Accessories: 5 out of 5
MSI may be a new comer to this (equally new) market niche but you would never know that by the list of accessories they include with the DataMag 20G series. Put bluntly, the combination of flexibility and aesthetic options is tailor made for a wide range of buyers… and puts many a competitor’s option to shame. Color us impressed to say the least.
Read performance: 28 out 30
With read performance well in excess of what most USB enabled devices can handle the DataMag 20G is about as close to perfect as you are going to find this side of ‘Bring Your Own Device’ options. That is to say, excellent bordering on overkill. Just the way it should be.
Write performance: 33 out of 35
It was not all that long ago that in order to get 1500MB/s “clean” and ~750MB/s ‘dirty’ write performance from an external storage device would have meant going for ThunderBolt. Which is another way of saying “it will cost you an arm, a leg, your first born child, and your dignity”. Now, for about what some people will pay for their phone’s case you get all that performance and keep your appendages. Sometime the march of time is indeed a Good Thing™!
Warranty: 10 out of 10
When you combine a full five year warranty with no Total Bytes Written limitations… knowledgeable enthusiasts sit up and start to pay attention. Put simply, this is a serious storage tool meant for serious people and that is why MSI has given it such a seriously great warranty. Color us impressed.
Value: 13 out of 20
Unlike most devices, there are two disparate ways to view the overall value of the DataMAG 20G. When used right out of the box one gains access to external storage that is going to be faster than their phone/tablet’s internal storage… and yet no really consume all that much more power. On the other, if you want to get the absolute most from it you do have to open it up, add in heat pads and then close it back up. Some will consider that a deal-breaker… even if it is not necessary. As such you will either love the overall value of this model or will find the coemption’s higher asking price to be a better overall value. We feel most will fall into camp A not camp b and have scored it accordingly. Please feel free to add or subtract 5 points from your final score.
Final Score: 89 out of 100
While it is indeed true that the DataMag 20Gbps does require a bit of TLC to get the most from it, the combination of great performance, good form-factor, and above all else ease of use do make for a rather compelling argument in its favor. Put bluntly, it is a great choice for professionals (and amateurs) who do not want to pay the ‘LaCie Tax’. Just understand that while you do not have to, adding a couple heat pads is probably going to be worth the couple moments effort.
