It’s been quite sometime since we first saw the Transcend StoreJet M series portable hard drives that features a shock proof design that passed the U.S. military drop-test standards MIL-STD-810G 516.6 procedure IV. Special thanks to Transcend, we managed to get our hands on the StoreJet 25MC 1TB for today’s performance review, as we have been eager to know what kind of performance it can deliver, other than the shock proof protection offered.

The StoreJet 25MC 1TB retails at RM 319.00 during the preparation of this article.

Specification

Unboxing

The StoreJet 25MC ships in a simple packaging with a cutout at the front to showcase the actual product, some highlighted features at the front of the box (i.e USB 3.0 Type-C, 3-year limited warranty, one-touch backup, etc) and its specification listed at the back of the box.

Inside the box, you’ll find the StoreJet 25MC drive, a Micro USB 3.0  to Type-C data cable, a warranty card, quick start guide and some of catalog for Transcend’s products.

The StoreJet 25MC comes with a total of 3 layer protection for the enclosed 2.5″ drive which according to Transcend, passed the U.S. military drop-test standards MIL-STD-810G 516.6 procedure IV.

The one-touch backup button on the enclosure are meant to make data backup as simple as possible for the end users. Once everyone has been properly configured via , users can backup their important data easily with a single touch on the button

Software: REcoveRx

The bundled software, RecoveRx is a very handy utility to have. As its name suggests, the main feature of the RecoveRx is to allow users to retrieve important photos that has been deleted by accident, without any additional cost.Other features of the utility includes a formatting tool for SD , MMC and CF memory cards and a password locking tool to add an extra layer of security to a SD and CF card. These features of course, aren’t meant for the StoreJet 25MC, but Transcend’s smart readers which will take more advantage of these 2 functions.

Software: Elite Data Mangement

The Elite data management software is highly recommended for the end users who really wanted to make use of all the available features to the fullest. Backing up and restoring assigned files and folders can be done easily with just a few simple steps on the initial configuration, encrypting and decrypting data on the drive for privacy and extra security measures, syncing data between the selected folders or cloud services i.e dropbox for extra copy of backup.

Software: StoreJet Toolbox

The StoreJet Toolbox is a dedicated utility for Transcend’s StoreJet drives where users can perform quick format or low level format for a selected StoreJet drive. It’s a simple and easy to use utility that comes together inside the drive, but personally we find it rather odd as Transcend could have included this as a feature in the RecoveRx utility instead of making it a standalone utility.

Performance Test: Synthetic Benchmark

For synthetic benchmark, we put the StoreJet 25MC to test using CrystalDiskMark. With both 1Fill and 0Fill test data tested, we can see that the read and write speed is equally the same on both, with 146 MB/s read and 145 MB/s write. It’s not a blazing fast number if you were to compare it to a portable SSD, but the speed is considered pretty decent for a portable mechanical hard drive with moving parts inside.

Performance Test: File Transfer

As we move on to some more realistic test, with test data used includes movie files and game folders that comes with different type and sizes of files. While we can see some drop in the speed compared to the synthetic benchmark result, the performance is quite consistent throughout the test.

Verdict

Performance wise, while having a pretty decent transfer speed, the StoreJet 25MC as we have observed, isn’t the fastest portable hard drive in the market, that’s for sure. Yet, what makes the StoreJet 25MC worth getting at the price of RM319, aside of the shock protection offered, is the seemingly convenient one-touch backup feature that allows you to backup your precious data with ease after the initial configuration via the bundled software, and of course, the type-C interface that is fast and convenient for a tech savvy who is always up to date with the latest equipment around.

Pros

• Decent performance
• Make use of USB 3.0 Type-C interface for speed and convenience
• Well featured bundled software
• Easy and convenient one-touch data backup feature
• Backed by a 3-year limited warranty from Transcend

Cons

• Data cable for USB Type-A has to be purchased separately if you don’t have a Type-C interface for your PC /Laptop