LaCie Rugged SSD4 review: A sturdy, solid-state drive ideal for everyday use

Macworld

At a glanceExpert's Rating

Pros

Mac-compatible with USB4

Good performance

Rugged design

Competitive price

Cons

Lacks full Thunderbolt support

Removable USB cover is easily lost

Our Verdict
There are faster Thunderbolt drives available for Macs, but the Rugged SSD4 with USB4 strikes a good balance between performance and price and is an excellent option for routine Time Machine backups. LaCie’s trademark rugged design also provides extra protection for outdoor use.

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We’ve seen a few solid-state drives that support the latest Thunderbolt 5 standard in recent months, such as LaCie’s own Rugged SSD Pro5, but Thunderbolt 5 drives are still pretty expensive – and, of course, there’s currently only a handful of Mac models that actually support Thunderbolt 5 right now (although Apple is widely rumoured to be launching a number of new MacBook Pro models as I sit here righting this review).

If you don’t have Thunderbolt 5 on your Mac, or you don’t want to pay a premium for Thunderbolt 5 performance, then LaCie’s Rugged SSD4 is a more affordable option that opts for USB4 rather than Thunderbolt, but can still provide good performance for backing up all your important files.

Prices for the Rugged SSD4 start at just $119.99/£139.99 for a drive with 1TB of storage, or you can step up to 2TB for $214.99/£249.99, or 4TB for $399.99/£449.99. Customers in the U.S. can buy directly from Seagate’s website (as Seagate now owns the LaCie brand), but you’ll have to shop around online if you’re based outside the US.




LaCie’s trademark orange rubber sleeve provides protection against the weather, and even crushing pressure up to one tonne.
Thomas Bergbold

Sturdy Storage

The design of the Rugged SSD4 will be immediately familiar to anyone that’s owned one of LaCie’s Rugged drives before, with the drive wrapped in LaCie’s trademark bright orange rubber sleeve, which is designed to protect the drive when you’re working in an outdoor environment.

The drive measures just 17.4mm thick, 66.9mm wide and 105.4mm long, so you can easily fit it into a jacket pocket or bag when you’re travelling. The drive has a protective rating of IP54 that, admittedly, isn’t quite as sturdy as some of LaCie’s other Rugged drives – the SSD Pro5 boasts a completely water-resistant rating of IP68 – but it can still cope with outbursts of rain and exposure to dust when you’re outdoors. 

LaCie also states that the drive can survive being dropped from a height of three metres, and can withstand a crushing pressure of one tonne. The drive provides a three-year warranty, reflecting LaCie’s confidence in the sturdy design, and it is also covered by LaCie’s Rescue Data Recovery Service in case it really does get badly damaged (although the Data Recovery Service may not be available in all regions).

Our only complaint about the design is that the protective rubber flap that covers the USB-C port is not actually attached to the drive. The flap comes right off the drive when you attach the USB cable, so you could lose it quite easily if you’re not careful.




You can use the LaCie drive with your iPhone. Stephan Wiesend

Backup Performance

As mentioned, the Rugged SSD4 supports USB4 rather than Thunderbolt – and, yes, it is actually called ‘USB4′ rather than ‘USB 4.0’ – and it has a single USB-C interface for connecting it to a Mac, PC or other mobile devices such as an iPhone (with USB-C cable included).

However, USB4 is actually based on Thunderbolt 4, so – unlike the older USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – it’s fully compatible with Macs, and LaCie states that it provides read and write speeds of up to 4,000MB/s. Our tests didn’t quite match that performance, with the Rugged SSD4 coming in at an average of 2,975MB/s for read performance, but then stepping up to 3,300MB/s for write performance.

That’s obviously not as fast as the professional-level Rugged SSD Pro5 with Thunderbolt 5, but it should be more than fast enough for general day-to-day use and Time Machine backups. It’s also more than twice as fast as LaCie’s previous-generation Rugged Mini SSD – which uses the aforementioned not-fully-Mac-compatible USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – so it’ll be a good upgrade for Mac users who want a faster backup device without paying for a top-of-the-range Thunderbolt 5 drive. 

Should You Buy The LaCie Rugged SSD4?

Professional or creative users who have a recent Mac that supports Thunderbolt 5 may prefer to pay extra for a high-performance drive that can handle Thunderbolt 5 speeds. And, of course, not all users will need a rugged drive such as this that is designed for outdoor use. But, if you simply need a fast, affordable drive that can handle your daily Time Machine backups then the Rugged SSD4 fits the bill at a competitive price.