The days with slow storage devices is now over. Because of the extremely fast technology of memory that are available on modern computers, we’re in a position to utilize external storage like it were built-in on the system. This gives us the opportunity to increase the storage capacity built-in of computers, and to use drives that have much greater capacities and, in the future, even greater performance. SanDisk’s latest PRO-G40 SSD line has been specifically developed to achieve this. Because of a cutting-edge Thunderbolt 3 interface and blazing-fast PCIe NVMe SSD, the PROG40 is able to provide enough storage to handle serious video and photo work, without compromising. The review below, we’ll explore the capabilities of this drive and what it can do.
Overview and Building Quality
SanDisk is not a stranger to the world of storage. If you’re a photographer, there’s the likelihood that you are using SanDisk’s storage solutions on your digital cameras or you’ve previously used them. I’ve used various kinds of SD, CF, and other media from SanDisk throughout my professional life and still depend on SanDisk for my videography and photography requirements today. Although there are a lot of competitors on the market for storage today however, few people are aware that the majority of them are simply rebrands of storage products that are already in use. It is due to the reality that there are only a handful of companies all over the world who make flash storage.
SanDisk operated a number of these factories prior to it was acquired of these plants by Western Digital (WD) in 2016 which made it possible for WD to expand beyond the traditional storage of hard drives to more efficient the NAND flash system. There are currently two divisions of the brand that are part of WD: “SanDisk” that concentrates on memory cards and portable drives, as well as thumb drives and other devices aimed mostly at the consumer market and “SanDisk Professional” which is focused on high-end products designed for professionals.
The SanDisk PRO-G40 is definitely part of the second. In addition to its impressive performance (up to 3000 MB/sec read speeds as well as up to 2500MB/sec writing speeds) It’s also robust to withstand any conditions (dust as well as water resistant) and also has a speedy USB Type-C connection (Thunderbolt 3, and also USB 3.2 Gen 2 compatible). The flash drive is housed in a robust aluminum shells that provide not just crush and drop resistance as well as proper heat dissipation, which makes it an ideal option for travellers.
It is important to know that the performance of the device is reduced drastically when you switch to Thunderbolt 3 to USB 3.2. If you own a computer that doesn’t come with Thunderbolt 3 or higher, the speed of your data transfer will be decreased by 1/3 to the capacity for the device.
As you would expect from SanDisk the quality of the construction of the unit is superb. The finish is beautiful with a smooth surface, the design doesn’t hinder its function. Because it doesn’t have no moving components, you do not need to be concerned whether you’ll lose your files in the event that you happen to drop it. SanDisk rate their drop security at 3 metres, however considering the quality of this device is constructed I’m sure it will perform just fine even if it falls from a longer distance.
Similar to the competition with Samsung, this drive is also dust and water resistant due an IP68 rated. It means that the drive is able to be submerged that is up to 1.5 meters deep, and is expected to withstand. As a contrast, Samsung’s T7 Shield Portable SSD drive is tested at IP65 This means it’s certified to shield against low pressure water jets from various angles. It is not able to be able to withstand submersion completely.
The SanDisk PRO-G40 also has a crush-resistant with the upmost 4000 pounds of force to be applied to its surface. In all honesty, I can’t have any practical applications to crush resistance for a storage device that is small however, I suppose it’s an “nice for having” feature.
SanDisk PRO-G40 SSD Specifications
Here are the specifications of this SSD: SanDisk PRO-G40 SSD:
| Name | Specification |
|---|---|
| Interface | Thunderbolt3 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C |
| Capacity | 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB |
| Color | Black |
| Performance (Thunderbolt 3) | Up to 3000MB/s read, up to 2500 MB/sec write |
| Performance (USB 3.2) | Up to 1050MB/s read, up to 1000 MB/sec write |
| Weight | 122.3g |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 111 x 58 x 12mm |
| Environmental Resistance | Crush, Drop, Dust, Water |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Operating System | macOS, Windows, Linux (macOS 10.13+ pre-formatted) |
| Warranty | 5-year Limited Warranty |
The specifications of this device are very solid the performance as well as IP rating being among the top features.
Compatibility
Like the majority of SSD drives available The SanDisk PRO-G40 can be used with all major operating systems, as long as you make use of the appropriate interface and hardware that accommodate Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.2 Gen 2. I tried the drive using the MacBook Pro M1 Max running macOS Ventura 13.2.1 (which is the system I used for all of the benchmarks that I will be reviewing) and it performed without issues. If you are using Windows or any variant of Linux it is important to ensure that the drive is formatted using the appropriate file system that your operating system can recognize.
It is crucial to note that you must use the correct cable to connect this drive with your PC. The device is equipped with a relatively shorter cable. If you require a cable larger, ensure that it’s a top-quality cable that is rated by Thunderbolt 3.0 speeds at 40 Gbps or greater. I also recommend against making use of any type of adapter since they could be an obstruction to performance.
Performance
If you’re curious about what the speed of the SanDisk PRO-G40 drives I conducted a number of tests of benchmarks to find out what this drive can be capable of. Here’s what I was able achieve by using the Blackmagicdesign Disk Speed Test (5 GB chunks):
You can clearly see the performance of the drive is quite impressive. While I wasn’t capable of getting over 2800 MB/sec of read speed vs the stated 3000 MB/sec speed however, writing speed at 2550 MB/sec beat the specifications. I tried the test multiple times and had pretty consistently good results.
Here is the benchmark results of AmorphousDiskMark 4.0 (which is similar with the PC CrystalDiskMark version). CrystalDiskMark):
Interestingly, the results came out even more impressive with this particular benchmark when using 4 GB chunks – I was able to get 3132 MB/sec read and 2582 MB/sec write speeds, both of which exceed the manufacturer-provided specs.
I’ve never seen such speeds on a single portable SSD drive before This is definitely remarkable. I wanted to find out how this compares to my internal computer storage, so here’s the results:
It’s more than two times the speed of sequential operation of the external drive, which is something is expected from a lot of MacBooks. Apple frequently utilizes two SSD drives to mix their storage capacity and performance (similar as RAID 0). However, the ability to achieve 3 GB/sec speed using an external hard drive is fantastic. This is sufficient to allow you to play high-bitrate 4K as well as 8K video.
Finally, I ran a couple more benchmarks using AJA System Test. AJA System Test with 4K resolution and large 16GB chunks. This is the result:
We got very different results. The read rate is around 3000MB/sec the write speed slowed down to 1830 MB/sec. This could be due to the fact that the file size is bigger. To test how speed of writing affects bigger files, I ran a second test using a 64 GB file size:
As you can see, the writing performance of the drive was definitely reduced even more. I recorded 2820 MB/sec read speed and 1645 MB/sec writing speed. It is important to keep in mind how fast a drive is typically affected by larger files, and more heat. This can be particularly an issue for drives that are not well ventilated and, more specifically, for NVMe flash drives, which are known to be very hot in the course of time.
In any case, the SanDisk PRO-G40 definitely did become warm after about 30-40 minutes of continuous usage. The thick aluminum shell is certainly helpful in cooling and preventing the drive from being slowed down, temperatures that are too hot or extensive write/read operations can impact the performance. The general rule of thumb is to place it in a well-ventilated, cool location and avoid placing it on hot surfaces.
Summary
External storage devices have made significant progress. They are large, slow and noisy portable hard drives are no longer available to be replaced by considerably larger and more compact devices. When just the last few years we were satisfied with the standard SSD drives, SSDs with PCIe NVMe has definitely been taking the market with a vengeance. The drives are smaller and considerably more efficient, so it’s just natural for them to take over the market for storage.
It is the SanDisk PRO-G40 is an outstanding external drive, with an impressive performance I have not seen yet from a storage device external to the home that is specifically designed to increase the storage capacity of the primary drive without making major limitations. It has 3 GB/sec read speeds as well as 2.5 writing speeds of GB/sec These drives are suitable for demanding work, for instance when working with large files or videos. In addition, due to the thick aluminum shelI It is also an extremely durable IP68-rated device, which is dustproof, dropproof, shockproof and waterproof (it could even be submerged within water for short duration without losing information) This is essential for travel photographers and videographers.