If you use external drives as backup for your computer, be it a desktop or laptop, you probably have HDDs, as that’s the most common – and affordable – solution for backup or archiving. But if you want/need something faster, maybe for everyday use and to keep your regularly used files easily accessible, then an external SSD is an alternative. Portable SSDs are an option, but if you prefer to have something that sits on your desktop, SanDisk has a solution: the brand-new SanDisk Desk Drive.
Featuring the speed and reliability of an SSD, this new class of drives gives content creators and business professionals an easy way to back up and access their high-resolution photos, videos and files quickly in a single, convenient location. From photo and video pros to tech enthusiasts, there are a growing number of digital creators generating massive amounts of content who need flexible high-capacity storage solutions to do more, faster.
“As digital content creation continues to soar, there is an increasing need for high-performing and high-capacity storage solutions to help manage and preserve it. Expanding our SSD portfolio is the first step in offering creators backup solutions that deliver the speed and flexibility they need to unlock their creativity,” says Susan Park, Vice President, Consumer Solutions, Western Digital. “By next year, we expect to double the capacity of the SanDisk Desk Drive from 8TB to 16TB on a single desktop SSD.”
SanDisk states that the SanDisk Desk Drive is up to 4x faster than a desktop HDD, and points to the results being based in internal testing that used the 8TB WD My Book desktop HDD… which is the solution – more affordable – I’ve on my desktop, right besides an “obsolete” WD My Cloud with 16TB capacity. SanDisk is, in case you don’t remember, a brand owned by Western Digital.
The drive comes in both 4TB and 8TB capacities and is compatible with either Windows or macOS. Its small and compact sizes, SanDisk adds, “allow it to seamlessly slot into a workstation, without interrupting your flow. With your precious and valuable content, you can go from backing up, to back out there, in fast time.”
Formatted with exFAT for compatibility with both Windows or Mac, the drive is ready to use out of the box. The SanDisk Desk Drive SSD works perfectly with Apple Time Machine on your Mac right out of the box. Or use the downloadable Acronis True Image for Western Digital backup software and set your system to automatically back up your most important files and folders, so you know you’ll effortlessly have a second copy of your favorite content.
The SanDisk Desk Drive is not the cheapest option available, as the 4TB version costs $379.99, while the 8TB model has a price of $699.99, but you get a desktop backup solution that features read speeds up to 1000 MB/s, which will help you access everything fast. With a compact design that fits naturally into any workspace, this drive, SanDisk notes, “helps protect your content — all in one place.”