ADATA DashDrive Choice HC630 500GB External HDD Review

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The DashDrive line-up from ADATA is one of our most visited product lines when it comes to reviews. It seems every time I turn around, ADATA has launched a new and sometimes better DashDrive than the last, though each respective unit has its place in the market. Here today we will be taking a look at one of the new HDD based units, the DashDrive HC630.

The HC630 or DashDrive Choice is targeted towards consumers that enjoy personality and color in their external storage. Capacities range from the 500GB model we have in house today, to the larger 1TB model. With this unit being a DashDrive, users are granted access to a few software features including ADATA's HDDtoGo, OStoGO and a free trial of Norton Internet Security.

On the compatibility front, we have support as far back as Windows 2000, and all the way up to the latest Windows 8.1. On the Macintosh and Linux side of things, you will need OS X 10.6+ or Linux Kernel 2.6+. The DashDrive HC630 is covered by a three year warranty.

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The scope of delivery for the HC630 includes a quick start guide, USB 3.0 cable and the HC630 itself.

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On the edge of the enclosure, you will find the USB 3.0 port and just above, the activity LED. We can also note the use of a lip around the circumference of the enclosure, this helps prevent damage to the surface of the drive.

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The HC630 uses the VLI VL701 USB 3.0 controller.

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Our review sample was installed with a 500GB Samsung Momentus HDD.

One of the lesser-known features of running Microsoft's new operating system Windows 8 is the native capability of USB Attached SCSI or UASP. In benchmarking external storage solutions, we utilize IOMeter for Sequential performance followed by DiskBench and our custom set of real-world data, and is by far the most important comparison when looking for a flash drive for everyday use.

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Above, we have the results from our DiskBench tests. The ADATA HC630 did quite well here moving our 10GB workload at 103.95 MB/s.

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Sequential read has the HC630 near the top of the chart throughout the queue depth scale. Peak performance was obtained at QD8 coming in just over 106 MB/s.

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Switching over to sequential write, the ADATA performed quite well too. Here we have a peak of 108 MB/s at QD1.

The ADATA HC630 is an external storage solution that while carrying all the personality one could need with its diamond patterned exterior, also maintains durability through the use of heavy plastics. The circumference of the device carries a raised edge to protect the unit from scratches during use or travel.

Performance of the unit was as expected. We managed to capture 106 MB/s reads, followed by 108 MB/s writes in our sequential workloads, and DiskBench was quite friendly to the drive as well at 104 MB/s transferring our backup workload.

Pricing for the ADATA HC630 sits at a rather reasonable $54.99 for the 500GB capacity, and $69.99 if you want the larger 1TB model.

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