You can never be too careful with your data. For example, let’s say you go to the zoo and visit the giraffe exhibit, and decide to pay a few bucks extra to feed them. Everything’s going well, until you accidentally drop your external hard drive into the exhibit and watch in horror as your long-necked friend tramples all over it. Well crap, there goes your data. We’ve all been there, right? Right!? Maybe not, but Adata built an external HDD that puts those kind of worries to rest.
Adata’s new HD830 is the company’s most rugged external HDD to date. And by rugged, the company means it can withstand up to 3,000 kg (~6,600 pounds) of downward pressure. I was curious what kinds of things weight that much, which led me here. Next thing you know, my mind is swirling with scenarios.
Forget about giraffes, if someone is barreling through the zoo in a 2009 Ford Taurus, no problem—it ‘only’ weighs around 3,642 pounds. You’re screwed if there’s a Tyrannosaurus Rex, though, and you drop Adata’s external HDD while running for cover.
Okay, these might be a tad far-fetched. To use Adata’s own point of reference, the HD830 can withstand the downward pressure of “fifty average-sized people.” Good to know in case things go wrong in a flash mob.
Moving on, the HD830 houses up to a 5TB HDD in a sturdy, triple-layer aluminum enclosure. It’s IP68 rated to protect from dust and water, and also meets the MIL-STD-810G 516.6 standard to survive falls from up to 1.22 meters.
Of course, it’s never a good idea to jostle a mechanical HDD around, even if its housing is sturdy. To that end, there are shock sensors to stop drive activity when needed, to prevent errors and bad sectors.
There are three capacities: 2TB, 4TB, and 5TB. Each one sports a USB 3.1 interface, and is backed by a 3-year warranty. Adata hasn’t said when they will be available or how they’ll cost.