Review: G-Tech G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt

Streaming Media Producer by Tim Siglin

Do 2x throughput and 4x drives justify the $750 price tag of this 4TB RAID system?

Repeat this phrase three times: Dockable drives double as desktop and pocket storage.

Got it? That’s the essence of the G-Technology G-Dock ev with Thunderbolt.

Form Factor
The G-Dock ev is a desktop two-bay docking chassis, labeled EV because it is part of G-Technology’s Evolution Series. The G-Dock ev measures just under 8 inches long, 5” wide, and 3.5” high, encased in the brushed aluminum that screams “Mac-compatible product to sit alongside your Mac Mini, iMac, or even the older-style Mac Pro and not be aesthetically out of sorts.”

Speaking of the dual dockable drives, which G-Technology refers to as a G-Drive EV, each one is removable and doubles as pocket storage, or standalone drives. Since they house 2.5” wide 1 TB drives, the dockable drive enclosures are 3.5” wide, the typical size of any pocket 2.5” hard drive enclosure.

If you remove one of the two G-Drives, and turn it on its side, the height of the G-Dock chassis is the same as the width of the G-Drive. What’s more, if you hold one of the removable drives parallel to the G-Dock ev at either end of the G-Dock chassis, the removable drive’s surface is the same as the chassis’ surface (width and height). Okay, I know it’s geeky to point that out, but I like good design, and someone apparently thought through the dimensions of the G-Dock ev. read more...