Desktop Storage

Editor’s Choice: Drobo 8D  

This is the first Drobo drive to incorporate new “Intelligent Volume Management” technology that lets you control how data is handled across different drives. For instance, you can create volumes as large as 128TB even if you have a 2TB drive so that you can add additional storage to the volume without having to format it. A dedicated SSD slot lets you establish a hot cache for quickly accessing data, and there’s a battery backup to protect data stored in your cache. You can outfit the drive’s eight bays with HDD and SSD memory up to 256TB and connect via Thunderbolt 3.

Price: $1,299
drobo.com

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Lacie 2big

The dual-bay 2big can be configured in capacities up to 28TB using HDD or SSD memory. It offers a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, SD and CF card slots, a USB 3.0 hub and a DisplayPort. The 2big drive includes Rescue Data Recovery Services, a data recovery service you can access for the length of your five-year warranty. 

Price: $649+
lacie.com

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Synology DiskStation DS1019+

This five-bay NAS drive can accept both HDD and SSD memory and supports several RAID levels (JBOD, 0, 1, 5, 6, 10). You can configure it for up to 70TB of memory or add a second expansion bay to push storage to 140TB. It boasts a quad-core processor and upgradable memory to 8GB, plus dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots so you can create an SSD cache for storing frequently accessed data without occupying the main drive bays you’re using for longer-term storage. 

Price: $650 (diskless)
synology.com

QNAP TR-004

The TR-004 includes software for controlling RAID settings and supports JBOD, 0, 1, 5 and 10 RAID levels across its four drive bays. Its hard drives (or SSDs) are hot-swappable and can be locked in place to prevent accidental removal. Select QNAP NAS drives can use the TR-004 as an expansion storage drive to increase your digital carrying capacity. The hard drives are not included. It connects via USB-C. 

Price: $198
qnap.com

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Promise Pegasus32 R8

With a pair of Thunderbolt three ports and eight drives bays, the Pegasus32 R8 can tackle everything from long-term archiving to 4K (and beyond) video editing. It offers multiple RAID options and a maximum capacity up to 112TB.  Included ChronoSync backup software enables you to clone your drives, sync files between computers and store files in the cloud. 

Price: TBD
promise.com

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Portable Storage

Editor’s Choice: SanDisk Extreme 1TB microSDXC Card  

If you need to store hours of drone or action-cam footage, SanDisk’s giant microSD card is right up your alley. The card offers transfer speeds of up to 160MB/s and write speeds of up to 90MB/s for UHS-I speeds. If you own an Android device, the card is A2-certified so it can load apps to save space on your mobile device. RescuePRO data recovery software is also included.

Price: $450
sandisk.com

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Sony SF-M TOUGH SD Cards

If your photography has you pushing the extremes of climate and weather conditions, then Sony’s Tough series of SD cards are for you. The cards conform to the UHS-II specification, so they’re suitable for 4K video recording and feature an exterior design that’s 18 times stronger than your standard SD card. The cards are waterproof and dustproof, and are speed-rated to deliver read speeds of 277MB/s and write speeds of 150MB/s. They’re available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities.

Price: $71.99 +
sony.com

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Lacie Rugged RAID Shuffle

The Shuttle has a streamlined designed while retaining the Rugged series’ durability. The drive can withstand falls from as high as 4 feet and is water and dust resistant. You can connect via Thunderbolt 3/USB-C or USB 3.0 and enjoy transfer speeds of 250MB/s. The drive’s digital contents are secured behind AES-256 hardware encryption. You have 8TB of storage space that can be set to RAID 0 or 1. 

Price: $530
lacie.com 

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Angelbird AV PRO CFast

With CFast becoming a defacto standard for video cameras, Angelbird’s 1TB card can cope with the demanding needs of cinematographers. It can deliver a sustained read and write speed of 550Mb/s with bursts hitting 560Mb/s. It’s X-ray and magnetic proof and complies with the CFast 2.0 specification. 

Price: $900
angelbird.com

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Lexar Professional SL100 Pro

This is an ultra-compact SSD drive sold in 500GB and 1TB capacities and features 256-bit AES encryption. You can hit read speeds up to 950MB/s and write speeds up to 900MB/s via the drive’s USB-C connection. A Type C cable and a C-to-A adapter cable are included. Also included is DataVault Lite software to protect the drive’s contents behind passwords. 

Price: $190+
lexar.com 

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