-B connector(much like how full-size USB-B is taller if it supports USB3). USB-A is the anomaly in that the connector didn't get larger when USB3 support was added. And when we're worried about ruggedness, a smaller connector is less vulnerable. This is one of the places where I think the USB-C fan club has a point.
Also, I've seen exactly one micro-USB3 cable in my life. So if the cable gets damaged and you need to replace it(a likely situation if the drive's rugged nature is tested while it is plugged in), USB-C is a more convenient option.
Weird device. Looks like a consumer "kid safe" drive rather than any "rugged drive" I've ever seen. Most such devices would cost 10 times what this does (and presumably go straight to SSD: no reason to have a failure point like a spinning disk).
I'd also suspect that for real rugged markets, the 2TB drive would be the most popular thanks to 2TB limits in older systems. Upgrading rugged gear is *expensive*.
Finally, "military rugged" is a meaningless phrase (and a drop test doesn't count. UPS has a drop test, I've never heard of one for MIL-STD). You want to know which MIL-STD specs the thing passed, especially MIL-STD 801 (and other MIL-STD tests, I'm not a mechanical engineer so I'm not that familiar with the shock&vibe specs).
I have had poor experiences with adata drives.. Plus.. Don't you guys baby spinning drives anyway? There's no use of this unless the inter als are also made to spec
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mckirkus - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
I thought it would be cheaper to do this with an SSD in m.2 form factor for the 2TB model but these HDDs are only $99 on Amazon. A much smaller rugged SSD version of this would be a lot tougher, but for the larger options at this price it seems like a reasonable option.qlum - Friday, June 21, 2019 - link
Still if you really cared about it being. Touch a hdd just doesn't make much sense. Being more temperature, movement and dust sensitive by nature while also being a lot heavier.cerberusss - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
Micro-B USB port on the drive? Isn't that a bit of a weird choice in this day and age? I'd expect USB-C.PVG - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
Why?wumpus - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
It's spinning rust. It can't saturate a USB-B port. And you probably want to connect it to all sorts of obsolete hardware as well (rugged stuff tends not to be upgraded as often).CharonPDX - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
The physical port has nothing to do with the speed. USB 3.1 Gen 2 10 Gbps is available over Micro-B. Just as there are USB-C devices that are only USB 2.0 480 Mbps.Moving to USB-C is just future-proofing to the day that USB-C is everywhere.
Lord of the Bored - Wednesday, June 26, 2019 - link
In fairness, the micro-B connector that supports USB3 speeds is much wider than the "normal" micro-B connector(much like how full-size USB-B is taller if it supports USB3). USB-A is the anomaly in that the connector didn't get larger when USB3 support was added.And when we're worried about ruggedness, a smaller connector is less vulnerable. This is one of the places where I think the USB-C fan club has a point.
Also, I've seen exactly one micro-USB3 cable in my life. So if the cable gets damaged and you need to replace it(a likely situation if the drive's rugged nature is tested while it is plugged in), USB-C is a more convenient option.
wumpus - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
Weird device. Looks like a consumer "kid safe" drive rather than any "rugged drive" I've ever seen. Most such devices would cost 10 times what this does (and presumably go straight to SSD: no reason to have a failure point like a spinning disk).I'd also suspect that for real rugged markets, the 2TB drive would be the most popular thanks to 2TB limits in older systems. Upgrading rugged gear is *expensive*.
Finally, "military rugged" is a meaningless phrase (and a drop test doesn't count. UPS has a drop test, I've never heard of one for MIL-STD). You want to know which MIL-STD specs the thing passed, especially MIL-STD 801 (and other MIL-STD tests, I'm not a mechanical engineer so I'm not that familiar with the shock&vibe specs).
samerakhras - Saturday, June 22, 2019 - link
Portable HDD are Dying. with 2TB SSD now costs around $150 there is no point at all any one buys external HDDevernessince - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
You can get 8TB external HDDs for $100. They are nowhere near dead.vivekvs1992 - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
I have had poor experiences with adata drives.. Plus.. Don't you guys baby spinning drives anyway? There's no use of this unless the inter als are also made to specAssimilator87 - Sunday, June 23, 2019 - link
Wow, I didn't know 2.5" hard drives had reached such capacities, even with SMR. Any idea what the Z-height is on these?