By LaCie’s usage of the cheerful color orange in a lot of its external storage devices has always pleased me. I was therefore pleased to see the device’s familiar, joyful color when I opened the Rugged SSD4 box. It’s fast-as-all-get-out, and 40Gbps USB4 compatibility also didn’t dampen my spirits.
What features does the LaCie Rugged SSD4 have?
The Rugged SSD4 is a silver and white rectangle that measures roughly 3.75 inches in length, 2.25 inches in width, and 0.5 inches in thickness, excluding its jacket. It is different from the USB4 that I have already talked about. This is increased to approximately 4.15 inches long, 2.65 inches broad, and 0.75 inches thick by the orange silicone jacket. It weighs about 4 ounces.
My only complaint with this drive is that it isn’t captive, despite the orange silicone stopper covering the Type-C connector on the end of the device. Even if it’s bright orange, it’s simpler to lose if it’s not confined. Next to the USB port, which is visible through the jacket, is a power/activity light.
The good thing about orange is that it stands out, in addition to making your day brighter. Orange is considerably simpler to see than most colors if you’re prone to losing items, especially outside.
Because of its IP54 rating, the Rugged SSD4 is resistant to both water spray and dust. Assuming the end cover is in place, I believe you could drop the Rugged SSD4 in a pail of water, though, having seen hundreds of IP-rated designs. I’m not suggesting it, mind you. If you do, you’re alone.
What is the price of the LaCie Rugged SSD4?
While not inexpensive, the Rugged SSD4 is reasonably priced considering its capabilities and significantly less expensive than the 80Gbps competitors, such as LaCie’s own Thunderbolt 5 Rugged SSD Pro5. The 1TB model costs $135, the 2TB model costs $250, and the 4TB model we tested costs $480.
What’s the LaCie Rugged SSD4’s speed?
I’m here to inform you, pretty damn fast. Overall, albeit not by much, the Rugged SSD4 is the fastest 40Gbps USB4 SSD I’ve tested. Under most conditions, it is also competitive with the 80Gbps drives we have tested in the real world.
As a baseline for the Rugged series, I’ve included LaCie’s own Rugged SSD Pro5, which is an 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5 SSD. Thus, there is a significant advantage in a few artificial benchmarks. All things considered, though, the performance differential isn’t quite as great as you might imagine.
Although the benefit is more noticeable with internal PCIe 4.0/5.0 SSDs than external ones, I now utilize FastCopy in transfer testing because it transfers data much faster than Windows Explorer. Keep in mind that disabling real-time virus detection and optimizing your external SSD for maximum speed in Disk Management are necessary for optimal performance.
In two of CrystalDiskMark 8’s 4K tests, the Rugged SSD4 beat the Rugged SSD Pro5, but it failed in two more. Please take note that these results may differ from the data in the previous reviews because they are all based on retests conducted on our new test bed.
Conclusion
Yes, if you’re searching for the top-performing 40Gbps USB4 SSD available. Yes, if you’re searching for a ruggedized SSD that can be plugged into almost anything. Yes, if you enjoy the color orange.
However, the soon-to-be-reviewed (Macworld) 80Gbps OWC 1M2 80G is the fastest external SSD I’ve tested if speed is your top priority. But at an incredibly exorbitant cost.
Fast 40Gbps USB4 performer
Ruggedized and weatherized to IP54
Fantastically easy to pick out of the crowd
