Extreme Condition Tests

Please note: I strongly discourage you from trying any of these tests as damage to either your drive or computer may happen and we here at Hardware Canucks take no responsibility if you DO try them. They are simply included for illustrative purposes only.


Sub Zero Temperatures


As OCZ does claim this is a rugged drive and this test shows exactly how thermal resistant it really is. By placing it in a freezer turned to its coldest setting and leaving the ATV there for a 4 days you can get a good idea of how it will react to cold conditions. This is a good test of how it will react when being left in your glove compartment overnight during our cold Canadian winters.

After it thawed out a bit, it worked just as well as it did before this test. While it probably is not recommended, forgetting about it in your car overnight shouldn’t kill it.


Water


While OCZ claims this drive is water resistant, would it be still usable after it dropped out of your pocket and into a puddle? The simple answer is yes. The drive was completely submerged in water for 5 minutes and then immediately plugged into the computer. It worked just as good as before.

Unfortunately, the drive does not float; rather, it sinks like a rock. So if you do take it fishing, be careful or it will become a very expensive fishing lure.


Snow


To test the ATV to the limit, it was left outside in the snow for 3 days. During that time, the temperature actually got up above 0 and then plunged to -12c and over 25cms of wet snow fell. Luckily, a shovel was placed nearby so it was not too hard to find. The black and red colour combination, while not as visible as the turbo line, did make fairly easy to find.

After digging it out, no moisture of any kind was visible in the port end of the ATV. Simply drying the exterior of case was all that was needed before it was plugged in. It worked just as well as it did before this test.


Drop Test

To test exactly how rugged this drive was it was dropped from a height of approximately eleven feet. It hit front on and bounced once (while doing what appeared to be a 540 spin) before coming to a skidding halt. No major damage was visible on the case and the cap was still firmly attached. The drive worked just as well as it did before the test.