Western Digital launches new 22TB and 44TB Sandisk Professional external hard drives

2 weeks ago

Storage behemoth Western Digital added 2 caller external difficult disk drives to its already burgeoning roster of retention devices up of IBC2023, nan International Broadcasting Convention that takes places each twelvemonth successful Amsterdam and attracts, nan pick of nan broadcasting, media and intermezo industry.

The pro-grade products capable a spread successful Western Digital’s offering and see nan SanDisk Professional G-Drive PROJECT and nan G-RAID Mirror, formerly portion of nan G-Technology family.

Both travel pinch Thunderbolt 3 (rather than Thunderbolt 4) allowing up to 5 devices to beryllium daisy-chained, a five-year warranty and pinch 1 aliases 2 difficult disk drives (up to 22TB Ultrastar Enterprise-class difficult drives, apt to beryllium nan Ultrastar DC HC570). They besides some characteristic a PRO-BLADE SSD mag slot that allows you to negociate contented via this SSD-based retention device.

The PROJECT is disposable successful capacities ranging from 6TB ($369.99) up to 22TB ($849.99). Western Digital claims that it tin scope read/write speeds of up to 260MB/s which is somewhat little than nan maximum transportation velocity reached by nan HC570 (291MB/s).

The G-RAID Mirror reaches up to 44TB utilizing 2 drives and costs a whopping $1499.99. It ships successful RAID-1 “mirroring” mode for enhanced information redundancy. It tin beryllium changed to RAID-0 for amended capacity aliases JBOD (Just a bunch of drives) simply by flipping a switch.

In comparison, nan My Book Duo, a user product, costs conscionable nether $1,200, and comes pinch a shorter warranty, lacks nan PRO-BLADE SSD mag slot and runs connected USB 3.2 Gen 1. The value spread is moreover bigger - $450 aliases 70% - betwixt nan 22TB WD Elements and nan 22TB PROJECT.

What astir Seagate?

Western Digital’s arch-rival doesn’t person an balanced statement of product, focusing alternatively connected user outer difficult drives pinch nan Expansion and One Touch family ranges. Instead, you request to look astatine LaCie, Seagate’s abstracted premium retention brand, that maintained a chopped personality from nan mothership.

Its 2Big Dock competes against nan G-RAID Mirror, pinch a overmuch higher value tag ($1899) and a little retention capacity (up to 40TB). It does nevertheless person 2 Thunderbolt ports, CFexpress Type B, CFast 2.0, and SD paper slots arsenic good arsenic a USB hub and a afloat size DisplayPort.