G-Technology G-Dock ev external Thunderbolt hard drive

The G-Dock ev relies on a Thunderbolt connection and it’s a desktop device that’s primarily targeted at Mac users — you can tell by the aesthetic that G-Technology has gone for in the design of the dock and the drives, and, of course, because barely any Windows machines come with Thunderbolt. What’s interesting is that the individual drives that slot into the dock can also be used on their own as USB 3.0 devices. The drives actually have both SATA III and USB 3.0 interfaces, and the SATA interface can be neatly covered up when you want to use the drives independently of the dock.

A lot of attention has gone into the construction of this storage unit as far as its functionality and usability are concerned: the drives slot in easily, the rubber feet on the base make it grip the table securely, and the power button is at the back so that you don’t accidentally knock it while the drive is operating. However, one thing that has been overlooked is a locking mechanism for the drives. There are big buttons on the front that need to be pressed for the individual drives to be ejected from the dock, but they don’t have a lock. That said, the buttons need a healthy press in order to release the drives from their bays.

Overall, the unit is solidly built out of anodised aluminium — both the dock, and each individual drive are among the most sturdy external storage devices we’ve seen in recent times. The hard drive modules on their own are as solid as can be, weighing 286g each. The dock is designed to be used in a desktop environment, rather than be taken out in the field, and you have to plug it in to the mains so that it can supply both drive modules with power when they are plugged into it. (G-Technology has other RAID products available if you want portable storage, such as the G-RAID Mini). There is a fan at the rear of the dock to keep the drives cool. read more...