By cryptoadmin 
Whether or not you need to again up the info in your PC, switch movies out of your Mac or offload a number of video games out of your PlayStation 5, a transportable SSD is a fast and simple technique to broaden your storage. These little bricks could price greater than conventional arduous drives, however they’re considerably quicker, lighter and extra dependable. Determining the most effective moveable SSD for you, although, isn’t so simple as simply selecting the one with the bottom value or essentially the most area. (Properly, it can be, however that wouldn’t be very environment friendly.) To assist, we’ve weeded via the moveable SSD market, examined a bunch of contenders and sorted out which of them supply essentially the most worth. You will discover our high picks under, plus an summary of what to know before you purchase.
Desk of contents
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Finest exterior SSDs for 2025
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Different exterior SSDs we examined
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What to contemplate earlier than shopping for an exterior SSD
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How we check exterior SSDs
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Latest updates
Finest exterior SSDs for 2025
Different exterior SSDs we examined
The pre-built OWC Categorical 1M2 is a premium-feeling USB4 SSD that’s roughly as quick because the ADATA SE920, but it surely’s bigger and considerably costlier as of this writing.
When you’re within the comparatively small group with a PC that helps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 however not Thunderbolt or USB4, the Essential X10 Professional is actually a quicker model of our high decide. The Lexar SL600 is a bigger however barely faster choice, whereas the Lexar SL500, Kingston XS2000 or Samsung T9 may additionally work when you see them on low cost. As a reminder, although, drives like these are aimed primarily at content material creators and different professionals, and you need to be sure to gained’t improve to a tool with a quicker USB interface anytime quickly.
The Samsung T7 Defend has a conveniently rugged design with a rubberized, IP65-rated shell. It additionally comes with each USB-C and USB-A cables. However it was persistently slower than the X9 Professional and XS1000 in our benchmark assessments, plus it has a shorter three-year guarantee.
The Silicon Energy PX10 is an particularly inexpensive USB 3.2 Gen 2 mannequin. Its peak speeds weren’t too far off the X9 Professional or XS1000 in artificial benchmarks, however it will probably get distractingly sizzling and its sustained writes are markedly worse. It took 50 seconds longer to maneuver our 70GB customized check folder to this drive in comparison with the X9 Professional, for instance.
The Essential X6 is one other low-cost choice that’s an excellent bit slower than our high picks. It’s restricted to a three-year guarantee and lacks an IP ranking as effectively. It’s not a horrible choice for the fundamentals, however there’s little motive to get it over the XS1000 when their costs are comparable.
The OWC Envoy Professional FX is well-built and helps Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2, but it surely’s a smidge slower than the SE920 and Categorical 1M2, and it’s a lot pricier than the previous.
What to contemplate earlier than shopping for an exterior SSD
Capability
The very first thing to determine earlier than shopping for a transportable SSD is simply how a lot cupboard space you want. A lot of the drives we thought of for this information can be found in capacities starting from one to 4 terabytes, although loads of smaller and bigger choices exist.
There’s no hard-and-fast rule for which dimension is “finest” — that’ll finally rely in your price range and what precisely you’re seeking to stash. However usually, it’s higher to overcompensate than underdo it. No one desires to be compelled into shopping for a second drive as a result of they crammed the primary one up too rapidly. When you’re backing up a PC, an excellent rule of thumb is to purchase an exterior SSD with twice as a lot area as your laptop’s inside storage. This manner, it can save you not less than one full backup whereas additionally having room for added information. If you wish to retailer a bunch of PlayStation or Xbox video games with enormous set up sizes, it’s possible you’ll want extra space. When you simply need to again up a small assortment of information, it’s possible you’ll be higher off saving your money and simply getting a smaller USB flash drive as an alternative, which aren’t fairly the identical because the exterior SSDs we examined for this information.
Worth
Normally, you get a greater price-per-gigabyte ratio the additional you go up the capability ladder. As of this writing, the 1TB Samsung T9 is priced at $130, or $0.13 per gigabyte (GB), whereas the 4TB model is obtainable for $297 or $0.07 per GB. That technically makes the bigger mannequin a greater “worth,” however not everybody must pay that rather more upfront.
SSDs in the identical pace class are likely to not range too wildly by way of efficiency, so a part of our decision-making for this information got here all the way down to which of them are sometimes the most affordable. However costs can fluctuate over time; when you see that certainly one of our high picks is priced method larger than a comparable honorable point out, be happy to get the latter. At this time limit, prices are broadly trending upwards.
Velocity and USB interface
Nearly all exterior SSDs are considerably quicker than mechanical arduous disk drives (HDDs), so that you’ll save time ready for information to switch and video games to load it doesn’t matter what. Inside the market, nevertheless, there are distinct efficiency tiers. These are outlined largely by the USB interface a drive helps. Whereas the entire SSDs we thought of for this information can join over USB-C, some USB-C connections can provide quicker switch speeds than others. Sorting via this could get actual complicated actual quick, so we’ll attempt to put it in easy phrases.
You’ll be able to primarily divide right now’s crop of moveable SSDs into completely different segments. On the very high are drives that make the most of the (comparatively) new Thunderbolt 5 commonplace, which has a theoretical most switch charge of 80 gigabits per second (Gbps). (You might even see it promote speeds as much as 120 Gbps, however that increase doesn’t apply to storage gadgets.) However moveable SSDs that help this tech solely simply began to trickle out towards the tip of 2024, and the marketplace for gadgets with Thunderbolt 5 ports continues to be pretty restricted, with essentially the most notable exceptions being Apple’s top-end Macs with a M4 Professional or M4 Max chip.
Thunderbolt 5 is constructed on a spec referred to as USB4, which may technically attain as much as 80 Gbps as effectively however is extra usually accessible in a taste that tops out at 40 Gbps. Moveable SSDs based mostly on that commonplace began to roll out towards the tip of 2023 however are nonetheless comparatively rare. The older Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, which different high-end exterior SSDs proceed to make use of, help the identical 40 Gbps most.
A third model of USB4, in the meantime, maxes at 20 Gbps, as does an older but extra incessantly used commonplace referred to as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Under that’s USB 3.2 Gen 2, which maxes at 10 Gbps. Then there’s USB 3.2 Gen 1, which is capped at 5 Gbps. Lastly, we’ll bundle collectively SSDs that use older requirements and aren’t price contemplating right here.
To make this simple: For on a regular basis of us, an excellent USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive is the candy spot between fast-enough efficiency, wide-enough compatibility and cheap-enough value, so these make up our major suggestions above. When you work in a artistic subject or don’t thoughts paying additional to shave seconds off your giant file transfers, although, a “higher-tier” mannequin would make sense. Nonetheless, observe that precise computer systems that make the most of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 aren’t tremendous frequent — no Mac helps it, for one — and the interface is successfully being changed by USB4.
Normally, your chain is barely as sturdy as its weakest hyperlink: In case your laptop solely has USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, for instance, you can nonetheless use a Thunderbolt SSD, however you gained’t get past Gen 2 speeds. Be sure to know what you’re working with before you purchase.
As a refresher, storage gadgets are broadly measured by way of learn and write speeds. The previous refers to how lengthy it takes to entry one thing from the drive; the latter, how lengthy it takes to save lots of one thing to it. From there, you’ll be able to break these metrics into sequential and random efficiency. Sequential speeds are likely to matter extra with moveable SSDs, since most individuals use them to save lots of or entry lengthy, fixed streams of information resembling a bunch of high-res pictures. Random speeds can be necessary if you wish to run video video games off the drive, since that’d contain studying and writing smaller, extra scattered information. Both method, how effectively an SSD can maintain its efficiency with prolonged use can be important.
Different efficiency elements and enclosures
A contemporary moveable SSD’s speeds aren’t nearly its USB interface, although. Its efficiency can even rely upon how superior its controller is, whether or not it has a local USB flash controller or a separate bridge chip to speak with a bunch gadget, the type and high quality of NAND flash reminiscence it makes use of, whether or not it has a DRAM cache or it’s DRAM-less, and extra.
We’re simplifying issues, however listed below are some fast ideas: Drives with triple-level cell (TLC) reminiscence aren’t as low cost as quad-level cell (QLC) SSDs, however they’re usually extra dependable and so they supply higher write efficiency. Having a devoted DRAM cache helps when you plan to hit your drive with extra intense, sustained workloads, however might not be price the additional price for most individuals. Some fashions with native flash controllers could not carry out in addition to these with a bridging chip, relying on the SSD inside, however they usually draw much less warmth and are bodily smaller. All of that is to say that an exterior SSD’s speeds aren’t fairly as easy as what the producer chooses to promote on the field.
It’s additionally price remembering that you could flip an inside SSD into a transportable resolution with an excellent enclosure. You probably have a spare drive and don’t thoughts going the DIY route, this generally is a cheaper and extra versatile resolution, although we’ve caught to pre-built fashions for this information for the sake of simplicity.
Dimension, sturdiness, endurance and guarantee
Most moveable SSDs are impressively small and lightweight, in order that they gained’t be troublesome to tuck in a bag (or perhaps a pocket) and tackle the go. We observe above if any drive is bulkier than normal.
Nothing we’re speaking about issues in case your drive can’t final in the long run. It’s arduous to definitively say which exterior SSDs are essentially the most dependable, however we scoured via person evaluations and suggestions whereas researching this information to make sure none of our picks present a sample of catastrophic errors. If there was an excessive amount of smoke round a selected mannequin, we steered clear. We dominated out sure drives from SanDisk and Western Digital, as an example, after reviews from Ars Technica and The Vergefamous a difficulty that led to information loss (and lawsuits) in 2023.
That mentioned, one of many massive causes you’d purchase an SSD usually is its superior sturdiness. As a result of it has no shifting mechanical components inside, an SSD has far fewer avenues to failure than an exterior arduous drive. You continue to don’t need to be careless with them, however an unintentional drop shouldn’t be the tip of the world.
Some moveable SSDs construct on this inherent ruggedness with plastic or rubberized casings and extra strong waterproofing. These aren’t vital for everybody, however when you’re a frequent traveler or somebody who typically works outdoor, there are alternatives for you.
Nonetheless, all drives can fail. You probably have any kind of information you’d be distraught to lose, it is best to again it up recurrently, then make a second backup, ideally with a cloud service. Alongside these protecting strains, we additionally took observe of the guarantee coverage for every drive we examined. Nearly all of them are backed for both three or 5 years; in fact, longer is best.
Encryption and software program
It’s not unusual to retailer delicate information on a transportable SSD, so some fashions supply additional security measures like hardware-based encryption — i.e., direct scrambling of information saved on the drive itself — built-in keypads and fingerprint readers to guard towards unauthorized entry if the drive is misplaced or stolen. Whereas not high necessities, perks like these are actually good to have. Some SSDs additionally include companion software program to additional handle the drive. The very best of these could be useful to have round, however we wouldn’t name them important.
How we check exterior SSDs
Sadly, we didn’t have entry to a tool that may make full use of USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 and Thunderbolt/USB4 speeds interchangeably, so we needed to break up our testing throughout a number of gadgets, together with an M1 Professional MacBook Professional and an Alienware gaming PC operating Home windows 11. Due to this, we primarily in contrast the moveable SSDs inside every “class” towards each other. Earlier than switching OSes, we reformatted every drive to every platform’s commonplace file system format: APFS for macOS and NTFS for Home windows.
After researching which SSDs had sufficient constructive suggestions to be price testing within the first place, we put 13 drives via a spread of artificial and “real-world” benchmark assessments. On Home windows, these included CrystalDiskMark, PCMark 10’s Information Drive Benchmark and 3DMark’s gaming-focused Storage Benchmark. On macOS, we used AmorphousDiskMark (successfully a Mac model of CrystalDiskMark), BlackMagic Disk Velocity Check and ATTO Disk Benchmark.
We additionally timed how lengthy it took for every drive to learn and write a customized 70GB folder full of roughly 11,500 completely different information, together with pictures, movies, music information, PDFs and different giant and small information varieties scattered throughout quite a few subfolders. We carried out a number of passes for every check to keep away from irregularities, and we stored monitor of every SSD’s warmth ranges over the course of the entire suite. Our course of wasn't an ideal science, but it surely gave us a basic sense of how every drive compares to different fashions in its value and efficiency vary.
Latest updates
February 2025: We’ve checked to make sure the pricing data and hyperlinks on this information are nonetheless correct. We’ve additionally added particulars on the (comparatively) new Thunderbolt 5 interface, which has been applied in a pair current moveable SSDs just like the OWC Envoy Extremely and LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. We’ll look to incorporate testing notes for these for our subsequent replace, as they ought to be quicker than the ADATA SE920, our present premium decide, albeit for a a lot larger value. For now, although, our high picks stay the identical.
October 2024: We’ve taken a sweep via this information to make sure all pricing and availability data continues to be right. Our suggestions are unchanged.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/equipment/best-portable-ssd-120043652.html?src=rss