GEAR MINI TESTS
SANDISK PROFESSIONAL PRO-G40 1TB £259/$185 sandisk.com If you’re serious about speed, the Sandisk Professional Pro-G40 1TB SSD is one of the fastest, most robust portable drives currently available. For filmmakers working with 4K, 8K or even 12K files, it’s a compact powerhouse that delivers stunning performance wherever you go. In real-world testing on both a 2022 Apple Mac Studio (M1 Ultra) and a 2023 MacBook Pro 16in (M3 Max), both running MacOS Sequoia and equipped with Thunderbolt 4 ports, the G-40 delivered impressive speeds. Transferring our standard 50GB folder of files to the drive took just 51 seconds on the desktop machine and a frankly astonishing 17 seconds on the laptop. Moving the same data back to the computer took 75 seconds on the Studio and 25 seconds on the MacBook. This shows that the G-40 is fast in benchmarks, but also where it matters – on-set, in edit suites or offloading footage under time pressure. Designed with durability in mind, the drive features a solid aluminium chassis, rated IP68 for water and dust resistance. It’s drop-tested to three metres and can withstand up to 4000lb of crushing force. It’s built to handle life in a kitbag or clattering around on location. We’ve used the Pro-G40 for months and never had issues – at dusty motorbike tracks, rained on and squashed in bags. Internally, the drive can handle read speeds up to 3000MB/s and write speeds of 2500MB/s over Thunderbolt 3 or 4. Even using a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connection, you’ll still see respectable
DESKO INFERNO The G-40 is
simply blazing fast, ideal out on location or back at base
performance at 1050MB/s read and 1000MB/s write. Unlike other rugged portable SSDs, there’s no rubberised outer layer, but the sturdy metal core acts as a heat sink to keep performance stable under heavy workloads. That’s ideal when running your Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro libraries directly from the drive or using it as a scratch disk. It gets warm, but never enough to be a concern. At 111x58x12mm/4.4x2.3x0.5in, it’s very pocketable, but a tad bigger than some rival SSDs. The extra materials add strength and heat-dissipation to keep it running faster for longer. The drive is even held together using visible hex head screws, which adds to the look of a well-engineered, quality unit. The G-40 comes pre-formatted in APFS for MacOS, but can easily be reformatted for Windows 10 or later systems. It’s true plug-and-play for Mac users and a reliable workhorse across platforms. At £259/$185 for the 1TB version, it’s not the cheapest option, but it’s certainly worth it for peace of mind. The larger capacities cost £399/$270 for 2TB and £500/$390 for 4TB. There are often good deals, so shop around. For filmmakers looking to eliminate bottlenecks in their workflow, this drive is as close to instant access as
SPECIFICATIONS
Capacity: 1TB NVMe SSD Port: USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 3
Maximum read/write speed: 3000/2500MB/s Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (40Gbps), 1050/1000MB/s
USB-C (10Gbps) OS compatibility: MacOS, Windows
Format: exFAT/APFS Material: Aluminium Protection: IP68, 4000lb crush resistance Dimensions (lxwxh): 111x58x12mm/4.4x2.3x0.5in Weight: 121.2g/0.27lb
THUNDER STRUCK You’ll be amazed at how fast the connection is from the port
portable storage gets. It’s stupidly fast, rugged and dependable. If you work on Mac and want pro performance in the field or studio, this is one of the best SSDs to own, and it’s made by one of the best-known names in the business. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Superfast and rugged portable SSD Pros: Build quality, transfer speeds Cons: Not the cheapest for the size
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