CONCLUSION

   I've been testing portable hard drives for a long time now and i have to admit that the performance gap between 1TB and 2TB models is something we didn't see back when we moved from 500GB to 1TB models. Now of course I’m not complaining or anything since performance is one of the things we hope for when testing storage devices but i just thought i'd share this with all of you (not that you can't tell simply by looking at one of our charts in this review). Moving back to the A30 2TB well not really much to say aside that it's simply put the fastest 2TB USB 3.0 portable hard drive we've tested to date. Now we're also expecting my favorite Armor A80 2TB model which features a much more rugged housing and thus is suitable for much harsher environments but we don't know what to expect in terms of performance.

   2TB portable hard drives may cost quite a bit more compared to 1TB ones but they are still very aggressively priced so currently the Armor A30 2TB USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive retails for USD107.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 115Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Now the price is right but it's right next to what you'd have to pay to get the much more rugged (in my opinion) A80 and that complicates things a bit. We have yet to test the A80 2TB however so since the A30 2TB model offers very good protection and excellent performance you really can't really go wrong with it and that's why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Size
- Military Grade Rugged Enclosure (Shock/Drop-proof)
- Excellent Performance
- Low Temperatures
- SP Widget (Free Download From Silicon Power)

CONS

- Design May Not Appeal To Everyone
- Price (Compared To That of the A60/A80)