- This is only the second TB5 SSD on the market after the Envoy Ultra
- Seagate says it can reach speeds of 6700/5300 MBps in 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 2 TB and 4 TB capacities and offers high-speed data transfer rates that make it ideally suited for demanding creative workflows such as direct editing of 6K and 8K RAW video files.
Rugged SSD Pro5 delivers ultra-fast read speeds of up to 6700MB/s and write speeds of up to 5300MB/s with a 50GB cache, enabling faster playback, backup and media transfers. LaCie says that when the cache is exceeded, the drive will deliver speeds of up to 5000 MB/s for reading and 1800 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 0.669in x 2.559in x 3.858in (17mm x 65mm x 98mm) and weighs 0.331lb (150g). It retains the brand’s signature rubberized casing for durability and is drop resistant for up to three meters. Its IP68 rating for dust and water resistance makes it suitable for use in extreme environments. LaCie says 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 it 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 incidentally is the same price as OWC’s Envoy Ultra SSDs in the same capacity.
“The storage demands of creative professionals have increased, especially for those incorporating generative AI into their routine,” said Lance Ohara, VP, 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 seeking unmatched transfer speeds and editing power.”
This is only the second TB5 portable SSD to hit the market, after Other World Computing (OWC) launched its rugged Envoy Ultra in October 2024. That unit sold out immediately, but OWC says it expects new items to arrive later on the month.
