A little while ago, we had the opportunity to check out one of ADATA’s rugged external drives, the HD710A. It looks like ADATA has not only updated the HD710, but also their HD650 line as well with the newer HD710 Pro and the HD650.
One big change with these new offerings from ADATA is a 4TB (terabyte) capacity model for each line.
The HD710 Pro has improved on its dust and water proofing that allows the drive to withstand harsher environments. It exceeds the IEC IP69 requirements, being completely dust-tight and withstanding up to 60 minutes submerged in a maximum of 2 meters (6 feet) of water. It also passes the MIL-STD 810G 516.6 requirements that allows it to survive shocks and impacts of up to 1.5 meters (5 feet).
ADATA has introduced a G-Shock sensor technology that stops the drive activity and restarts it when it is safe to do so. The problem with dropping a drive is that the head and nick against the platters, which will affect the data stored. With the previous version we looked at, the USB cover was a bit flaky, but it looks like ADATA might have addressed this with a newer and more ergonomic USB port cover.
The HD650 has similar triple-layer construction like the HD710 Pro with the same G-Shock technology, but it is not dust or water proof. The new HD650 offers a maximum capacity of 4 TB without the use of an external power supply as well. It is a great offer in efficiency and value while not sacrificing capacity.
As of this writing, the HD710 Pro and HD650 are available at places like Amazon.com or Newegg.com at the starting MRSP of $69.99 USD going up to $199.98 USD