G-Tech G-Drive Mobile USB review

G-Technology has a reputation for fast, high-end, Mac-centric hard drives. It’s also know for making bulky aluminum ones. With the G-Drive Mobile USB 500GB, G-Tech has finally combined a consumer-friendly design with high-end performance. The Mobile USB portable drive is blazingly fast for its class and offers a viable alternative to Iomega’s eGo and LaCie’s Rikiki.

The G-Drive Mobile USB features a white, pocket-sized case, plus a new superhero-style ‘G’ logo. It also comes preformatted for the Mac and is Time Machine-ready straight out of the box.

Quipped with a Hitachi Serial ATA drive and a 8MB cache, the 5,400rpm drive produced impressive record setting scores. On a 1GB copy test, the G-Drive finished in 37 seconds; that’s on a par with the super fast 7,200rpm Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex.

In the duplication test, the G-Drive Mobile USB began to separate itself from the pack. Duplicating a 1GB folder, it finished in 56 seconds, more than 10 seconds faster than the LaCie Rikiki and a full four seconds faster than the FreeAgent GoFlex. This puts the G-Drive in our upper tier of USB-only portable drives. Results in our Photoshop tests were also impressive.

When active, the drive feels slightly warm to the touch and there’s a faint hum when it’s taxed, but neither of these factors cause huge issues. 

In summary, the G-Drive Mobile USB 500GB is a fast USB-only drive with a Mac-focus. With a three-year warranty, record-setting copy and duplication times, and a strong performance in our Photoshop tests, the G-Drive is the most impressive drive we’ve seen from G-Technology in the portable market.