Performance-wise, your choice is between a drive based on the SATA interface with a bridge to USB, or an NVMe interface, again behind a USB bridge. The best external SSDs FAQ Should I buy an NMVe or SATA external SSD? But there’s better performance to be had elsewhere.
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And Seagate’s file syncing and backup software is handy. It’s a pity because the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD looks slick with its sleek enclosure and LED status light. The ADATA SE800 Ultra FAST 1TB, for instance, is around twice as quick for peak sequential performance. It also drops down to just 190MB/s with sustained multi-GB workloads.Īrguably even more problematic is the existence of NVMe-based drives for similar money. What’s more, in our testing, the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB couldn’t even deliver its modest claimed performance, clocking just 306MB/s for sequential write performance. The Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB is essentially a SATA SSD behind a USB bridge, which means performance is limited to 6Gbps despite the drive’s 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface. Moreover, a great deal of that increased performance isn’t available on most PCs and all consoles due to limited interface support.Ī great deal that is.
![off brand cheap external ssd 2tb off brand cheap external ssd 2tb](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/190AAOSwGcdg~g1N/s-l300.jpg)
Then again, that fancy WD Drive with its NVMe SSD and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps interface costs roughly 75 percent more for the same 1TB of capacity.
![off brand cheap external ssd 2tb off brand cheap external ssd 2tb](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91n044oeDZL._AC_SX450_.jpg)
However, while the Crucial X8 does drop down to 380MB/s with sustained traffic, in our testing, it maintained that level for many tens of GB, which puts it on a par with the more expensive WD drive.īest gaming laptops (opens in new tab) | Best gaming keyboards (opens in new tab) | Best gaming mouse (opens in new tab)īest gaming motherboards (opens in new tab) | Best graphics cards (opens in new tab) | Best gaming monitors (opens in new tab)īest gaming motherboard (opens in new tab): the best boards aroundīest AMD motherboard (opens in new tab): your new Ryzen's new home Given the use of QLC NAND, one big question mark is sustained performance. 4K random performance is decent, too, for this class of drive, with reads of 27MB/s and writes just over 40MB/s at QD1. That’s over $150 less than WD’s Black P50 Game Drive in 2TB trim.Īnd so it proves in our testing, with the Crucial X8 good for just under 1GB/s for sequential transfers in both directions. In fact, right now, it’s available at Best Buy for $239. It’s built into a really solid-feeling metal case. It’s not the absolute fastest external SSD on Earth. So, sometimes it makes sense to compromise. If you want it all, you’re going to have to pay for it. Each of these entries has been put through our gauntlet of benchmarks to earn themselves the right to store your precious games. Whatever the size, speed, and price of the external SSD, chances are we got the one for you listed below.
![off brand cheap external ssd 2tb off brand cheap external ssd 2tb](https://i.pcmag.com/imagery/roundups/04C3lmT8dpQYPeEZZt3gPXp-6.fit_lim.size_1050x.jpg)
There's still no competing with an internal latest PCIe 5.0 M.2 drives (opens in new tab), but perhaps one day soon. This means you can transfer huge game files in minutes, as opposed to the hours it used to take. Over the last few years, the performance of external SSDs has improved exponentially, with some even supporting 2GB/s of raw bandwidth. When looking for a perfect external SDD, USB Type-C drives (opens in new tab) are the way to go. You can even run games directly off the SSD itself in most cases, but we understand this instils panic in most.
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It's also often a more affordable way of expanding your storage on a Sony PlayStation 5 (opens in new tab) or Microsoft Xbox Series X (opens in new tab) gaming console. An external SSD is a great cheap storage upgrade.