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🎧 The list in brief
1. Best overall
2. Best value
3. Best performance
4. Best large capacity
5. Best rugged
6. Best budget SATA
7. Where to buy
8. FAQ
It might not be immediately obvious but external SSDs are more than just handy backup devices. They’re a great way to keep your most important data with you at school or work, on your commute, and of course at home. You can use them to store your massive games library, freeing up precious storage space on your desktop and laptop.
Sure, you can just use them for backups, should your PC fail, but they offer so much more than that.
The perfect external SSD will be ultra-fast, super tough and reliable, and have a vast capacity. Oh, and it’ll be really cheap. Sadly, there’s no such thing as a perfect portable solid state drive but depending on what compromise you’re willing to make, there’s a great choice for every role. For us, the Adata SE800 is the best overall external SSD, as it ticks off pretty much every box you can think of.
One thing that’s worth noting is that the outright performance of such drives isn’t just about what chips are inside the case. The fastest drives use a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (20Gbps) Type-C connection so if your PC doesn’t have one of these ports, you won’t reach the limits of what the drive supports. If you do have one and haven’t used an external SSD in a while, you’re going to be stunned by how quick it can be.
This is why external SSDs are also a great way of adding more storage to Sony PlayStation 5 or Microsoft Xbox Series X gaming consoles. You can even run games directly off the SSD itself in some cases, though it won’t be as fast as using the internal drive.
Whatever the size, speed, and price of the external SSD, chances are there’s one that’s just right for you listed below.
Curated byCurated byJeremy Laird
Jeremy likes CPUs. And GPUs. And SSDs. A lot. Which is just as well, since he’s been writing about them since the early Mesozoic period. Or at least since Intel released those early stuttering SSDs. Remember them? Good times.
The Quick List
Best overall
1. Adata SE800
The best overall
Small but captious, the Adata SE800 offers a near-perfect blend of performance and reliability. There are faster choices around but this one is more than quick enough, and very reasonably priced.
Best value
2. Crucial X8
The best value
The Crucial X8 is somewhat pricey, but the blend of speed, size, and storage capacity actually makes it really good value. There are better choices if you’re on a tight budget but they won’t be as quick as this one.
Best performance
3. WD Black P50 Game Drive
The best performance
If speed matters more than anything else, then the WD Black P50 Game Drive is the best external SSD for you. But only with the right USB port, mind, and it’s not the cheapest model on the market.
Best large capacity
4. Crucial X6
The best large capacity
Despite offering bags of storage, the Crucial X6 is still mighty quick. It’s not exactly small, though, and you’ll pay a pretty penny for all those terabytes.
Best rugged
5. Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD
The best rugged
If you’re worried about protecting your data on your travels, then the Samsung T7 Shield external HDD will ease your fears. It’s as tough as it looks and very reasonably priced.
Best budget SATA
6. Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD
The best budget SATA
The SATA interface on this Seagate Barracuda Fast model means it’s no faster than an external HDD, but if all you want is portable storage for very little money, this is the one to get.
Recent updates
Updated January 18, 2024 to modernise the buying guide format, to make it even easier to find the product you want.
Best overall external SSD
1. ADATA SE800 1TB
All round best external SSD
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 1TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 Type-CSequential read: 1GB/sDimensions: 73 x 44 x 12mmWarranty: 3 years
Reasons to buy
+Fast NVMe technology+Competitively priced+IP68 dust and water proofing
Reasons to avoid
-Uses the 10Gbps Gen2 interface
Looking for something with speedy NVMe tech inside? The ADATA SE800 1TB has that. TLC NAND memory? Affirmative. IP rating for increased robustness, including waterproofing? Check. And all for an attractive price compared to its main competitors.
The ADATA SE800 Ultra FAST 1TB really does have quite a bit going for it.
It starts with that M.2 NVMe drive, bridged to a USB interface. In this case, it’s a 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface rather than a 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connection. But this drive is still claimed to be good for 1GB/s data transfers in both directions. Lest you have forgotten, that’s around twice as fast as any SATA-based drives, including internal SSDs connected natively via SATA.
That makes it unique among these SSDs, and, what’s more, given the competitive pricing, you’re getting that IP rating effectively for free. Performance-wise, in testing, the ADATA delivers in the headline 1GB/s spec for sequential transfers while notching up 4K random throughput that’s comparable to the competition at 21MB/s for reads and 40MB/s for writes.
That all goes along with a IP68 dust and water proofing, which seems to do the trick in testing.
Best value external SSD
2. Crucial X8 2TB
A great-value NVMe-based external SSD
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 2TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 Type-CSequential read: 1,050MB/sDimensions: 110 x 53 x 12mmWarranty: 3 years
Reasons to buy
+Strong NVMe performance+2GB DRAM cache+Healthy 2TB of storage
Reasons to avoid
-QLC flash does drop sustained speeds
If you want it all, you’re going to have to pay for it. So, sometimes it makes sense to compromise. Enter the Crucial X8 2TB USB Type-C SSD. It’s not the absolute fastest external SSD on Earth. But it is quick. It’s extremely capacious. It’s built into a really solid-feeling metal case. And it’s attractively priced. In fact, right now, it’s available at Best Buy for $239. That’s over $150 less than WD’s Black P50 Game Drive in 2TB trim.
And so it proves in our testing, with the Crucial X8 good for just under 1GB/s for sequential transfers in both directions. 4K random performance is decent, too, for this class of drive, with reads of 27MB/s and writes just over 40MB/s at QD1.
Given the use of QLC NAND, one big question mark is sustained performance. 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.
Best performance external SSD
3. WD Black P50 Game Drive 1TB
The fastest USB Type-C gaming drive in town
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 1TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 2×2 Type-CSequential read: 2GB/sDimensions: 118 x 62 x 14mmWarranty: 5 years
Reasons to buy
+USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connectivity+Up to 2GB sequential performance
Reasons to avoid
-Middling sustained transfer speeds
If you’re looking for fast USB-powered external storage for games, this is currently as good as it gets. At least, it is in theory. The WD Black P50 Game Drive we tested here in 1TB format, and available in 500GB and 2TB flavors, is a rare breed of USB Type-C external SSD. That’s because it supports the very fastest USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps interface, which is why it’s capable of read and write speeds up to 2,000MB/s.
As for real-world performance, in terms of peak sequential, the WD Black P50 easily maxed out the 10Gbps connection of our test PC, registering just over 1GB/s in both directions. It’s likely capable of the advertised 2GB/s with the right interface, however.
Sustained performance is a little less impressive, with performance dropping to around 375MB/s after around 30GB of data transfer. Random access performance is reasonable rather than spectacular, with 22MB/s reads, and 40MB/s writes for the 4K QD1 metric.
Best large capacity external SSD
4. Crucial X6 2TB
The best large capacity external hard drive on the market
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 2TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 Type-CSequential read: 540MB/sDimensions: 69 x 64 x 11mmWarranty: 3 years
Reasons to buy
+2TB is a lot of storage+Decent performance
Reasons to avoid
-No DRAM cache
There’s a fine line between compelling and compromised when it comes to external USB Type-C SSDs. For your money, our testing proved the Crucial X6 falls on just the wrong side of that divide, but it’s worth a look.
One of the knock-on implications of that architectural difference is that the X8 has a 2GB of DRAM cache whereas the X6 has none at all. The X6 does support features like TRIM passthrough, which isn’t always the case on cheaper USB drives and ensures that performance should be sustained in the longer term. It’s also very compact for a 2TB drive, measuring 69 x 64 x 11mm.
As for raw performance, peak write speeds are a little disappointing at 378MB/s, as is the 12MB/s 4K QD1 write throughput. It’s also worth noting that write performance eventually drops to 180MB/s with sustained throughput. However, in our testing, it never dropped lower than that, even with over 50GB of sustained traffic.
Best rugged external SSD
5. Samsung T7 Shield Portable SSD
The most robust, high speed external SSD
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 1TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-CSequential read: 1,021MB/sDimensions: 88 x 59 x 13mmWarranty: 3 years limited
Reasons to buy
+Good transfer speeds+Well-designed+Klutz-proof
Reasons to avoid
-Software is not all that impressive-The 2TB option is too expensive
The T7 Shield is Samsung’s new portable NVMe SSD that’s about as big as a playing card. Being rated to IP65 durability, its classified as dustproof and water resistant, meaning it’s aimed at content creators who travel and, for whatever reason, might end up a little wet or with a bit of dirt on their person.
To test it, I left the SSD on my patio in the rain for a couple of hours since absent-mindedly leaving things outside feels more like a real-world situation I’d end up in. I could open, copy, and transfer files with no performance hit when I retrieved the drive. I also dropped the T7 Shield from standing desk height a few times until I was satisfied with the sound of the thud and used the drive again with no issues.
It doesn’t feel flimsy when you hold it in your hand or store it in a pocket despite still being pretty light. In fact, the aluminum body covered in a rubber casing has an almost all-weather resistant feel to it.
When it comes to external SSDs, especially NVMe-based ones, speed is the name of the game. And the T7 Shield does not disappoint. It has a sequential read-speed of 1021MB/s and a write-speed of 896MB/s, according to our benchmarking. More practical testing includes transferring nearly 8GBs worth of This Week In PC Gaming clips on and off the drive, which took about 6 seconds each go round.
The T7 Shield is compatible with game consoles, too. Great if you’re looking for a nondescript way to expand your storage. I mostly used it to keep the games I use for benchmarking laptops and PCs. But loading games like Horizon Zero Dawn from the SSD didn’t present any issues, nor did I see any dips in performance after playing for about an hour.
Compared to other external drives, it’s just as fast, if not faster, than some of our favoriteexternal NVMe drives.However, I doubt you’ll see anything that matches the durability and build quality of the T7 Shield.
The T7 Shield uses the Samsung Magician app to manage the drive, but all you can do is benchmark the SSD and add a password. All the neat data management features seem to be reserved for Samsung’s internal storage drives like theSamsung 980 Pro, as you won’t find them here with the T7 Shield.
The drive comes with a USB Type-C to Type-C cable and a USB Type-C to Type-A cable and works on PC, Mac, consoles, and Android devices. The T7 is available in beige, black, and blue and is offered in either 1TB ($160) or 2TB ($290) capacities. The pricing for the 1TB isn’t bad, but almost $300 for a 2TB still feels too expensive even if it’s priced the same as others on the market.
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Best budget SATA external SSD
6. Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB
A best budget SATA-based SSD
Our expert review:
Specifications
Storage: 1TBConnectivity: USB 3.2 Type-CSequential read: 540MB/sDimensions: 93 x 79 x 9mmWarranty: 3 years
Reasons to buy
+Good software package+Slim chassis
Reasons to avoid
-Mediocre performance
This is not the fastest USB Type-C SSD you can buy for gaming. But then, it’s far from the most expensive. Compared, say, to the WD Black P50 Game Drive, the branding of the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD 1TB looks like a bit of stretch. Rated at 540MB/s for reads and 500MB/s for writes, it’s simply nowhere near as quick.
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Then again, that fancy WD Drive with its NVMe SSD and USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps interface costs roughly 75 percent more for the same 1TB of capacity. Moreover, a great deal of that increased performance isn’t available on most PCs and all consoles due to limited interface support.
A great deal that is. But not all. 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. 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. It also drops down to just 190MB/s with sustained multi-GB workloads.
Arguably even more problematic is the existence of NVMe-based drives for similar money. The ADATA SE800 Ultra FAST 1TB, for instance, is around twice as quick for peak sequential performance. It’s a pity because the Seagate Barracuda Fast SSD looks slick with its sleek enclosure and LED status light. And Seagate’s file syncing and backup software is handy. But there’s better performance to be had elsewhere.
