Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
It ’s expensive , and you ’ll need a new Mac with an M4 Pro or Max processor to get the full benefit of Thunderbolt 5 , but the Rugged SSD Pro5 is the fastest back - up driveway we ’ve ever seen . Its furrowed design is ideal for outside work , and makes it an idealistic back - up solution for demanding creative users .
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Best Prices Today: LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5
thunderclap 5 was launched back in 2023 – and was rather overlooked , as it was launched on the same day as the iPhone 15 – but it ’s taken quite a while for the technology to arrive in mainstream products such asLaCie ’s new Rugged SSD Pro5 .
Even Apple has have its meter here too , only introducingThunderbolt 5on the newM4 MacBook Proand Mac miniskirt that were launch at the end of 2024 – and even then , only on the model with the high - final stage M4 Pro and Max fleck .
However , LaCie ’s range of Rugged self-colored - state of matter drive have digest Thunderbolt technology for many year , and their sturdy designs have made them pop with many Mac users and creative professionals .
At first glance the Pro5 looks almost identical to the previous - generation Rugged SSD Pro , which use Thunderbolt 3 and has been sitting on our inclination ofBest External SSDdrives for the last three age . The names are almost identical too , so ensure you search for the Pro5 fashion model if you desire the former Thunderbolt 5 performance for your young Mac .
LaCie
The drive is uncommitted with either 2 TB or 4 TB capacities , so you ’ve got great deal of room for turgid video and graphics file , and while it ’s not exactly chinchy , the Pro5 is still competitively price for a in high spirits - public presentation drive aim at pro exploiter . It ’s also worth mention that LaCie is now owned by Seagate , so you ’ll be steer toseagate.comfor selective information about LaCie product .
In fact , the only seeable conflict between the two drive is the fact that the Pro5 is wrap in a dark - downcast galosh sleeve , rather than the sombre black of its precursor . That rubber arm is designed to provide redundant protection for the driveway , and the Pro5 is even stalwart than before , with an IP68 rating for water and dust - resistance . This means that the parkway is wholly sealed to forestall dust and other minor particles from getting inside the unit , and LaCie take that it can survive complete immersion in pee up to a profoundness of 1.5 meters for a full 30 minutes .
LaCie also states that the thrust can live being dropped from a height of up to 3 m ( 10 ft ) and can even grapple with being run over by vehicle weighing up to two tonnes . And , to back up those claim , LaCie render a five - year warrant for the drive , and offers a one - time use of its Data Recovery Service to try and deliver your data in the consequence that the ride does become damage .
That rugged design makes the Pro5 a great option for creative users who require to work out of doors for photoshoots or filming . It ’s also extremely portable , mensurate just 17 millimetre duncical , 98 mm wide and 65 millimeter mystifying . The tough intention means that it ’s a piddling heavier than many of its portable rivals , count 150 constant of gravitation – compare to 100 g for the older Rugged Pro with Thunderbolt 3 – but you could still pick it up and slip it into your air hole with no trouble at all .
LaCie include a in high spirits - performance Thunderbolt 5 cable’s length with the Pro5 drive , but we did discover that the received USB - C cable we normally use for our Time Machine back - up thrust did n’t ply enough power for the Pro5 , so it might be worth invest in a spare Thunderbolt 5 cable in case of emergencies .
And , of course of instruction , it ’s the livelihood for Thunderbolt 5 that will attract Mac user , and specially creative users who need a high - speed private road for working with bombastic graphics and video files . LaCie is clearly targeting creative users with the Pro5 , boasting that it ’s “ the loyal scratch disk for creative professionals ” , and offers far greater performance than premature generations of Thunderbolt drives .
The Pro5 does utilise a stock USB - coulomb connector , which means that it ’s still rearwards - compatible with older Macs that have Thunderbolt 3 or 4 , but if you need to get the full performance of the Thunderbolt 5 port then you ’ll need to practice one of the recently launched MacBook Pro and Mac Mini example that have an M4 Pro or Max CPU ( and the previous Rugged SSD Pro with Thunderbolt 3 remains on sale for owners of older macintosh ) .
When used with a Thunderbolt 5 Mac , LaCie quotation read and publish speeds of 6,700MB / s and 5,300MB / s respectively . confessedly , the Pro5 did n’t quite polish off those peaks when extend the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test , but did still record impressive results of around 5,250MB / randomness for both read and pen operation when used with a newMac mini with M4 Pro .
It ’s also more than doubly as fast as the older Rugged SSD Pro with Thunderbolt 3 , which scored read and write speed of 2,480MB / s and 1,780MB / s respectively .
Should you buy the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5
That performance makes the Rugged SSD Pro5 clearly the fastest Thunderbolt driving we ’ve tested so far , and along with its rugged , portable designing makes it an first-class option for creative users who require to exploit the full speed of their new Thunderbolt 5 Macs .
