SanDisk Professional - G-DRIVE 22TB External USB-C 3.2 Gen2 Hard Drive - Black

I hate it when hard drive reviews do not mention R/W speeds - it's the one thing we're all looking to learn lol. Blackmagic reports 263/264mb as APFS Volume via USBC-Thunderbolt port on back of Studio Display. this is very close to advertised speed, great to see and hope it sustains these speeds as drive fills up. this will be an on-going review, for there is a *lot of conflicting info on these particular drives; usage: pro photo and video passive storage/RAID relocation drive/redundancy. concern: there are a lot of nightmare stories online about this HD, several stating they have lost 10s of terabytes of information randomly with this newer breed of G-Drives : [ goal: achieve usable read/write speeds throughout capacity of drive. my 22tb WD Book drives become pretty much useless after 75-80% capacity, and sometimes have to wait overnight to xfer 100gb to SSD when i recall something from the archives. this is not acceptable. Also, I've determined the USB WD Book drive to be the absolute source of horrid slowness in Lightroom; I never use this drive in the catalog, yet as it comes and goes from sleep state, my LR would seize up and become unusable for 15-20 sec at a time - this might not sound like a lot but it's the worst when you're trying to get images out the door. I've also seen similar impact in Finder, when clicking to an SD card or something (not the WD drive) system comes to a crawl and can be 30-60 for it to become alive again. After seeing a high-volume studio put the 22tb g-drives thru their paces the last two years without issue, i decided to integrate one of these to my workflow and see how it goes. Have read a LOT of heart-crushing reviews, time will tell if this was a good idea on my part. For now, this will not hold any critical data. Arrived today with quick shipping from BB (thank you!). The box could have been packaged better, never comforting hearing clunks when you pick up box from patio. But, ordering online from BB has been a real pleasure last couple years - perfect amount of notifications, no real curveballs, and Prime-like arrival times if i'm being honest (these particual drives on Amazon for my location indicated ~week to arrive fwiw). so keep up the great work BB! To address some of the key points a lot of reviews mention: (1) for me so far, the drive mounts nearly immediately. It's plugged into my Studio Display, when i dock my laptop, it was available within 4-5 seconds. This is great, and hope it continues. My WDs can take a minute or two - this isn't necessarily about the time, but more so the uncomfortable feeling while you wait for it to mount. (2) hard drive space is 2.8mb shy of 22tb; i read several times this drive occupied 1tb+ and could not allocate the full 22tb. This is APFS, straight out of the box; will be reformatting this, and will update accordingly if this changes. (3) the light on the front is not annoying to me. So far this drive is off to a good start; will throw 7-8tb at it overnight and see how it performs. One specifc thing i'm hoping to see with this upgrade, is the ability to scrub archived 4k footage with ease. I use preview/spacebar very often in finder, and my prev WD drive would choke every time with this command. 5-10 sec for playback is not okay when you're going thru a multi-day shoot. I just tested this on the ~500gb test folder and preview/playback was near immediate - this makes sense based on the r/w speeds reported, but more so hoping over time as this thing fills up that it stays responsive and usable. few observations: after xfer 500gb from SSD (this took 36 minutes), I deleted these files and got the dreaded pinwheel. Finder was unresponsive for about 30 sec while it thought about this command. little sluggish to empty the trash as well. dont love this ... drive is def audible; can hear the reading needle work on this drive. some folks are sensitive to this, and would not be unnoticable if this drive is centralized to your workstation. Can say for sustained xfer, it's prob 5-8x more quiet than my WD 22tb though, which is great. The drive does seem to sleep/wake in a similar pattern as my WD drives. Can see some sluggishness when initially clicking on it, but once awake this drive seems to cook along pretty well. Overall, hoping this works out. This seems to be one of the only solutions for single large external storage that is USB-C, and confirmed 7200rpm. Most externals out there are 5400rpm and really cramps up a working pro. It's really nice not having to utilize USB hub (and potential bottlenecking), and keep everything native USBC/Thunderbolt. Time will tell, but so far so good

I buy a 22TB and it only has 20TB Terrible. If I wanted to spend $660 dollars for a 20TB I would rather get the WD 20TB for $320. I paid for a 22TB and expect to have that much hard drive space for the price spent for it. Not only calling the Sandisk help line they didn't want to address the fact I am missing 2 Terabytes and I needed help to get it to be seen on my computer. But where it was able to be seen on my X-Box Series- X and not PC is terrible. Also note: buy a USB-C to USB adapter to hook it up to your X-BOX or PC as the USB -C can easily disconnect from your PC or consoles.

It's nice to use and easy, but the noise while loading and using it for 24 hours is kind of scary to me. The grinding sound makes me more anxious while using it, unlike other products are silent while using. I'm not sure if most SanDisk drives are like that.

f you're a content creator, videographer, photographer, or anyone dealing with massive amounts of data, the SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE 22TB is a dream come true. This isn't just a hard drive, it's a fortress for your digital life. Unmatched Capacity: 22 terabytes is simply mind-blowing. It's enough space to store years of 4K video footage, countless high-resolution photos, or an entire music library. You'll never have to worry about running out of room again. Blazing Speed: The USB-C 3.2 Gen2 interface delivers lightning-fast transfer speeds. Copying massive files is now a breeze, saving you precious time. Rock-Solid Reliability: SanDisk Professional is known for its rugged build quality, and this drive is no exception. It feels incredibly solid and well-made. The aluminum enclosure not only looks sleek but also helps dissipate heat, ensuring optimal performance. Whisper-Quiet Operation: You'll barely even notice it's there. The drive is incredibly quiet, making it perfect for use in any environment, even a recording studio. Peace of Mind: SanDisk backs this drive with a 5-year limited warranty, giving you peace of mind knowing your data is safe. The Bottom Line: The SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE 22TB is an investment, but it's one that will pay off in spades. If you need massive storage, blazing speed, and rock-solid reliability, this is the drive for you. It's simply the best external hard drive I've ever used.

22TB storage capacity is a game-changer for anyone dealing with large files, whether it's for high-resolution videos, extensive photo libraries, or complex project files. This external hard drive provides ample space to accommodate all your storage needs, ensuring you won't run out of room anytime soon. I CLEARED UP 5x 5 TB Externals It feels Like I have saved So MUCH MONEY!!!!! The inclusion of USB-C also adds versatility, ensuring compatibility with modern devices and providing a future-proof solutionThe build quality of the G-DRIVE is top-notch. The sleek black design looks elegant and feels sturdy and durable. The G-DRIVE also operates quietly, a significant plus for me because noise pollution is an issue for me. value a noise-free workspace. The drive remains cool even under heavy use, thanks to its thoughtful design and efficient cooling system. If you want to save your Externals, I recommend this! IT saves you more down the road and you can keep portable drives for on the Go projects and travel.