Photographers and videographers need good enough equipment to do the job. Wanting to discover whether this new solid-state drive was up to standard, I performed a series of rigorous tests.
A little background on why I chose to review this product
As a writer, I constantly get a lot of requests to review things, and I don’t want you to waste your time reading about bad gear. However, I didn’t read other reviews until I tried the device because I didn’t want my opinion to be influenced by what others thought of the product. Likewise, I also try to avoid marketing hype and just look at the product specifications to decide whether I want to try it or not. Considering all of that, I have a personal checklist that a product must pass before I agree to review something.
Good reviews sometimes cause ignorant criticism that they are promotional in nature. They do not. All sponsored reviews are marked as such and the reviews here are authentic and we found the device to be in demand during testing. If we give something a good review, it’s because we see it working well.
A few weeks ago, I received a review request Team Group’s T-Create Cinema P31 external SSD. I don’t know Team Group, but an online search of their products shows they make a lot of good quality computer hardware, including solid state drives and RAM, at reasonable prices. So with that information and their request to meet the other prerequisites I required, I contacted them again. Then they sent me a unit to test.
First impressions
With so much poorly designed junk in the world of photography, there’s something special about well-designed gear. It feels especially satisfying to unbox something and discover something even better than you expected.
Unboxing, indeed T-Create Cinema P31 external hard drive, I had a pleasant surprise. The device is delivered in neat, recyclable packaging with minimal plastic, which is always a pleasant feeling. Even the internal tray that holds the drive is made of cardboard. I later discovered that T-Create is committed to sustainability. So that was a great first impression.
Inside the box is the drive, a heavy-duty USB-C cable, and three ¼” captive screws, one of which is double-ended with a locking nut to attach the drive to the cage. While suitable for photographers, this drive can be mounted on a cage, making it popular with video shooters, as its name suggests.
Taking the drive out of the packaging and peeling off the protective label, I found the drive to be small, sturdy, and well made. It weighs only 3.42 oz (97 g) and measures 3.5” x 1.7” x 0.4” (90mm x 50mm x 10mm). At one end, below, and on both sides are three evenly spaced ¼” threaded holes (i.e. 12 holes total) that provide a variety of cage mounting options, freeing from the constraints of multiple cage-mount drives. Traditional design. The device has a sturdy aluminum housing and a rubberized area that will prevent the device from slipping when the cage is attached.
T-Create P31 is certified for IP67 weather resistance. That shows that the drive has a high level of ingress protection. The “6” in that code means it provides complete protection against dust over long periods of time, even when exposed to objects less than 1 mm in size. Meanwhile, the number “7” means the device can withstand short periods underwater at a depth of one meter.
The version I was sent is the 2TB model, which will store about 100,000 20-megapixel photos. With the rise of 4K, 6K, and 8K video, large storage capacity is a necessity. But it’s not just storage size that matters. With cinema hard drives, the speed at which data is written and read from the drive is also important. Too slow and the video will start dropping frames. Some cameras specifically designed for video can record directly to an external SSD. This SSD is rated for read speeds of up to 1,000MB/s.
The device features unique, patented graphene cooling technology and stayed cool to the touch throughout my speed tests.
Type-C connection blade with red accents. They say it reflects a red “REC” dot that indicates recording is in progress. I’m not sure I thought about it like that. However, small design features like these show the manufacturer’s attention to detail and that extra effort always gives me more confidence in the product.
Putting the T-Create P31 external SSD through its paces
Speed test
The 1 TB and 2 TB versions have read speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s and the larger 4TB version is 2,000 MB/s. Read and write speeds depend on the machine the device is plugged into. I connected via the adapter using the USB-3 port on my computer, which has a 3.4 GHz 8-core processor and 32 GB RAM; My machine lacks a direct USB-C input to the motherboard. It’s worth noting that my computer’s motherboard only has USB-C Gen 1 ports, so read and write speeds are limited because of that. However, using the USB-C generation 2 port with faster connection speeds, the results are very impressive.
You’ll always get speeds lower than the advertised maximum transfer rate, and the results are as good as other high-quality SSDs I’ve tested. Even with the USB-3 Gen 1 USB port, speeds were good enough for my purposes. It’s worth noting that by connecting directly to a compatible camera, read/write speeds are faster than I could achieve with a computer. So this drive is good enough to record 8K 60p videos directly from the camera.
Check the environment
The SSD is rated to run from 0 °C to 70 °C and can be stored at temperatures from -40 °C to 85 °C. It can also be submerged in water and run continuously. As I mentioned earlier, it is also IP67 certified. I dipped the drive in a kettle heated to 70°C and then, put it in the freezer at -17°C. After both tests, it still worked.
What I like and what could be improved about the T-Create P31 External SSD
What I like
- Excellent build quality and finish
- Durable in many environments
- High power
- Small size, area equivalent to a credit card
- Multiple mounting options
- Fast enough
- May pay
- Five-year warranty
- The packaging has a low environmental impact and the Group has sound sustainability priorities.
- It is made in Taiwan, which has a good human rights record.
What can be improved next time?
- A rubber stopper to protect the USB socket in dusty and sandy environments will be very useful.
- While the SSD seems sturdy, unlike the ingress protection rating, there are no details on durability and physical shock resistance. However, rigorous testing has proven it to be durable and able to withstand impacts.
In short
As I suggested earlier, I usually pay particular attention to what I review, choosing only quality products and rejecting those that are not manufactured to high standards. I’ve passed up about a dozen offers to review devices this month.
I’m glad I decided to review it as it’s a great piece of kit as it stood up to the tough tests I put it through. It’s by no means a slam dunk, and this 2TB version will be good enough to shoot 4K, 6K, and 8K video, while also being large enough to store 100,000 images, or more than 450 minutes of 4K 60fps video. The 4TB version will of course have double the capacity.
This device won the 2024 Red Dot Design Award. Besides its obvious appeal to filmmakers, its compact size and weight make it a valuable asset to filmmakers. Travel photographers and wildlife adventurers. I can also see it being a useful asset to wedding photographers and videographers for similar reasons.
You can buy T-Create P31 external SSD from the TEAMGROUP Amazon store.
