INTRODUCTION

   If there's one thing all PC and MAC users have in common that's the need for plenty of portable data storage. Take myself for example, i always carry around with me a 2TB portable SSD in which among other things i also store my benchmark programs, crucial site files and all benchmark charts (i also use several 5TB portable HDDs for my pictures and videos). Other people i know carry around with them portable hard drives, SSDs and flash drives in which they put everything from videos and 3D animation to patients’ files and student test results. Generally speaking, almost every single person i know (under 60) owns at least 1 portable drive (regardless of type) and are always looking for higher capacity ones. Silicon Power has always focused their resources in the development and production of 2.5" portable hard drives and the Armor A66 is their latest line.

   Founded in 2003 by a group of enthusiastic data storage industry experts, Silicon Power is committed to delivering outstanding product and service quality. Headquartered and with our own state-of-the-art production site in Taipei, we have become a leading manufacturer of flash memory cards, USB flash drives, portable hard drives, solid state drives, DRAM modules and industrial-grade products. As an international player with four branch offices around the globe, we continuously strive to offer the perfect data storage solution for all requirements of modern digitalized life. With a strong focus on combining innovative technology and award-winning design, we live up to our brand promise to reliably preserve and protect your most valuable data. Because memory is personal.

   With me today i have both the 2TB and 5TB variants of the Armor A66 family (currently available in 1/2/4/5tb capacities and in black, blue and yellow colors) and as expected both make use of low power consumption 5400RPM hard disk drives, manufactured by WD (at least for these two variants - Blue series). Just like with previous Armor series of 2.5" portable hard drives Silicon Power is using a rugged housing, this time made out of plastic and rubber that features an internal suspension system and sports the IPX4 (protected against splashing of water) and MIL-STD-810G Method 516 Procedure IV (United States Department of Defense - shockproof from drops of up to 1.22 meters in height) certifications. The Armor A66 line of 2.5" portable hard drives also comes ready with the same convenient wrap-around cable design Silicon Power has used in the past with other of their models (Armor A30 and A60 to be precise) and is of course covered with a 3-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Silicon Power is using a new box for the Armor A66 line which however still has a large product picture at the front along with their logo, the main product features, connectivity and capacity.

A quick product description is placed at the rear of the box alongside its specifications, system compatibility and contact information for Silicon Power.

Just the USB-A cables are placed in both packages.

THE ARMOR A66 2TB & 5TB

The Armor A66 line uses a combination of plastic and rubber which actually looks nice. In terms of size the 2TB variant measures 139.2mm in length, 96mm in width and 16.2mm in thickness whereas the 5TB variant is 24mm thick.

To have a better idea about size i placed both drives next to the Armor A85 model i reviewed a while back (review here).

It may not look great but the wrap-around cable feature is actually very convenient.

The USB 3.2 Gen1 (AKA 3.0/3.1 Gen1) port is located at the front of the enclosures behind a small rubber cap.

These are the two WD Blue drives used with the 2TB and 5TB variants, at least at the time of this review.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Keeping things simple so even people new in the field of computers can understand will always be our way so once again our testing procedure is almost exactly the same as the one, we use with 2.5/3.5" external docking stations. This time however we will be comparing the product at hand with a wide range of 2.5" portable drives and standalone 2.5" enclosures all of which were benched using a HGST 7K750 SATA II hard disk drive. Our standard selection of benchmark suites is used here as well including the famous HD Tach RW (Long Bench 32mb Zones), HD Tune Pro (read/write -when possible- speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Pro (Read/Write - also when possible- speeds), AIDA64 (Linear Read/Random Read), Crystal Disk Mark x64 (100MB/1000MB read/write speeds) and finally the quite outdated yet highly reliable ATTO 2.47 (Max Read/Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated for a total of 6 times and after that the average (not peak) numbers are recorded into the charts.

   As always, every test was performed in a fresh installation of Microsoft Windows 10 Pro with every update installed up to the date of this review.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA PRO / CRYSTAL DISK MARK X64

TEST RESULTS – TEMPERATURES

CONCLUSION

   It’s clear from the charts that even though the Armor A66 2TB and 5TB models are not the fastest all-around they do extremely well and that combined with the fact that these are rugged drives (alas not as rugged as the Armor A85 series for example) means that you’re getting a solid product. Temperatures are also very good so even a full “barrage” of tests both drives didn’t even surpass 35 degrees Celsius (do keep in mind however that lab temperature is always set at 23 degrees Celsius). As for available capacities and colors, well 5TB should be plenty for the majority of people out there and i think the same applies for black, blue and yellow.

   With less than 5 days left for Christmas the Armor A66 2TB model retails for USD71.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 77.18Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) whereas the 5TB model retails for USD142.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 155.43Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so both models are priced well. Yes, as with all Portable Hard Drives out there you will never get to enjoy Portable SSD speeds (mechanical drive limitations) but if price/capacity is what you’re looking for you simply can’t go wrong with the Armor A66 series and for that they deserve the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- IPX4 & Method 516 Procedure IV Certified Rugged Housing
- Up To 5TB Capacity
- Very Good Performance
- Available Colors (Black/Blue/Yellow)
- Wrap Around Cable Design
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Current Availability