Customer Reviews

500GB G-raid Mini 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

EDIT: BACK TO FOUR STARS
I received the device back after having one drive fail. After sending the device to G-Tech for service, it was about four weeks before I received word that they were evaluating the drive, and it was another week before I received the repaired drive back from them. That's unacceptably slow in my opinion, and might have been a major problem if I was depending on the drive at the time it failed (I hadn't put it into service yet). On a positive note, the drive seems to be functioning fine, and I do like it a great deal. It takes longer to mount and unmount than other portable drives, but this is surely due to the RAID circuitry spinning up and checking the mechanisms. The drive deserves five stars, but G-Tech service drops my rating to four stars. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn't allow me to change the actual star rating.

-----------------
EDIT: THREE STARS
I'm editing this review because right after writing it, one of the drives failed. The drive did what it was supposed to do... it still mounts because it's formatted as RAID 1, but my experience with G-Tech customer support has been less than satisfactory. I've had to deal with them twice now, and each time they failed to respond to my e-mail reports, requiring me to call them instead. They answered promptly and were helpful, but why have an e-mail support system if you ignore it? I dislike having to take time from my daily routine to contact them by phone.

Drives fail, and this one followed a common pattern in failing quickly (most electronics fail in the first 90 days if they're going to fail at all). That's unfortunate, but acceptable. Unfortunately, G-Tech customer support is not acceptable. I'll update this review again after the issue is resolved... they can gain a star back if they get it fixed quickly.

And Amazon, why can't I edit the number of stars originally given?

---------------
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I have two G-drive minis that have been great, and decided that I needed more data security with my portable data. This drive has exceeded my already-high expectations of G-Tech drives.

First off, it seems to be made of a different alloy than my other minis... the shell seems lighter, and the finish is slightly less smooth. I didn't like this at first, but if it leads to lighter weight I'm okay with it. The size is roughly the same as two regular minis stacked on top of each other. Not terribly small, but still very portable and the smallest you could hope for if RAID is needed.

The choice of case material may also contribute to the excellent thermal characteristics... this drive actually feels cooler to the touch than the ambient room temperature. There is a small fan at the bottom that no doubt contributes the most to the cooling... air is pulled in through the vents in the case and blown out through the bottom fan. All in all, the thermal characteristics are superb and the fan is essentially silent - you have to have your ear right to the case to hear it, and it's no louder than the whir of the dual 2.5" drives. I worried about this (small fans are notably noisy), but for no need - the drive is essentially silent. I can't hear it above my quiet PC.

The Oxford 936 chipset provides a choice of RAID 0 (striping for speed) or 1 (mirroring for security). The drive ships in RAID 0 configuration, and can be switched through software. Both Windows and Mac software is provided on their website (but not on the included CD, as the manual states). Switching is simple and easy, but requires a re-format after changing RAID types. Like all drives, it can be formatted as FAT32 for cross-platform use, NTFS for XP or Vista, or Mac OS Extended for Mac-only use.

The drive provides two FireWire800 ports, one USB, and one eSATA. The USB and eSATA require use of either the included power source or the FireWire800 cable. If using the FireWire800 for power, you must first attach the eSATA or USB, then the Firewire cable. There is no power switch like the other minis have, but I always found that switch to be unnecessary.

The drive mounts a little differently... the light on the drive flashes white, then turns yellow as the RAID boots up, then back to white when the drive mounts. The white light flashes brighter with drive activity. If a drive fails, the yellow LED will light.

Multiple cables are provided: FW800/800, FW800/400, eSATA/eSATA, and USB to miniUSB. A durable leather case is also included.

Performance is brisk. I don't have means to test it objectively, but my subjective impression is that it's very fast for a drive of this type, and I'm using the FW800/400 cable with RAID 1. FW800 or eSATA would be even faster, as would RAID 0, but RAID 0 (striping) doubles the chance for lost data, since a failure of either drive results in a loss of all data. However, the extremely cool temps of this drive would ease my mind if I needed RAID 0.

This drive also comes in a 1TB configuration (two 500GB drives), but I would be more cautious with that model, since my current 500GB G-drive runs quite hot. Two would most likely run even hotter. Another thing to note is that beyond 250GB, the power requirements of most 2.5" drives start to move beyond the power that FW400 and USB provide. If you're considering the 1TB drive, be prepared to use the external power supply or FW800 for power.

But if this 500GB version (232GB formatted as RAID 1) meets your needs, then I wholeheartedly recommend this drive. It's a completely solid performer that should put your mind at ease if you need data redundancy or extra speed in a portable drive. It would also be a great choice for portable Time Machine usage.

After confirming my order for this drive twice and withdrawing the funds, the seller (Electronics Expo) simply cancelled my order pretexting they had run out of stock. Never again will I buy from them.