Whether you want to back up the data on your PC, transfer videos from your Mac or offload a few games from your PlayStation 5, a portable SSD is a quick and easy way to expand your storage. These little bricks may cost more than traditional hard drives, but they’re significantly faster, lighter and more reliable. Figuring out the best portable SSD for you, though, isn’t as simple as just picking the one with the lowest price or the most space. (Well, it can be, but that wouldn’t be very efficient.) To help, we’ve weeded through the portable SSD market, tested a bunch of contenders and sorted out which ones offer the most value. You can find our top picks below, plus an overview of what to know before you buy.
The pre-built OWC Express 1M2 is a premium-feeling USB4 SSD that’s roughly as fast as the ADATA SE920, but it’s larger and significantly more expensive as of this writing.
If you’re in the relatively small group with a PC that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 but not Thunderbolt or USB4, the Crucial X10 Pro is essentially a faster version of our top pick. The Lexar SL600 is a larger but slightly quicker option, while the Lexar SL500, Kingston XS2000 or Samsung T9 could also work if you see them on discount. As a reminder, though, drives like these are aimed primarily at content creators and other professionals, and you have to make sure you won’t upgrade to a device with a faster USB interface anytime soon.
The Samsung T7 Shield has a conveniently rugged design with a rubberized, IP65-rated shell. It also comes with both USB-C and USB-A cables. But it was consistently slower than the X9 Pro and XS1000 in our benchmark tests, plus it has a shorter three-year warranty.
The Silicon Power PX10 is an especially affordable USB 3.2 Gen 2 model. Its peak speeds weren’t too far off the X9 Pro or XS1000 in synthetic benchmarks, but it can get distractingly hot and its sustained writes are markedly worse. It took 50 seconds longer to move our 70GB custom test folder to this drive compared to the X9 Pro, for example.
The Crucial X6 is another low-cost option that’s a good bit slower than our top picks. It’s limited to a three-year warranty and lacks an IP rating as well. It’s not a terrible option for the basics, but there’s little reason to get it over the XS1000 when their prices are similar.
The OWC Envoy Pro FX is well-built and supports Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.2 Gen 2, but it’s a smidge slower than the SE920 and Express 1M2, and it’s much pricier than the former.
The Samsung T9 portable SSD.
Samsung
What to consider before buying an external SSD
Capacity
The first thing to figure out before buying a portable SSD is just how much storage space you need. Most of the drives we considered for this guide are available in capacities ranging from one to four terabytes, though plenty of smaller and larger options exist.
There’s no hard-and-fast rule for which size is “best” — that’ll ultimately depend on your budget and what exactly you’re looking to stash. But in general, it’s better to overcompensate than underdo it. Nobody wants to be forced into buying a second drive because they filled the first one up too quickly. If you’re backing up a PC, a good rule of thumb is to buy an external SSD with twice as much space as your computer’s internal storage. This way, you can save at least one full backup while also having room for additional data. If you want to store a bunch of PlayStation or Xbox games with huge install sizes, you may need more space. If you just want to back up a small collection of files, you may be better off saving your cash and just getting a smaller USB flash drive instead, which aren’t quite the same as the external SSDs we tested for this guide.
Price
In general, you get a better price-per-gigabyte ratio the further you go up the capacity ladder. As of this writing, the 1TB Samsung T9 is priced at $130, or $0.13 per gigabyte (GB), while the 4TB version is available for $297 or $0.07 per GB. That technically makes the larger model a better “value,” but not everyone needs to pay that much more upfront.
SSDs in the same speed class tend to not vary too wildly in terms of performance, so part of our decision-making for this guide came down to which ones are often the cheapest. But prices can fluctuate over time; if you see that one of our top picks is priced way higher than a comparable honorable mention, feel free to get the latter. At this point in time, costs are broadly trending upwards.
The ADATA SE920 portable SSD connected to an Apple MacBook Pro.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Speed and USB interface
Just about all external SSDs are significantly faster than mechanical hard disk drives (HDDs), so you’ll save time waiting for files to transfer and games to load no matter what. Within the market, however, there are distinct performance tiers. These are defined in large part by the USB interface a drive supports. While all of the SSDs we considered for this guide can connect over USB-C, some USB-C connections can supply faster transfer speeds than others. Sorting through this can get real confusing real fast, so we’ll try to put it in simple terms.
You can essentially divide today’s crop of portable SSDs into different segments. At the very top are drives that utilize the (relatively) new Thunderbolt 5 standard, which has a theoretical maximum transfer rate of 80 gigabits per second (Gbps). (You may see it advertise speeds up to 120 Gbps, but that boost doesn’t apply to storage devices.) But portable SSDs that support this tech only just started to trickle out toward the end of 2024, and the market for devices with Thunderbolt 5 ports is still fairly limited, with the most notable exceptions being Apple’s top-end Macs with a M4 Pro or M4 Max chip.
Thunderbolt 5 is built on a spec called USB4, which can technically reach up to 80 Gbps as well but is more typically available in a flavor that tops out at 40 Gbps. Portable SSDs based on that standard started to roll out toward the end of 2023 but are still relatively infrequent. The older Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, which other high-end external SSDs continue to use, support the same 40 Gbps maximum.
A third version of USB4, meanwhile, maxes at 20 Gbps, as does an older yet more frequently used standard called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Below that is 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 together SSDs that use older standards and aren’t worth considering here.
To make this easy: For everyday folks, a good USB 3.2 Gen 2 drive is the sweet spot between fast-enough performance, wide-enough compatibility and cheap-enough price, so those make up our primary recommendations above. If you work in a creative field or don’t mind paying extra to shave seconds off your large file transfers, though, a “higher-tier” model would make sense. However, note that actual computers that utilize USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 aren’t super common — no Mac supports it, for one — and the interface is effectively being replaced by USB4.
In general, your chain is only as strong as its weakest link: If your computer only has USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, for example, you could still use a Thunderbolt SSD, but you won’t get beyond Gen 2 speeds. Make sure you know what you’re working with before you buy.
As a refresher, storage devices are broadly measured in terms of read and write speeds. The former refers to how long it takes to access something from the drive; the latter, how long it takes to save something to it. From there, you can break these metrics into sequential and random performance. Sequential speeds tend to matter more with portable SSDs, since most people use them to save or access long, constant streams of data such as a bunch of high-res photos. Random speeds would be important if you want to run video games off the drive, since that’d involve reading and writing smaller, more scattered files. Either way, how well an SSD can sustain its performance with extended use is also critical.
Other performance factors and enclosures
A modern portable SSD’s speeds aren’t just about its USB interface, though. Its performance can also depend on how advanced its controller is, whether it has a native USB flash controller or a separate bridge chip to communicate with a host device, the kind and quality of NAND flash memory it uses, whether it has a DRAM cache or it’s DRAM-less, and more.
We’re simplifying things, but here are some quick tips: Drives with triple-level cell (TLC) memory aren’t as cheap as quad-level cell (QLC) SSDs, but they’re generally more reliable and they offer better write performance. Having a dedicated DRAM cache helps if you plan to hit your drive with more intense, sustained workloads, but may not be worth the extra cost for most people. Some models with native flash controllers may not perform as well as those with a bridging chip, depending on the SSD inside, but they typically draw less heat and are physically smaller. All of this is to say that an external SSD’s speeds aren’t quite as straightforward as what the manufacturer chooses to advertise on the box.
It’s also worth remembering that you can turn an internal SSD into a portable solution with a good enclosure. If you have a spare drive and don’t mind going the DIY route, this can be a cheaper and more flexible solution, though we’ve stuck to pre-built models for this guide for the sake of simplicity.
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget
Size, durability, endurance and warranty
Most portable SSDs are impressively small and light, so they won’t be difficult to tuck in a bag (or even a pocket) and take on the go. We note above if any drive is bulkier than usual.
Nothing we’re talking about matters if your drive can’t last in the long term. It’s hard to definitively say which external SSDs are the most reliable, but we scoured through user reviews and feedback while researching this guide to ensure none of our picks show a pattern of catastrophic errors. If there was too much smoke around a particular model, we steered clear. We ruled out certain drives from SanDisk and Western Digital, for instance, after reports from Ars Technica and The Vergenoted an issue that led to data loss (and lawsuits) in 2023.
That said, one of the big reasons you’d buy an SSD in general is its superior durability. Because it has no moving mechanical parts inside, an SSD has far fewer avenues to failure than an external hard drive. You still don’t want to be careless with them, but an accidental drop shouldn’t be the end of the world.
Some portable SSDs build on this inherent ruggedness with plastic or rubberized casings and more robust waterproofing. These aren’t necessary for everyone, but if you’re a frequent traveler or someone who often works outdoors, there are options for you.
Still, all drives can fail. If you have any sort of data you’d be distraught to lose, you should back it up regularly, then make a second backup, ideally with a cloud service. Along those protective lines, we also took note of the warranty policy for each drive we tested. Just about all of them are backed for either three or five years; of course, longer is better.
Encryption and software
It’s not uncommon to store sensitive data on a portable SSD, so some models offer extra security features like hardware-based encryption — i.e., direct scrambling of data stored on the drive itself — built-in keypads and fingerprint readers to protect against unauthorized access if the drive is lost or stolen. While not top requirements, perks like these are certainly good to have. Some SSDs also come with companion software to further manage the drive. The best of those can be handy to have around, but we wouldn’t call them essential.
How we test external SSDs
Unfortunately, we did not have access to a device that can make full use of USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 and Thunderbolt/USB4 speeds interchangeably, so we had to split our testing across multiple devices, including an M1 Pro MacBook Pro and an Alienware gaming PC running Windows 11. Because of this, we primarily compared the portable SSDs within each “class” against one another. Before switching OSes, we reformatted each drive to each platform’s standard file system format: APFS for macOS and NTFS for Windows.
After researching which SSDs had enough positive feedback to be worth testing in the first place, we put 13 drives through a range of synthetic and “real-world” benchmark tests. On Windows, these included CrystalDiskMark, PCMark 10’s Data Drive Benchmark and 3DMark’s gaming-focused Storage Benchmark. On macOS, we used AmorphousDiskMark (effectively a Mac version of CrystalDiskMark), BlackMagic Disk Speed Test and ATTO Disk Benchmark.
We also timed how long it took for each drive to read and write a custom 70GB folder filled with roughly 11,500 different files, including photos, videos, music files, PDFs and other large and small data types scattered across numerous subfolders. We performed multiple passes for each test to avoid irregularities, and we kept track of each SSD’s heat levels over the course of the whole suite. Our process wasn't a perfect science, but it gave us a general sense of how each drive compares to other models in its price and performance range.
Recent updates
February 2025: We’ve checked to ensure the pricing info and links in this guide are still accurate. We’ve also added details on the (relatively) new Thunderbolt 5 interface, which has been implemented in a couple recent portable SSDs like the OWC Envoy Ultra and LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. We’ll look to include testing notes for those for our next update, as they should be faster than the ADATA SE920, our current premium pick, albeit for a much higher price. For now, though, our top picks remain the same.
October 2024: We’ve taken a sweep through this guide to ensure all pricing and availability info is still correct. Our recommendations are unchanged.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/best-portable-ssd-120043652.html?src=rss
Big Tech’s restrictions on adult content are crippling businesses and organizations focused on sexual health, according to a new report shared exclusively with WIRED.
The original Red Alert is going open source for the second time.
Electronic Arts (EA) is releasing the source code for four Command & Conquer titles under the open source GPL license. The original Command & Conquer (since subtitled Tiberian Dawn) is joined by Red Alert, Renegade, and Generals, the code for all of which can now be found on EA’s GitHub page. Only the code has been open sourced, not the games’ assets and cinematics, but it will help modders and the game restoration community keep the games playable.
This isn’t actually a first for EA. Back in 2020 the company released the source code for its Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, made up of Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert. That code had already been adapted for the remaster’s engine however, while the new releases are the “fully recovered source code” of the series’ first two games, according to Luke “CCHyper” Feenan, a Command & Conquer community member who proposed and orchestrated the release together with EA.
Renegade and Generals, meanwhile, have been released under an open source license for the first time. Renegade is a 2002 first- and third-person shooter set in the franchise’s Tiberium universe, while Generals is a 2003 strategy game that eschewed the Tiberium and Red Alert worlds for a near-future setting depicting a war between the United States, China, and the fictional Global Liberation Army. Its expansion Zero Hour is also included in the open source release.
Alongside the open sourcing, EA has also opened Steam Workshop support, and released a ‘Modding Support’ pack that includes the source XML, schema, script, shader and map files, for all the games that use the SAGE engine:
C&C Renegade
C&C Generals & Zero Hour
C&C 3 Tiberium Wars and Kane’s Wrath
C&C Red Alert 3 & Uprising
C&C 4 Tiberian Twilight
That move should make it easier to create mods and maps for the games, and to share some of those creations through Steam. To cap off the announcement, EA released a 35-minute video of archival gameplay footage from the early development of Renegade and Generals:
Tri-folds are having a moment. Thereâs that impressive Huawei device, my favorite 3-in-1 Apple charger, and now this: the Zip tri-fold projector from a company called Aurzen. Itâs the most gadgety gadget Iâve tested in a long time.
The Zipâs heft, texture, and hinge stiffness evokes quality at first touch and itâs impressively bright for a compact battery-powered projector that initially costs $249.
Using it is also a joy. It connects quickly to iPhones over AirPlay and to Android devices over Miracast, Smart View, or similar using Wi-Fi Direct â no hotspot required. It then automatically focuses and aligns the image on any available flat surface including walls, t-shirts, and pillows. It works in both landscape and portrait modes and pairs with Bluetooth headsets for private audio or Bluetooth speakers for a shared experience. The built-in rechargeable battery lasts about 80 minutes in my real-world testing, but you can always plug it into a powerbank or wall jack to extend that.
Using it sucks, however, if youâre trying to stream from services like Netflix and Disney Plus or trying to watch Spotify music videos. Thatâs because all those companies protect their …
OpenAI is finally making its video generation model, Sora, available to users in the European Union, the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The company said on Friday that ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers in these regions will be able to create videos using the model. The AI startup first unveiled Sora in February 2024, […]
For creators, YouTube is still the top platform for making money.
No surprise there. It’s had a head start, fine-tuning its monetization model while others scramble to keep up. And with U.S. creators expected to rake in over $15 billion from social media alone this year, according to eMarketer, the stakes have never been higher. For platforms, courting creators isn’t just a strategy, its table stakes. And more often than not, the winning move comes down to cold, hard cash.
“If you asked 10 creators what platform they prefer for monetizing outside of brand partnerships, you’d probably get at least nine (if not all) saying YouTube,” said Keith Bendes, chief strategy officer at Linqia. “Interestingly though, if you asked 10 brands which platform they prefer for creator partnerships, you’d probably get nine (or all of them) saying Instagram or TikTok.”
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It’s been a little over two weeks since The Trade Desk issued its first-ever earnings miss, during which time its stock price dropped by almost 40%. However, at its flagship NYC partner event on Thursday, executives there outlined their priorities for the year ahead.
Joined on stage by the likes of The New York Times, NBC Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros.Discovery (among others), the narrative heralded “the rise of the premium internet,” indicating its priorities on Madison Avenue for the year ahead.
In opening remarks, its commercial chief Tim Sims outlined The Trade Desk’s outlook on a new industry paradigm, one that’s free from Google’s influence. This paradigm includes the importance of authenticated audiences and a more efficient supply chain.
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The creator economy is taking a closer look at creator affiliate programs, giving them more scrutiny than before. The move follows creator pushback against Honey, a PayPal-owned browser extension, after reports broke late last year that the company was allegedly skimming creators’ affiliate revenue.
Honey, which finds coupon codes for online shopping, was exposed by YouTuber MegaLag for allegedly hijacking affiliate links from creators and using its own (even in cases where it wasn’t a better deal). This has since resulted in class action lawsuits from several creators including YouTubers Legal Eagle and GamersNexus, against the browser extension, claiming that Honey is taking affiliate revenue that belonged to creators.
It’s not just Honey. Other companies including Microsoft and Capital One are facing similar claims regarding their browser extensions through Microsoft Shopping and Capital One Shopping. Now creator and legal experts expect to see greater scrutiny to these affiliate partnerships and changes to influencer contracts and agreements to include more protections to mitigate risk — on both the brand and creator sides. While some creator agreements already include morals clauses or similar terms for exit deals if a brand engages in disreputable conduct, there’s more interest from creators today for those terms. PayPal, Microsoft and Capital One did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Walmart’s ad business grew 27% year over year in 2024, according to the company’s recent earnings report, netting the retail giant $4.4 billion in global ad revenue for the year. That growth has come as Walmart has continued to evolve its ad offerings. This week, for example, the company announced a new Application Programming Interface (API) for Walmart Connect that allows ad tech platforms to create and manage tools for display campaigns — a move that buyers see as Walmart setting the stage to transition from managed service to self-service.
As Walmart’s retail media network matures, buyers see it as the leader of the pack among the bevy of retail media networks — aside from Amazon of course. Walmart is checking a lot of the boxes when it comes to what buyers want from retail media networks now, including adding more capabilities and tools, more measurement tracking and off-site ad units. Whenever Walmart adds streaming and CTV capabilities — something buyers expect it will do given its acquisition of smart TV maker Vizio — that will only help the retailer continue its current growth trajectory, according to four ad buyers Digiday spoke with for this piece.
“Walmart has been the one to watch,” said Amie Owen, chief commerce officer at IPG Mediabrands.
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The squeeze on agency holding companies keeps getting tighter. WPP’s year-end revenue slump, paired with lackluster outlook for 2025, is just the latest twist in an ongoing identity crisis for legacy ad giants. In fact, things have gotten so dire that holdco CEOs have mastered a specialized dialect, one designed to downplay their troubles while keeping investors from panicking.
Here’s a guide to what they say versus what they really (might) mean.
What they say: “We are in a period of transformation.” What they mean: “We have no idea how to fix this, but we’ll throw around words like ‘AI’ and ‘efficiency’ until the next earnings call.”
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A week-long rout in Bitcoin worsened Friday, with the digital asset hitting an over 3-month low, reversing gains that followed the election of the U.S. President Donald Trump.
