SanDisk’s New Pro-G40 SSD is Wicked Fast and Fits in the Palm of Your Hand

SanDisk has announced the Pro-G40 SSD, a super-fast external storage device that can connect to computers using either USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 through its single port.

The new Pro-G40 by Sandisk, a Western Digital company, has dual-mode compatibility with both Thunderbolt and USB 3.2 Gen 2 interfaces that lets it connect to any USB-C-equipped device that supports either format through the single port. In addition, SanDisk says its the most rugged offering it has produced to date with an IP68 weatherproof rating, which means it is fit to withstand dust, dirt, and sand and can also survive submersion in water at a depth of 1.5 meters (about five feet) for up to 30 minutes.

The company further adds that it is able to withstand up to 4,000 pounds of crushing pressure and can survive a drop of up to three meters (about 9.8 feet) onto a carpeted concrete floor.

SanDisk says the drive can reach speeds up to 2,700 MB/s read and 1,900 MB/s write speeds when connected to a Thunderbolt 3 device, which is fast enough to move 50GB in 30 seconds or less. Thunderbolt 3 uses a 40Gbps interface, so the 10Gbps interface of standard USB 3.2 Gen 2 means photographers should expect about a quarter of that speed on non-Thunderbolt devices.

The Pro-G40 uses bus power as well, so it doesn’t require a separate power source in order to operate. SanDisk says it used a cool aluminum core to pull heat away from the drive and help maintain that speed over time.

SanDisk’s new SSD is compatible with both macOS (versions 10.13 and up) as well as Windows 10.

But How Fast Is It Really?

SanDisk provided PetaPixel with a sample of the new Pro-G40 SSD to verify speed claims, and we’re happy to report that in real-world testing, it looks quite impressive.

Based on readings, the SSD at the heart of the Pro-G40 appears to be the WD Black SN750 NVMe, which is a generally well-reviewed SSD. While it doesn’t quite reach the read and write speeds the SN750 does when connected directly to a host PC, it is no slouch.

Tested first on an Apple Mac Studio with Blackmagic Disk Speed Test, the new Pro-G40 scored an average peak write speed of just over 2,582 MB/s with a seriously impressive average peak read speed of 2,756 MB/s. It’s pretty normal for actual read and write speeds to come in slower than promised box speeds since lab testing — which is where those promised speeds come from — is not indicative of real-world use. Surprisingly, then, it’s great to see that the peak read speeds are more than what SanDisk promises.

Double checking out work, we fired up a PC and checked the sustained performance with HD Tune, one of a few industry-standard SSD and HDD speed testing benchmarks. Here the results were a bit more tempered but still very impressive: the drive averaged 1,975 MB/s transfer speeds (an average of read and write performance) over a sustained period, peaking at about 2,049 MB/s and never falling below 875 MB/s at any point; it only fell that low once at the very beginning of the test as the drive ramped up to its peak speeds, which were very consistent after that.

Overall, the Pro-G40 feels in line with SanDisk’s promises as an extremely speedy SSD.

Pricing and Availability

The Pro-G40 SSD is available starting today for $300 for 1TB and $450 for 2TB. It is supported by Western Digital’s five-year limited warranty.