EZQuest Thunder Pro A/V Quad Hard Drive Review

ByMike Moffit

A few years ago, it was unusual for an average computer user to keep an external hard drive permanently connected to his or her computer. This has changed as people have become savvier about avoiding data loss, and as programs such as Apple’s Time Machine have simplified computer back up. Also, digital photos, songs, and movies gobble hard drive capacity, so many people require an external drive to store all their digital media.

The price of drives has dropped dramatically as their use has become widespread. There are now many reliable, worthwhile drives on the market. In some ways, it’s difficult for a drive to stand out in the crowded marketplace.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been using a 1TB EZQuest Thunder Pro A/V drive at work. I’m using it for external storage and as my Time Machine backup drive. It’s connected via FireWire 800 to a 24” iMac with a 750GB internal hard drive. While EZQuest is not a well known brand, they have a very loyal user base, and Small Dog has successfully sold their products for years.

The Thunder Pro A/V is part of EZQuest’s new family of pro drives emphasizing reliability, near-silent operation, and very fast data transfer speed. It has a compact and attractive anodized-aluminum enclosure, and both looks and feels incredibly solid and well built. While it gets warm to the touch, it never gets hot. The case has a single FireWire port on the front, and has a USB 2.0 port, two FireWire 800 ports, and an eSATA port on the back.

As the name implies, the Thunder Pro A/V drive was designed with and for audio/video professionals who need immediate access to media on external drives. Data transfer rates of more than 34MB/sec are possible with the Thunder Pro A/V, making real-time editing and storage possible. The 500GB drive has 16MB cache, while the 1TB model has a generous 32MB cache.

Also, the drives have a 3-year warranty with a 48-hour turn around on all warranty repairs within the US.

I am very happy with my Thunder Pro drive here at work. While it’s designed for A/V pros, it’s ideal for anyone who frequently uses their computer and needs fast, reliable storage. The 1TB size nicely complements the latest iMacs for Time Machine and storage. The 500 GB size is ideal for Time Machine on laptops or machines with smaller internal drives, or for additional storage.

Right now we have them with free shipping, posted below. We sell less expensive consumer-level hard drives, but the EZQuest really is an excellent value for a pro drive.

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