The G-Dock Ev from G-Technology is a star performer when it comes to storage: not only is it simple to use, lightning fast, and is highly flexible with its USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connections.

There are drawbacks, such as the lack of internal-drive support and the fact the internal drives are too easy to eject from the chassis, but some negatives always pop up with any new drive. Onto the good stuff!

Specs and Features

Part of G-Technology's Evolution Series of storage devices, it is their first attempt at modular storage. Store your data on the two 1TB G-Drive Ev units, which can both be removed and used as standalone USB 3.0 portable drives. Besides the Micro-USB 3.0 port, there is a SATA port allowing The G-Drive to be used as the G-Dock Ev's internal storage.

This is also the transformer of drives, going from portable, standalone drive to SATA 3 (6Gbps) internal drive, in a flash. Connecting your computer using the Thunderbolt connection just about doubles the speed of the USB 3.0 (10Gbps), and double the speed is never a bad thing, right?

Design

It is a compact external drive with aluminum casing finished in white. They are all rugged, and don't feel flimsy. In the back of the G-Dock Ev, you'll find two Thunderbolt ports, typical for desktop Thunderbolt storage devices. Use the second port to hook up to another Thunderbolt device -- you have the capability to connect up to six devices to a single computer. Also located in the back is the power button. Cnet testers noted that other devices turn on and off with the computer they're hooked up to, while the G-Dock Ev has to be manually powered on and off. The front features a white status light. If there's data being transferred, the light will flash.

The drives come pre-formatted in HFS+, and work right out of the box with a Mac thanks to the USB 3.0 cable that is included. Reformat to NTFS to hook it up to your Windows machine.

The drive bays each have a button to press which only protrudes out of the G-Dock Ev when the G-Drive Ev is inside. A quick press ejects the drive, making it the perfect solution for speedy sharing of data.

Problems

Your data is not protected in the event the drive fails. If you are looking to protect your data in real-time or want the drives to perform faster, you need to use the drives in RAID 1 (protect) or RAID 0 (better performance). This means you need to keep the G-Drive Ev inside the G-Dock to keep the RAID setup as-is.

Another issue: the eject buttons are too easily pressed. There should be some way to lock the drives in place in order to prevent the drive being ejected in error. It's also quite limited to 2TB, as it offers no internal drive support for future storage expansion.

If you need a fast, solid performer that is easy to use and offers great flexibility, this is the perfect option. Pick one up for $749.95.