At a glanceExpert’s Score
Professionals
Helps Thunderbolt 5
Spectacular efficiency for artistic customers
Rugged design with IP68 score
5-year guarantee
Cons
Costly
Requires Mac with M4 Professional or Max
You would possibly want to purchase a spare TB5 cable
Our Verdict
It’s costly, and also you’ll want a brand new Mac with an M4 Professional or Max processor to get the complete advantages of Thunderbolt 5, however the Rugged SSD Pro5 is the quickest back-up drive we’ve ever seen. Its rugged design is good for outside work, and makes it a really perfect back-up resolution for demanding artistic customers.
Value When Reviewed
This worth will present the geolocated pricing textual content for product undefined
Finest Pricing Right this moment
Value When Reviewed
2TB: $399.99; 4TB: $599.99
Finest Costs Right this moment: LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5
$329.99
Thunderbolt 5 was launched again in 2023 – and was fairly neglected, because it was launched on the identical day because the iPhone 15 – however it’s taken fairly some time for the know-how to reach in mainstream merchandise reminiscent of LaCie’s new Rugged SSD Pro5.
Even Apple has taken its time right here too, solely introducing Thunderbolt 5 on the brand new M4 MacBook Professional and Mac mini that had been launched on the finish of 2024 – and even then, solely on the fashions with the high-end M4 Professional and Max chips.
Nevertheless, LaCie’s vary of Rugged solid-state drives have supported Thunderbolt know-how for a few years, and their sturdy designs have made them widespread with many Mac customers and artistic professionals.
At first look the Pro5 seems nearly similar to the previous-generation Rugged SSD Professional, which makes use of Thunderbolt 3 and has been sitting on our listing of Finest Exterior SSD drives for the final three years. The names are nearly similar too, so ensure you search for the Pro5 mannequin in order for you the newest Thunderbolt 5 efficiency on your new Mac.
LaCie
The drive is offered with both 2TB or 4TB capacities, so that you’ve bought loads of room for big video and graphics information, and whereas it’s not precisely low cost, the Pro5 continues to be competitively priced for a high-performance drive geared toward professional customers. It’s additionally value mentioning that LaCie is now owned by Seagate, so that you’ll be directed to seagate.com for details about LaCie merchandise.
In actual fact, the one seen distinction between the 2 drives is the truth that the Pro5 is wrapped in a dark-blue rubber sleeve, fairly than the somber black of its predecessor. That rubber sleeve is designed to supply additional safety for the drive, and the Pro5 is even sturdier than earlier than, with an IP68 score for water and dust-resistance. Which means that the drive is totally sealed to forestall mud and different small particles from getting contained in the unit, and LaCie claims that it might probably survive full immersion in water as much as a depth of 1.5 meters for a full half-hour.
LaCie additionally states that the drive can survive being dropped from a peak of as much as 3m (10ft) and may even deal with being run over by automobiles weighing as much as two tonnes. And, to again up these claims, LaCie supplies a five-year guarantee for the drive, and presents a one-time use of its Knowledge Restoration Service to attempt to rescue your information within the occasion that the drive does turn into broken.
That rugged design makes the Pro5 a terrific possibility for artistic customers who must work outdoor for photoshoots or filming. It’s additionally extremely transportable, measuring simply 17mm thick, 98mm extensive and 65mm deep. The powerful design implies that it’s a bit of heavier than lots of its transportable rivals, weighing 150g – in comparison with 100g for the older Rugged Professional with Thunderbolt 3 – however you’ll be able to nonetheless decide it up and slip it into your pocket with no hassle in any respect.
LaCie features a high-performance Thunderbolt 5 cable with the Pro5 drive, however we did discover that the usual USB-C cable we usually use for our Time Machine back-up drive didn’t present sufficient energy for the Pro5, so it could be value investing in a spare Thunderbolt 5 cable in case of emergencies.
LaCie
And, after all, it’s the help for Thunderbolt 5 that may appeal to Mac customers, and particularly artistic customers who want a high-speed drive for working with massive graphics and video information. LaCie is clearly focusing on artistic customers with the Pro5, boasting that it’s “the fastest scratch disk for creative professionals”, and presents far better efficiency than earlier generations of Thunderbolt drives.
The Pro5 does use a typical USB-C connector, which implies that it’s nonetheless backward-compatible with older Macs which have Thunderbolt 3 or 4, however if you wish to get the complete efficiency of the Thunderbolt 5 interface then you definately’ll want to make use of one of many not too long ago launched MacBook Professional and Mac Mini fashions which have an M4 Professional or Max processor (and the earlier Rugged SSD Professional with Thunderbolt 3 stays on sale for homeowners of older Macs).
LaCie
When used with a Thunderbolt 5 Mac, LaCie quotes learn and write speeds of 6,700MB/s and 5,300MB/s respectively. Admittedly, the Pro5 didn’t fairly hit these peaks when working the BlackMagic Disk Velocity Check, however did nonetheless document spectacular outcomes of round 5,250MB/s for each learn and write efficiency when used with a brand new Mac mini with M4 Professional.
It’s additionally greater than twice as quick because the older Rugged SSD Professional with Thunderbolt 3, which scored learn and write speeds of two,480MB/s and 1,780MB/s respectively.
Must you purchase the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5
That efficiency makes the Rugged SSD Pro5 clearly the quickest Thunderbolt drive we’ve examined up to now, and together with its rugged, transportable design makes it a superb possibility for artistic customers who need to exploit the complete velocity of their new Thunderbolt 5 Macs.
