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Seagate or G-DRIVE: Who Makes The Best Portable Hard Drive?
If you’ve been paying attention to DailyTekk lately, you’ll know we’ve been putting out a lot of video. I’ve been doing the editing myself and since I’ve been working all over the place (in the office, in the studio, at coffee shops, etc…) I decided to grab a mobile hard drive to store all of the footage I’d be editing in Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) so as not to kill my laptop. So far I gone through two drives: a   1TB G-DRIVE  and a   2TB Seagate drive. I have a few thoughts as to which of these two makes the better portable hard drive.

The G-DRIVE was the first portable hard drive I picked up. I bought it on Amazon for $89.95. As mentioned it was a 1TB and it had a USB 3.0 connection. The second drive I picked up was the Seagate 2TB drive I picked up from Best Buy (also USB 3) for about the same price!

In every way that matters, the Seagate drive is the best. It’s got twice that capacity of the G-DRIVE and yet has a smaller (even more portable) size. It’s just a hair thinner as well, although that’s hardly noticeable. The status light is on the top, rather than on the side, making it easier to see on a desk. I suppose I like the color of the metal a bit better on the G-DRIVE… but that’s honestly about the only thing I like better.

One thing I really hate about the G-DRIVE, which would be hard to tell from online store photos, is the material used in the outer casing. It’s… grainy. Running your finger over it is like touching sandpaper. It scuffs really easily too. I have no idea why someone thought to put this on a portable hard drive. Nobody likes nails on a chalkboard but that’s exactly what it’s like when your nails hit this thing (which inevitably happens when you’re packing it up or getting out to hook up).

The Seagate, on the other hand, is smooth to the touch and slides in and out of a backpack easily.

Essentially, the Seagate has a much better design. So, in the battle between a small (portable) G-DRIVE or a Seagate drive, I’d absolutely recommend the Seagate.

To be clear, the G-DRIVE works alright technically speaking, but the design just wasn’t very well thought out.

Have you tried the two? If so, I’d be interested in your thoughts. If you have questions, let me know in the comments!