ADATA HD830 Review

The ADATA HD830 2.5-inch external HDD Durable is a portable hard drive designed to be used out in the field. The HD830 can withstand more than a knock or two and has the durability to keep working when other drives are rendered useless. It can withstand more than most portable hard drives, but the ADATA HD830 is also waterproof and can be submerged in up to 2m of water for two hours.

Inside is a traditional but durable magnetic hard drive with 2 TB of capacity that should see you through a good day shoot.

As the drive uses magnetic technology rather than the latest SSD, the transfer speeds, while fast, are slightly slower than you’d expect from the latest technology; however, it should still be more than adequate for all photo editing needs, as well as supplying plenty of storage and speed. The USB3.2 Gen1 connector provides a data connection between the ADATA HD830 and your computer; this is more than adequate for most HD and some 4K video edits.

This drive stands out from others on the market, especially in this price range, because it has been designed to be ultra-durable. The durability is instantly apparent with the quirky design. The drive’s main body is made of tough anodised aluminium with two bands of rubber surrounding the outer edges and corners to ensure that it has a relatively soft landing if the drive is dropped.

The durability doesn’t just stop with the metal casing and those rubber buffers; this drive goes one further by having a rubber plug that covers the USB connection port to make this drive 100% waterproof. This means it can be submerged in 2 m of water for two hours. The metal casing is also reinforced, and it can withstand 3000 kg of pressure being applied.

The ADATA HD830 is a portable external hard drive designed for anyone who needs large-capacity data storage on the move, and that can be taken anywhere.

First and foremost, there is very little to fault with the actual performance of this drive. Okay, being an magnetic hard drive rather than an SSD the transfer speeds are limited. In this test, I measured speeds that averaged 110 MB/s, with write speeds of 111 MB/s and read speeds of 115 MB/s using the Blackmagic Design Disk Speed Tool. This performance actually puts it at the top end of magnetic tough hard drives with the Lacie Tough drive coming in at around 90MB/s average transfer speed for the same test.

While the speed and reliability of this hard drive live up to everything advertised by ADATA, I still have my doubts about the USB 3.2 connector. Compared with other USB connection types, the USB 3.2 connection has never seemed that durable, and to have it on a tough drive feels like a combination that doesn’t marry up well.

In use in the field, you have to be careful with that USB 3.2 connection to ensure it stays connected. You can’t have any wiggle or movement as you’re using the drive, as it will inevitably quickly detach; I like the newer USB Type C connector for this very reason, once they’re connected they generally stay that way.

However, if you make sure that you’re sitting comfortably and that the hard drive is positioned and secured as well, then there is nothing wrong with that connection. I also don’t think even a USB Type-C connection would be able to take the weight of a falling HD830 considering it’s been 510g weight.

Connection type aside there’s no doubt that it does deliver access to the storage and files quickly. It certainly provides the speed you would want for a photo or video storage drive, be that just to store the files or to use as a working drive.

One nice thing about the drive design is those rubber buffers surrounding the casing. These not only help protect the drive if it’s dropped but also mean that the drive stays put if you prop the drive onto a rock or other surface.

Throughout the test, I used the drive to store videos and photos as well as being a working drive for photo and video editing. On the capacity front, there was more than enough space and when it came to editing HD and 4K video while there was a bit of lag with big 4K files it had the speed and reliability to keep things moving.

What I really like about this drive is the feeling of quality. It feels robust, and while it is relatively heavy and bulky for a drive of this type, that weight and size is an okay payoff for the reliability provided over the review period.

At the end of the test, the ADATA HD830 proved to be a solid performer that had a balance of capacity and speed.

I did find the physical size and bulk of the external hard drive was well balanced and having a 2TB capacity gave plenty of flexibility when working out in the field. The transfer speeds of the drive were also consistent, and I saw no signs of slowing down when the drive was put under load when video editing. It seems that the metal casing helps both protect the drive from physical damage and cool so that it keeps up the transfer speeds through several hours of editing.

My only real concern is that the USB 3.2 connector, which, while it proved secure in this test is not a connection type that I would personally trust in the long term.

The drive however did prove incredibly tough and durable through the test, surviving being dropped, run over and dunked into water. If you have need of a hard drive that you don’t have to worry about and can just throw in to a kitbag then the ADATA HD830 durable is probably an excellent option for you.