GEAR MINI TESTS
SAMSUNG SSD T7 SHIELD 4TB £395/$430 samsung.com
speeds or use a speed test program, always conducting a real-world test of our own. This involves dragging a 50GB folder of video files onto the drive to see how long it takes to copy – and transfer the 50GB from the drive back to the computer. We have found this time is limited by the connection used by the drive and computer, plus the quality of the cable. When we tried the 2TB Samsung Portable SSD T7 Shield, which uses a USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface, we expected it to be slower than a Thunderbolt 4 connection when used on our MacBook Pro, which has a Thunderbolt 3 socket. But the Samsung set a new record of under a minute for transfers to the Mac – and from the Mac to the drive. No other drive had cracked the one- minute barrier. However, on the same computer, the 4TB version took twice the time to read and write despite the same specs. But on a new Mac Studio with an Apple M1 Ultra chip with Thunderbolt 4 connections, it was blazing fast. It wrote the 50GB folder to the Samsung
With file sizes and speeds of cameras and computers increasing all the time, SSDs are not just luxuries any more but essential. They are the speediest, most reliable and compact external drives, quick enough to handle high-res files and let you edit directly from them. However, getting affordable versions in large sizes – especially if you want a rugged-style location drive – has been difficult, if not impossible. Samsung has come to the rescue with its T7 Shield range, now available in a 4TB version for £395/$430. That’s twice as big as the old version, but a bit more expensive. When we tested the 2TB T7 Shield, we raved about its speed. We don’t trust any manufacturer’s claimed
CABLE TIES The SSD T7 Shield comes with two leads, one USB-C and one USB-A
SPECIFICATIONS Type: SSD hard drive Capacity: 4TB Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) via PCIe NVMe Speed: 1050MB/s read, 1000MB/s write Waterproof rating: IP65 Systems supported: Mac OS X 10.10 and higher, Windows 7 and higher, Android 5.1, Lollipop and higher Dimensions (wxhxd): 88x59x13mm/3.47x2.32x0.51in Weight: 98g/0.21lb without cable in 58 seconds and from SSD to the computer in 55 seconds consistently. Like the whole T7 Shield range, it sustains great write performance, allowing you to shoot 8K or 12K video – and is compatible with Blackmagic’s cinema cameras that record direct to SSD. More will offer this in future, like Panasonic’s S5 II tested this issue. All the T7 Shield series have tough aluminium bodies with great heat dissipation – and the drive never got hot in our tests. The body has a rubber cover to provide drop protection as well as water and dust resistance. It is IP65 rated to prevent water ingress. As always with Samsung, the drive is plug-and-play, with both our Macs recognising it instantly as an external drive. It comes with drivers for Mac and Windows, and software to let you set a name and password. Included Samsung Magician software monitors the drive’s health and lets you change settings. The T7 Shield can also be used on an Android phone. As an external SSD for filmmaking – like its 2TB sibling – it’s well-priced, rugged, fast and very compact. Now, it offers double the storage space. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Very fast drive and now even bigger Pros: Small, light and fast Cons: Not as quick on older Macs
HARD AS NAILS Its rugged
rubber cover successfully fends off any knocks
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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