- This is only the second TB5 SSD on the market after the Envoy Ultra
- Seagate says it can reach speeds of 6700/5300 MBps read/write
- This rugged SSD will cost up to $600 for the 4TB version
LaCie, Seagate’s premium brand, has launched the Rugged SSD Pro5, a high-speed external drive designed for creative professionals.
The Thunderbolt 5 drive will be available in 2TB and 4TB capacities, offering high-speed data transfer rates that make it ideal for demanding creative workflows, such as direct editing of 6K and 8K RAW video files.
The Rugged SSD Pro5 delivers ultra-fast read speeds of up to 6,700 MB/s and write speeds of up to 5,300 MB/s with a 50 GB cache, enabling faster rendering, backup, and media transfers. LaCie says that once the cache is exceeded, the drive will offer speeds of up to 5,000 MB/s for reading and 1,800 MB/s for writing.
Price Matched
Created by award-winning Scottish designer Neil Poulton, who has worked on many of LaCie’s previous products, the Rugged SSD Pro5 measures 0.669 x 2.559 x 3.858 inches (17mm x 65mm x 98mm) and weighs 0.331 pounds (150g) . It retains the brand’s signature rubber casing for durability and is resistant to drops of up to three meters. Its IP68 dust and water resistance rating makes it suitable for use in extreme environments. LaCie claims that the case is constructed from at least 45% recycled materials.
The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is compatible with Thunderbolt 5, Thunderbolt 4, and USB-C devices that support speeds up to 40 Gbps and comes with a five-year limited warranty and Seagate’s Rescue Data Recovery services for added data protection.
It will be available globally in January 2025, priced at $399.99 for the 2TB model and $599.99 for the 4TB version, which by the way is the same price as OWC’s Envoy Ultra SSDs in the same capacities. .
“Storage demands for creative professionals have skyrocketed, especially for those incorporating generative AI into their routine,” said Lance Ohara, vice president of Endpoint Marketing at Seagate.
“The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is equipped to handle demanding workloads and data-intensive applications. This makes it an invaluable tool for experts looking for unmatched transfer speeds and editing power.”
This is just the second TB5 portable SSD to come to market after Other World Computing (OWC) launched its rugged Envoy Ultra in October 2024. That device sold out quickly, but OWC says it expects new stock to arrive later this month .
