ADATA HD830

amazon ADATA HD830 reviews

It’s powerful, but the ADATA HD830 offers outstanding protection and value for money in an external hard disk-based drive.

Whether you’re recording footage on set, bringing blueprints to a construction site, or just looking for a storage solution that can withstand the bumps of every day, the need for a rugged, rugged external hard drive varies from person to person. With this in mind, you’ll be forced to find a mainstream model that can withstand more penalties than the HD830 External Hard Drive from ADATA ($109.99 for the 2TB model we tested). Impact resistance is only one part of the equation; This model is overvalued, as is its design. It performs well against most of the crack-resistant competition on two key factors of durability and value.

Do I look annoyed to you?

The design of the ADATA HD830 is industrial. Available in two colors (blue or black), the HD830’s steel and silicone case measures 1.3 x 3.8 x 5.5 inches (HWD), and it’s wrapped around a 2.5-inch laptop hard drive.

The weight of the HD830 will depend on the storage capacity you choose 18 ounces for the 2TB variant or 21.1 ounces for the 4TB and 5TB versions.

But does all that extra weight equate to better protection from the elements? In addition to the usual standards, I put the machine into a typical abuse mode. Let’s take a look.

Rated IP68 for impact resistance, dust resistance, and water resistance (in the last case, being submerged to a depth of two meters for up to two hours), the HD830 offers one of the best values on the market among external devices for sure. One important note: You need to make sure the cover stays closed over the USB connection to keep dust and water.

At just 5.4 cents per gigabyte in 2TB capacity, the HD830 costs less than what CalDigit Tuff does (as short as 9 cents per gigabyte) less than the price of G-Drive (which costs 16 cents per gigabyte) while maintaining a higher level of durability and protection than the closest competitors thanks to the metal housing. It’s even cheaper per gigabyte if you opt for the 4TB or 5TB models: 3.7 cents and 4.2 cents, respectively.

With the US Army’s MIL-STD-810G standard verification for ruggedness to support it, the HD830 claims to be able to withstand 3.3 tons of downward pressure and drops from a height of more than four meters without flinching. Not only that, but the HD830 also features a handy LED light on the top of the drive, which will alert you when it detects a shock or a disc error that pops up due to a drop.

To test the waterproof aspect of the drive, I dipped the HD830 in a pitcher of water, and it worked fine after I pulled it out, about 20 minutes. (Of course, I did, make sure the USB connector cap is screwed on tight.) The drive also worked like new after I dropped it from its rated 4-foot (1.22-meter) height maximum of ADATA down to a fairly thin hard floor.

In our benchmark tests, the ADATA HD830 didn’t post any surprising performance stats against what most external hard drives are capable of today, but it stayed the same. The drive uses a standard USB Micro-B connector at the drive end and USB 3.1 Type-A at the host end. The cable is detachable and must be removed, and the USB connector sealed so that the drive remains completely ‘resistant’ to the elements.

The drive was formatted to NTFS, and the test was run in Windows 10 on our desktop memory test. The drive is connected to a USB 3.0 port.

In our 1.2GB folder drag and drop test, the HD830 performed almost what you’d expect from a 5,400 rpm drive, clocking in at about 13 seconds from start to finish.

Then I switched to an Apple MacBook Pro, reformatted the drive to exFAT, and ran the BlackMagic Disk Speed Test.

The HD830 once again holds its ground, with 115MBps read and 117MBps write when tested over USB 3.0. These results revolve around what we got when we tested the CalDigit Tuff, at $179.99 MSRP, which is slightly higher than the HD830’s MSRP for the same 2TB capacity the HD830 has a serious valuable advantage.

Fascinating, but worth

If there’s one area where you always get your money’s worth in the world of storage, it’s the compromise between going with an SSD or a hard drive. Disk drives are much cheaper. While SSDs can certainly survive drops from greater heights or hold a terabyte of data on your keychain, you’ll always have to pay a premium for added durability and convenience.

The ADATA HD830 may be bulky and heavy compared to any solid or sturdy SSD, but what it lacks in the lean it offers is more value and durability. At just $109.99 for the 2TB version, the HD830 is one of the cheapest ways to take a whole bunch of files with you on those tough jobs, whether it’s on the trail, at work, or point to your daily bustle on the way to work. Since the 4TB version of the HD830 is listed for $149.99 and the 5TB version for $209.99, if you need more storage, the cost per gigabyte goes down as you terabytes with this model.

Advantages

IP68 water and dust resistant.

High impact resistant frame.

Good price for capacity, build.

Two colors to choose.

Disadvantage

Quite heavy and bulky.

Waterproof and dustproof only when the USB cover is closed.

A Type-C cable can be used.

where can you get a ADATA HD830 online

ADATA 2TB HD830 External USB 3.1 Hard Drive – Black: Buy it now

ADATA 4TB HD830 Extreme Durable USB3.1 Portable Hard Drive – Aluminum/Silicone – Black/Blue: Buy it now

ADATA HD830 5TB Ruggedized IP68 Extra Strength USB3.1 Waterproof Dustproof Drop-Proof External Hard Drive Black (AHD830-5TU31-CBK): Buy it now

ADATA HD830 2TB Ruggedized IP68 Extra Strength USB3.1 Waterproof Dustproof Drop-Proof External Hard Drive Blue (AHD830-2TU31-CBL): Buy it now