Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

WD's newest G-Drives can store up to 10TB and charge your Mac via USB Type-C

By

wd introduces g drive usb type c hdd with and mac charging hero gp header
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The new USB Type-C connection continues to make waves in the market, with more and more machines adding the new port and in some cases making it the exclusive connectivity option. As more peripherals switch over to USB Type-C, that becomes a net benefit, because the new specification offers some real benefits over legacy connections.

Storage is one area where USB Type-C can offer some advantages, and we’re seeing more storage options being released that leverage the new specification. Western Digital (WD) has just announced another USB Type-C storage option that focuses on high capacity, as 9to5Mac reports.

Recommended Videos

The WD G-Technology G-Drive now offers a hard disk drive (HDD) option to go along with the company’s external solid-state disks (SSDs) that WD had previously introduced. The spinning disk version of the G-Drive USB-C external drive offers between 4TB and 10TB of storage capacity for anyone who needs to store tons of photos, videos, and files and for whom performance isn’t the primary concern.

1 of 4
wd introduces g drive usb type c hdd with and mac charging front gp
Image used with permission by copyright holder
wd introduces g drive usb type c hdd with and mac charging hero gp
Image used with permission by copyright holder
wd introduces g drive usb type c hdd with and mac charging hero3 gp
Image used with permission by copyright holder
wd introduces g drive usb type c hdd with and mac charging rear gp
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The G-Drive uses 5400 RPM class disks and offers up to 195MB/s transfer rate across the USB 3.1 Gen 1 port. The primary advantage provided by the USB Type-C connection is the ability to provide up to 45 watts of USB power to charge compatible MacBook and MacBook Pro machines through a single USB Type-C connection. The G-Drive is formatted to be compatible with the Mac out of the box, and can be quickly reformatted to work with Windows machines as well.

Related

Mike Williams, WD’s VP of Advanced Technologies, described the G-Drive by saying, “The addition of the G-Drive USB-C external drive provides tech enthusiasts a single-cable high capacity, high quality storage solution that meets their individual creative needs. The G-Drive USB-C ensures pros can work seamlessly with the latest computers, and with a USB-C port and support for USB Power Delivery, it allows a user’s charging capability to be more efficient without having to worry about connecting yet another cable to their computer for charging.”

In terms of construction, the G-Drive utilizes an all-aluminum chassis for durability and aesthetics. WD includes a USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter to make it easy to connect to older systems lacking in the latest connectivity option. In addition, the USB Type-C connection supports specs ranging from USB 2.0 all the way to Thunderbolt 3.

The G-Drives will be available in the second quarter of 2017, with the 4TB version retailing for $200, the 8TB version for $350, and the 10TB version for $500. WD is backing up the drives with a three-year limited warranty for some peace of mind.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
Corsair just spilled the beans on next-gen GPU requirements
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 is shown along with a hand holding the power cable adapter.

Sometimes, news about next-gen GPUs comes from unlikely sources -- today is one of those days. Corsair just spoke about its power supply units (PSUs) and cooling solutions in relation to the future of some of the upcoming best graphics cards. It turns out that Nvidia's RTX 50-series may not be that much more power-hungry than the current-gen cards, but there's more than just Nvidia to consider here.

Although unexpected, Corsair's statement sounds like good news. The company doesn't talk about any new solutions. In fact, Corsair seems to confirm that the power supply units (PSUs) we use today will still work fine for next-gen cards -- provided the wattage is sufficient.

Read more
Apple hid one of the best features of the M4 MacBook Pro
Someone using a MacBook Pro M4.

Apple's new M4 MacBook Pro is great. It earned a rare Editors' Choice badge in our M4 MacBook Pro review, and it's cemented itself as one of the best laptops you can buy. Even with so much going for it, Apple hid one of the most exciting developments it made with its new range of laptops -- the use of quantum dot technology.

Like the last few generations of MacBook Pro displays, the M4 range is using a mini-LED backlight. There's no tandem OLED like we saw on the iPad Pro earlier this year. However, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), Apple added a layer of quantum dots to the M4 MacBook Pro. This, according to the display expert, offers better color gamut and motion performance compared to the solution Apple previously used.

Read more
Wi-Fi 8 is coming, but it will not outperform Wi-Fi 7 speeds
The TP-Link Archer AXE7800 tri-band Wi-Fi 6E router in a room.

In a departure from the traditional pursuit of faster speeds, Wi-Fi 8 is expected to shift away from that aspect and more toward stability, reliability, and efficient spectrum usage. As per a white paper published by MediaTek, Wi-Fi 8 will be based on the IEEE 802.11bn standard, which introduces Ultra-High Reliability (UHR) as its defining feature.

Unlike its predecessors, which emphasized peak throughput, Wi-Fi 8 is expected to prioritize effective throughput — the consistent speeds users experience in everyday environments. While the theoretical maximum bandwidth of Wi-Fi 8 remains similar to that of Wi-Fi 7 at 23Gbps, actual performance will focus on maintaining stable connections in real-world scenarios.

Read more