Performance: 40 out of 40.
Thanks to a fantastically engineered chassis, best in class internal design, top of the line TB3 controller the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is as good as it gets right now in the external storage solution market. Mix in USB 3.1 gen 2 ‘alternate mode’ capabilities and the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is not only fast and durable but also rather flexible.
Technological Innovation: 20 out of 20
Intel Thunderbolt 3 performance levels? Check. USB 3.1 gen 2 ‘fallback’ compatibility? Check. Robust and stylish design? Check. Onboard capacitors for best in class data protection? Double-check. No matter what benchmark you use the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is as close to perfection as we have seen to date.
Build Quality & Warranty: 19 out of 20
When you combine a five-year warranty with five years of Data Recovery and then add in Swiss watch precision there is only minor nits left to pick. Small things like a ‘missing’ data port cover. That is about it as LaCie has not only ‘fixed’ the other issues with the LaCie Rugged SSD series but went above and beyond.
Value: 16 out of 20
Judging the overall value of the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is going to be rather variable to say the least. On the one hand the performance this model offers is second to none. On the other hand, it costs a full ten cents per GB more than the LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB which is no slouch in the performance department. Which model is the better ‘value’ really will come down to how much performance you need, and how important onboard power capacitors are to you. If you need either… the value of the Pro variant is peerless. If you do not, it will be hard to justify the extra cost over the non-Pro LaCie Rugged SSD series… even if you really, really want to.
Final Score: 95 out of 100
The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro is unabashedly made for those with a true need for speed and the money to afford the necessary TB3 infrastructure it requires. Mix in onboard capacitors for Flushing In-Flight data in the case of unexpected power loss, and if you can afford the upfront costs the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro series is the very pinnacle of external storage design. Buy it. You will not be disappointed. Your wallet may hate you, but you will love what it has to offer.
