CONCLUSION

   Having reviewed pretty much every single Armor PHD model released by Silicon Power i have to admit that i did expect more from the A65 purely in terms of performance. Now i don't know why Silicon Power decided to use an HDD model (Spinpoint/Momentus M8) with just 8MBs of cache (this choice did impact performance) but i was expecting the same exact one as the one used in the Armor A30 (Spinpoint/Momentus M9T) since this model proved to be very fast (the 32MB of cache certainly helped). Of course we did like the design of the A65 more than the one of the A30 and ontop of that the enclosure feels much better in terms of durability so it's quite obvious that Silicon Power focused a bit more in this area.

   As expected of us later on we will also bring you the review of the 2TB variant but for now the 1TB model retails for just USD64.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 84Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk). This price tag may not be on par with what other manufacturers ask for their 1TB 2.5" external models but due to its rugged enclosure the A65 is quite different since it can effectively protect your sensitive data in more ways (water, dust and accidental drops) so do take that into consideration. Performance may not be the highest in our charts and that certainly deducts some points from our final evaluation but its rugged exterior and the good overall performance are enough for us to give the A65 1TB by Silicon Power our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Military Grade Rugged Enclosure (Waterproof/Dustproof/Drop-proof)
- Good Performance
- MAC Version Available
- Low Temperatures
- SP Widget & HDD Lock Utility (Free Download From Silicon Power)

CONS

- Cable Storage Area (For Some)