Strong-state drives – aka SSD – was once actually costly, however costs have actually fallen prior to now few years, and now you can decide up quick, dependable SSDs that price solely barely greater than their exhausting drive counterparts. Even the slowest SSDs are typically quicker than mechanical exhausting drives.
In addition to being quicker than standard exhausting drives, SSDs are lighter and sturdier too, making them supreme to be used with a laptop computer if you’re touring. That’s mirrored within the drives that we overview right here, most of that are small and lightweight sufficient to slide into your pocket. Nonetheless, the most recent SSDs can even supply as much as 8TB of storage, which makes them an excellent possibility to be used with a desktop Mac in an workplace as properly. They usually can assist to cut back cable muddle too, as they often take their energy from a USB port in your Mac, slightly than requiring a separate exterior energy provide.
On this article we’ve included one of the best exterior SSDs for every part from blazing-fast efficiency, to price range choices, to portability, and extra.
Greatest SSD for Mac 2025
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 – Quick and rugged
Execs
Helps Thunderbolt 5
Spectacular efficiency
Rugged design with IP68
5-year guarantee
Cons
Costly
Requires M4 Professional or Max
Greatest Costs Right now:
The Pro5 seems to be nearly similar to the previous-generation Rugged SSD Professional, which makes use of Thunderbolt 3. The one seen distinction between the 2 drives is the truth that the Pro5 is wrapped in a dark-blue rubber sleeve, slightly than the somber black of its predecessor.
That rubber sleeve is designed to supply additional safety for the drive, and the Pro5 is even sturdier than earlier than, with an IP68 score for water and dust-resistance. LaCie claims the Pro5 can survive immersion in 1.5 meters of water for half-hour, survive being dropped from a peak of 3m (10ft), and survive being run over by automobiles weighing as much as two tonnes. There’s a five-year guarantee too.
It measures 17mm thick, 98mm large and 65mm deep and weighs 150g, which is a bit more than its 100g Rugged Professional predecessor. It is available in 2TB or 4TB capacities. It’s not low cost, beginning at $399.99/£359.99 for 2TB or $599.99/£579.99 for 4TB.
The Pro5 does use a normal USB-C connector, so it’s nonetheless backward-compatible with older Macs, however if you wish to get the complete efficiency of the Thunderbolt 5 interface you’ll want a MacBook Professional or Mac mini with M4 Professional or M4 Max processor as these are the one chips to assist the usual. The older Rugged Professional continues to be on sale, so be sure to search for the Pro5 mannequin in order for you Thunderbolt 5 efficiency. We discovered that the usual USB-C cable we use for our Time Machine back-up drive didn’t present sufficient energy for the Pro5, so it is perhaps value investing in a spare Thunderbolt 5 cable.
The Rugged SSD Pro5 is the quickest Thunderbolt drive we’ve examined to this point, and together with its rugged, transportable design it’s a superb possibility for inventive customers who need to exploit the complete pace of their new Thunderbolt 5 Macs.
Learn our full
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 overview
SanDisk Excessive Professional SSD with USB4 – Spectacular, reasonably priced efficiency
Execs
USB4 supplies good efficiency
Aggressive value
Rugged design
Cons
Lacks full Thunderbolt assist
Giant
Greatest Costs Right now:
Since parting methods with Western Digital SanDisk has launched a set of recent merchandise. Amongst these have been SanDisk’s Excessive Moveable SSD, an reasonably priced entry-level drive included under, and the Excessive Professional With USB4.
The Excessive Professional With USB4 is obtainable with 2TB or 4TB of storage. It resembles its predecessors, that includes rounded corners, orange trim, and a cut-out for attaching a lanyard. A USB-C cable is included.
It’s a little bit bigger than beforehand: 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm large, and 140mm lengthy. Making it nearly as giant because the iPhone 16e and heavier than it. The drive’s important physique is manufactured from cast aluminium, wrapped in a silicon sleeve for added safety. SanDisk claims it might probably survive a 2m drop and is IP65 water and mud resistant. In addition they present a five-year guarantee.
The Excessive Professional With USB4 is bigger than different SanDisk drives, measuring 11.9mm thick, 58.7mm large, and 140mm lengthy. It’s nearly as giant because the iPhone 16e and heavier than it, however nonetheless sufficiently small to slot in a pocket or bag. Its sturdy design makes it appropriate for journey and out of doors work.
The principle attraction is USB4 efficiency. SanDisk quotes a most write efficiency of as much as 3700MB/s and browse efficiency of as much as 3800MB/s. We examined the drive with a MacBook Professional with Thunderbolt 4, reaching sturdy efficiency of 3400MB/s for each learn and write.
We additionally examined the drive with a brand new Mac mini with Thunderbolt 5 and have been stunned to see a big bounce in write efficiency to 4400MB/s, which remained constant regardless of repeated checks. Learn efficiency remained unchanged at 3400MB/s.
Skilled customers requiring prime efficiency with giant video or graphics recordsdata could favor a solid-state drive with full Thunderbolt assist, however the Excessive Professional With USB4 affords spectacular efficiency at an reasonably priced value, making it appropriate for many customers who want a quick, sturdy transportable drive for Time Machine backups.
Learn our full
SanDisk Excessive Professional SSD with USB4 overview
OWC Envoy Extremely – Thunderbolt 5 quick
Execs
Quick 6GBps studying & 5GBps writing by way of Thunderbolt 5
Rugged and weatherproof
Cons
Costly
Requires M4 Professional/Max Mac for full 80Gbps efficiency
Restricted compatibility
Greatest Costs Right now:
$349.99
You’ll be able to take full benefit of the Thunderbolt 5 ports in your M4 Professional Mac mini or M4 Professional/Max MacBook Professional and probably circumvent Apple’s avaricious storage improve pricing with OWC’s Envoy Extremely Thunderbolt 5 exterior SSD.
Thunderbolt 5 itself is backwards suitable with older Thunderbolt specs, but it surely’s not almost as backwards suitable as we’d like. For instance, to make the most of a Thunderbolt 5 drive your M-series Mac must be working macOS Sonoma or later. Thunderbolt 3 Macs with Intel chips should run Sequoia or later. However solely the M4 Professional and M4 Max chips gives you the complete Thunderbolt 5 expertise.
You might have seen 120GBps quoted in some articles as Thunderbolt 5’s prime pace, however that’s solely unidirectional for shows. Bi-directional, as with storage, is restricted to 80Gbps. Benchmarks confirmed wherever from 5.2GBps (Blackmagicdesign’s Disk Pace Check), to six.5GBps studying (AmorphousDiskMark), to close 7GBps studying and 5.57GBps writing (ATTO). It’s quick.
The OWC Envoy Extremely is a bigger chunk of black metallic, measuring about 0.75 inches thick, 2.8 inches large, and 5 inches lengthy. The Envoy Extremely weighs in at 10.5 ounces or so. It has a captive cable, which is for weatherproofing (it’s not IP-rated). This does make it a bit tougher to place away. Alas, writing was significantly slower, solely round 1.5GBps.
The Envoy Extremely prices $400/£356 in its 2TB type and $600/£598.49 at 4TB. It carries a three-year guarantee.
If you’d like, and might afford absolutely the quickest storage to your new Thunderbolt 5 Mac, then this can be a heck of lots cheaper than Apple’s rapaciously priced inside storage and almost as quick.
Learn our full
OWC Envoy Extremely Thunderbolt 5 SSD overview
SanDisk Excessive Moveable SSD – Compact and transportable design
Execs
Rugged design
Aggressive value
Good efficiency
USB-C interface, with USB-A adaptor included
Cons
No Thunderbolt assist
Not fully water resistant
Greatest Costs Right now:
$104.99
This SanDisk mannequin affords a sturdy design and as much as 8TB of storage. The exterior design hasn’t modified through the years, it nonetheless is available in a perforated black case made out of silicon that gives loads of safety, and there’s the identical hook for a lanyard.
The 8TB model is barely bigger than the earlier mannequin, but it surely’s nonetheless slim and lightweight. There aren’t many rival drives that present that a lot storage in such a compact and transportable design.
This mannequin makes use of the identical USB-C connector as its predecessor, with assist for USB 3.2 (Gen 2). There’s a USB-C cable included within the field, and even a USB-A adaptor! Speeds are 1000MB/s and 1050MB/s for write and browse efficiency respectively, as beforehand. And our checks discovered that the 2 drives produce very related outcomes when working the Black Magic Disk pace take a look at, with the Excessive Moveable reaching 946MB/s for write efficiency and 910MB/s for learn efficiency.
The principle distinction is that this replace for 2025 is even harder than earlier than, boasting an IP65 score for resistance to water and mud. This mannequin supplies extra storage capability too, beginning at 1GB and going as much as 8TB.
SanDisk has a number of transportable solid-state drives that look related and have related names. The Excessive Professional Moveable seems to be similar and has a quicker USB4 interface, however solely affords as much as 4TB storage. The cheaper Moveable SSD, isn’t notably quick. Examine the title before you purchase.
It’s an excellent possibility for anybody that should retailer giant, high-res picture or video recordsdata on their MacBook once they’re working outdo.
Learn our full
Sandisk Excessive Moveable SSD (2025) overview
Kingston XS1000 – Inexpensive and light-weight
Execs
Very aggressive value
Pocket-size design
Weighs solely 28.7g
Cons
No Thunderbolt interface
No bundled software program
Cable is USB-A-to-USB-C
Greatest Costs Right now:
$79.99
We favored the sturdy little XS2000 drive that Kingston launched again in 2022, but it surely was fairly costly and used a model of USB generally known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which isn’t totally supported on the Mac in the mean time. Drives that use ‘Gen 2×2’ will nonetheless work with a Mac, however the Mac received’t get the complete pace that the drive is able to.
Nonetheless, the XS1000 is a extra standard USB-C drive, utilizing commonplace USB 3.2 Gen 2, so it’s an excellent, reasonably priced possibility for Mac customers who simply need a compact, light-weight backup drive.
The XS1000 is likely one of the smallest and lightest SSDs that we’ve seen to this point – in actual fact, it seems to be extra like a little bit USB thumb drive, slightly than a high-capacity backup drive. It measures simply 13.5mm thick, 32.5mm large and 69.5mm lengthy, and weighs solely 28.7g, so you may simply slip it into your shirt or trouser pocket if you’re touring. It’s not fairly as rugged because the dearer XS2000 – which had an IP55 score for water and mud resistance – however the plastic and metallic casing feels sturdy sufficient to deal with a couple of knocks if you’re touring, and Kingston supplies a five-year guarantee as properly.
It’s very competitively priced too, costing $84.99/£74.99 with 1TB of storage, or $109.99/£99.99 with 2TB. The drive’s USB interface supplies a quoted write pace of 1000MBs, whereas the learn pace is barely increased at 1050MB/s. It didn’t fairly match these speeds in our checks, however its write pace of 875MB/s and browse pace of 950MB/s will nonetheless be nice for routine back-ups with Time Machine. Our solely criticism is that Kingston solely features a USB-A-to-USB-C cable with the XS1000, so that you’ll want to purchase an adaptor or a brand new cable in case your Mac solely has USB-C. Skilled customers may favor a quicker drive, or a extra rugged design, however in the event you simply need an reasonably priced backup drive that may go touring with you then the XS1000 is nice worth for cash.
Adata SE920 USB4 SSD – Excessive efficiency
Execs
Excessive knowledge switch charges
Good fan
Cons
No transport bag
No rubber toes
Greatest Costs Right now:
$159.99
The Adata SE920 Exterior SSD is a high-performance USB4 SSD for individuals who want speedy knowledge switch speeds.
It combines passive and lively cooling with a compact metallic housing for passive cooling, and a micro-fan with openings for lively cooling. The person can really activate the fan by urgent on the housing.
In case you are engaged on a venture corresponding to a video or picture edit, or one other job that might require a number of drive entry over a time frame, then change on the fan. The remainder of the time you may in all probability go away it.
The SE920 is primarily designed for Home windows customers, evident from the formatting within the NTFS file system and the backup software program for Home windows, however this shouldn’t be an issue for skilled Mac customers. The SE920 is rapidly reformatted in APFS utilizing the macOS Disk Utility.
Information switch charges measured with Aja System Check Lite have been spectacular. The SE920 achieved 2992MBps for writes and 3161 MBps for reads. Information charges are steady over an extended interval and the thermal design works completely.
All this comes at an excellent value. We suggest the SE920 to any content material creator.
Learn our full
Adata SE920 USB4 SSD overview
SanDisk Professional Blade System – For skilled and inventive customers
Execs
Thunderbolt 3 interface (suitable with USB-C)
Extremely-rugged design
Skilled-level efficiency
Cons
Very costly
Doesn’t assist Thunderbolt 4
Greatest Costs Right now:
$164.99
We usually manage evaluations of transportable drives and desktop drives individually, however the brand new SanDisk Professional Blade is a modular SSD storage system that could be very a lot designed for skilled and inventive customers, and permits you to change between transportable and desktop modes as required.
You can begin by shopping for the Professional Blade SSD Magazine, which is a solid-state storage module that’s out there in 1TB, 2TB or 4TB sizes (the 1TB was discounted from $179.99 to $119.99 on the time of our overview). The SSD Magazine is pre-formatted in APFS format for Mac customers, and is hard sufficient to face up to being dropped from a peak of three meters or 9.8 foot, and face up to 4000lb (1814kg) crush strain, making it supreme for out of doors use. Nonetheless, the SSD Magazine modules can’t hook up with a pc on their very own, so SanDisk supplies two choices for transportable and desktop use.
For transportable use you should buy the Professional Blade Transport, which is a compact case for the SSD Magazine, and is supplied with a USB-C port for connecting to your Mac. The Transport measures simply 130.4mm lengthy, 71.5mm large and 16mm thick, so you may simply slip it into your pocket or a carrying case identical to every other transportable drive. It’s additionally attainable to attach the Transport to a digital camera that has a USB-C interface so to document high-res video slightly than having to hold plenty of smaller SD reminiscence playing cards.
If you get again to the workplace you even have the choice of inserting the SSD Magazine modules into the Professional Blade Station ($499.99/£490.99). This desktop storage system doesn’t embody any built-in storage of its personal, but it surely has 4 slots that assist you to insert SSD Magazine modules (not included) offering as much as 16TB of high-speed solid-state storage. The Professional Blade Station has two Thunderbolt 3 ports, with one used to attach your Mac, whereas the opposite port can be utilized to daisy-chain extra storage units if required. The Professional Blade Station is pretty costly – on condition that it doesn’t embody any storage of its personal – but it surely provides you the choice of making a high-speed, high-capacity SSD storage system to be used in your workplace, while additionally having the ability to take away the person SSD Magazine modules and use them as transportable drives every time it’s worthwhile to.
Western Digital – which owns SanDisk today – claims that the Professional Blade Station can present learn and write speeds of 3000MB/s and 2600MB/s respectively. Our checks really recorded a learn pace of 2600MB/s and write pace of 2300MB/s, however that’s nonetheless one of many quickest SSD drives we’ve ever seen, making it an excellent possibility for inventive customers who want a quick storage system that they’ll use each within the workplace and on the street.
Learn our full
Sandisk Professional-Blade Transport overview
LaCie Rugged SSD Professional
Execs
IP67 ruggedized
Quick NVMe/Thunderbolt 3 efficiency
Operates by way of Thunderbolt 3 or USB 3.0
Greatest Costs Right now:
LaCie’s Rugged drives have been widespread with Mac customers for a few years, due to their mixture of high-performance and that now-familiar orange sleeve that helps to maintain the drive protected if you’re working outside. Nonetheless, the Rugged vary has principally used standard exhausting drives prior to now, that are slower than the most recent solid-state drives, in addition to being larger and heavier. Welcome the Rugged Professional SSD, which is primarily aimed toward inventive customers. (We have a look at the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 above, which is a more recent mannequin that helps Thunderbolt 5).
The Rugged SSD vary begins at round $180/£180 for a mannequin with 500GB storage, however we have been capable of overview the SSD Professional, which stands out from the remainder of the vary with its matte-black sleeve. It’s fairly costly, costing $419/£249.99 with 1TB of storage, and a hefty $739.99/£379.99 for the 2TB mannequin and $1,049.99/£999.99 for 4TB, but it surely justifies that value with a fair harder design and the most recent, super-fast solid-state drives designed for skilled video work. (U.Okay. costs dropped in 2024 however US costs don’t appear to have adopted go well with. Fortunately you may get good offers at numerous resellers).
Switching to a solid-state drive implies that the SSD Professional is now the smallest mannequin within the Rugged vary, measuring simply 3.8in/98mm lengthy, 2.5in/65mm large and 0.6in/17mm thick. It solely weighs 100g/3.5oz, so you may simply slip it into your pocket or bag if you’re touring and barely even discover that it’s there.
Regardless of its compact design, that new black sleeve is critically powerful and rated IP67 for resistance to water and mud, permitting it to outlive in 3.2 foot/1m of water for as much as half-hour. It may address being dropped from a peak of 9.8 foot/3m, and might even resist the load of a two-tonne automotive driving over it. It features a five-year guarantee in case something does go fallacious, which incorporates one go to to LaCie’s data-recovery labs if it’s worthwhile to retrieve vital knowledge.
The Rugged SSD Professional contains only a single Thunderbolt 3/USB-C interface, however most of its excessive value is all the way down to the usage of the most recent NVMe solid-state drives, which give prime efficiency for high-end video functions, corresponding to enhancing 8K or super-slow-motion video recordsdata (which could be monumental, as they shoot at as much as 240 frames per second on the most recent iPhones). The drive didn’t disappoint, recording constant write speeds of 1780MB/s, and a fair quicker 2480MB/s for learn speeds – with each figures leaving nearly each different SSD drive we’ve ever examined trailing in its wake. And, when backing up our iTunes music library, the Rugged SSD Professional blew us away by backing up 5GB of music recordsdata in simply 5 seconds – look away for a few seconds and also you’ll miss it!
In fact, not everybody will want that kind of efficiency – particularly at this value – however in the event you work with high-res video and wish a quick, powerful drive for out of doors work then the Rugged SSD Professional is in a category of its personal.
Learn our full
LaCie Rugged SSD Professional overview
LaCie Moveable SSD
Execs
Small and trendy
Strong development
Greatest Costs Right now:
The LaCie Moveable SSD is an possibility for individuals who don’t want James Bond ranges of safety. Accessible with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, the Moveable SSD has a brand new design in comparison with its predecessor. Reasonably than sharply angular corners and edges of the now discontinued LaCie Cellular SSD, the compact Moveable SSD has easily spherical corners – maybe following Apple’s latest fetish for rounded corners on icons in Large Sur and Monterey.
It’s smaller and lighter than earlier drives from LaCie too, measuring simply 0.4in/10.6mm thick, 1.9in/50mm large, and 3in/80mm lengthy, and it weighs a mere 1.5oz/45g, so it’s supreme for carrying round together with your MacBook or iPad if you’re touring.
The drive has a single USB-C interface, and features a USB-C cable, however the low price implies that there aren’t any added extras, corresponding to an adaptor for older Macs which have USB-A (3.2) connectors.
LaCie hasn’t lower every other corners, although. The Moveable SSD has a strong, sturdy design that ought to be capable of address a couple of bumps in a backpack or briefcase, and it performs very properly too.
LaCie quotes learn and write speeds of 1000MB/s, however repeated checks with the BlackMagic pace take a look at app confirmed the Moveable SSD comfortably cruising alongside at round 1,300MB/s with no hassle in any respect.
That mixture of pace, compact design and aggressive pricing makes the Moveable SSD an important possibility for anybody that wants a conveyable backup drive for his or her Mac or iPad.
Learn our full overview.
Samsung T5 EVO
Execs
Compact, light-weight design
Sturdily constructed
Offers as much as 8TB storage
Aggressive value
Cons
Modest performer
Solely helps USB 3.1 (Gen 1)
Greatest Costs Right now:
T5 EVO isn’t as quick as a few of its SSD rivals, but it surely’s nice as a general-purpose backup gadget and supplies a quicker and extra transportable different to a standard exhausting drive. In contrast to many solid-state drives, it supplies as much as 8TB of storage, making it an excellent possibility for individuals who want a number of cupboard space for his or her work recordsdata, photographs and movies. It’s competitively priced, beginning at $189.99/£146 for 2TB of storage.
The drive is compact, simply 17mm thick, 40mm large and 95mm lengthy, and weighing 102g. There’s a chunky metallic ring on one finish that can be utilized to connect the drive to a backpack or belt.
It doesn’t have the armor-plated safety of Samsung’s T7 Protect, however the T5 EVO doesn’t lower corners on construct high quality. The drive is metallic after which wrapped in a rubber sleeve to supply additional safety. It doesn’t quote an IP score for resistance to water and mud although.
It’s not the quickest back-up drive you should buy, and whereas there’s a USB-C port for connecting to a Mac or PC, it solely helps the comparatively previous USB 3.2 (Gen 1) commonplace, and Samsung quotes pretty modest speeds of 460MB/s for each learn and write efficiency. Our checks confirmed that the drive’s write efficiency was proper on the nostril with a pace of 460MB/s when working the Black Magic disk pace take a look at, though learn efficiency was slower at 370MB/s.
T5 EVO shall be an important possibility for laptop computer customers who need to ditch an previous exhausting drive and substitute it with a extra transportable solid-state drive that gives loads of storage.
Lexar Armor 700
Execs
Aggressive value
As much as 4TB storage
Rugged, weather-resistant design
Cons
No Thunderbolt assist
Full pace requires USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
Greatest Costs Right now:
Lexar makes a variety of reminiscence playing cards and solid-state drives which can be very a lot aimed toward inventive customers, and its Armor 700 drive supplies quick, high-capacity storage in a rugged design that shall be supreme for out of doors photo-shoots or filming.
Because the title suggests, the Armor 700 is sturdily constructed, boasting an IP66 score for water and mud safety. Which means the drive can face up to highly effective jets of water (however not full immersion below water), and is tightly sealed to forestall mud or different particles from penetrating the drive. It’s additionally wrapped in a shock-resistant rubber sleeve that may address being dropped from a peak of three metres. The drive is obtainable with 1TB, 2TB or 4TB of storage, so it supplies loads of storage to your Time Machine backups if you’re on the street. Lexar additionally contains an app referred to as DataShield that permits you to create an encrypted folder on the drive for storing delicate recordsdata and knowledge.
The Amor 700 is supplied with a USB-C interface, with a USB-C cable and USB-A adaptor included within the field. Lexar states that the drive supplies learn and write speeds of as much as 2000MB/s, but it surely does require a tool that helps USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to be able to obtain these speeds (sure, USB requirements are a whole mess today). Apple doesn’t assist that particular model of USB, which implies that Macs, iPhones and iPads with USB-C will solely get a most pace of 1000MB/s. Our checks really recorded scores of 910MB/s for write efficiency and 925MB/s for learn efficiency, however that’s greater than enough for routine backups if you’re out and about. Lexar additionally states that that is quick sufficient to document 4K ProRes video from an iPhone 15 or 16, and the Armor 700 continues to be competitively priced when in comparison with rugged drives corresponding to LaCie’s Rugged SSD.
Skilled customers who really want prime efficiency could favor a drive that helps Thunderbolt – corresponding to LaCie’s high-end Rugged Professional – however Thunderbolt drives are nonetheless very costly, making the Armor 700 an excellent possibility for folks on a tighter price range. You’ll be able to’t purchase direct from Lexar, although, so it’s value procuring round on-line to search out one of the best value.
Execs
Good knowledge switch fee
Quiet fan
Cons
Information fee drops throughout lengthy knowledge transfers
No operation with out fan
Greatest Costs Right now:
$154.10
The Verbatim TurboMetal SSD is a traditional NVMe drive with a size of round 106mm, a 55mm large and 18mm skinny metallic housing, and weighs 150g.
Like many USB4 enclosures, it makes use of an lively fan and cooling slots for cooling. The fan is temperature-controlled and begins routinely when the temperature rises.
Verbatim specifies a USB4 knowledge switch fee of 3600MBps for writing and 3700MBps for studying. Nonetheless, we achieved 2664MBps for writing and 3123MBps for studying on an M3 MacBook Air in a 4K take a look at with Aja System Check Lite. These aren’t unhealthy values, however one of the best USB4 drives we’ve measured obtain barely increased writing speeds however not increased studying speeds. The M4 Max Mac Studio confirmed a lot better values, with 2869MBps for writing and 3499MBps for studying.
In a 30-minute endurance take a look at with the Backmagicdesign Disk Pace Check, the fan began after 10 minutes. The TurboMetal received too heat after round 9 minutes within the knowledge switch fee, which dropped considerably to under 1000MBps. Shortly after beginning the fan, the temperature of the SSD levelled off once more, and the info switch fee rose to its unique worth. The runs solely when it has to.
Through the endurance take a look at, the info switch fee dropped briefly however stabilised instantly. DriveDX measured the temperature at round 46 levels Celsius after utilizing the fan, which remained on.
The TurboMetal Moveable SSD is obtainable in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities with a 20cm USB4 cable. It’s formatted as FAT32, so Mac customers ought to reformat it to APFS. The included software program is just for Home windows.
The TurboMetal SSD is a discreet USB4 drive. The information switch charges are appropriate for on a regular basis use, however some SSDs supply higher pace. The common dips point out thermal safety, however they shouldn’t have an effect on most functions.
Learn our full
Verbatim Turbometal Moveable SSD overview
SanDisk Skilled Professional-G40
Execs
Thunderbolt 3 interface (suitable with USB-C)
Extremely-rugged design
Skilled-level efficiency
Cons
Very costly
Doesn’t assist Thunderbolt 4
Greatest Costs Right now:
$184.99
Many transportable drives use a normal USB-C port for connecting to a Mac or PC, however SanDisk’s Professional-G40 opts for a high-speed Thunderbolt 3 port to supply most efficiency for skilled customers who have to work with giant video and graphics recordsdata (and, in fact, it’s backward-compatible with USB-C as properly).
The Professional-G40 was first launched in 2022, and was already on our record of one of the best SSD drives for Mac, however this present mannequin supplies each improved efficiency and better capability to your work recordsdata. The design hasn’t modified although, with a compact, transportable drive that measures simply 12mm thick, 58mm large and 111mm lengthy. It weighs simply over 120g – relying on the capability you select – so you may slip it right into a jacket pocket or right into a carrying case alongside your MacBook with no hassle in any respect. The drive can also be extraordinarily powerful, with a sturdy metallic case that’s rated IP68 – one of many highest rankings attainable – for resistance to water, mud and different particles. Western Digital, which now owns the SanDisk model, additionally claims that the drive can survive drops from a peak of 3m, and might face up to crushing strain of as much as 4000lbs. The drive even features a five-year guarantee as properly.
The 2022 model of the Professional-G40 supplied learn and write speeds of 2700MB/s and 1900MB/s respectively when utilizing the Thunderbolt cable included within the field, however the present mannequin is rated at 3000MB/s for learn and 2500MB/s for write speeds. Our checks confirmed it to be completely spot-on for write efficiency, persistently hitting 2500MB/s. The learn efficiency didn’t fairly hit the quoted 3000MB/s, settling at simply over 27000MB/s, however that’s nonetheless far quicker than most USB-C drives, and supplies the kind of efficiency that skilled customers want for backing up their work recordsdata.
That mixture of excessive efficiency and ultra-rugged design does imply that the Professional-G40 is kind of a bit dearer than many USB-C drives, so it’s in all probability overkill in the event you simply want an reasonably priced transportable drive for backing up private recordsdata. Nonetheless, skilled customers shall be happy to search out that the worth of the Professional-G40 has been decreased lately, with the 1TB mannequin now costing $299.99/£294.99, whereas the 2TB model is $449.99/£441.99. And, as talked about, there’s a brand new 4TB model to supply additional capability, priced at $699.99/£687.99.
Learn our full
SanDisk Skilled PRO-G40 overview
SanDisk Desk Drive
Execs
Good efficiency
As much as 8TB capability
Compact design
Cons
Requires mains energy
No extra ports
Greatest Costs Right now:
$289.99
The light-weight, compact design of solid-state drives makes them an important possibility in the event you want a conveyable back-up drive to make use of together with your MacBook if you’re touring. Nonetheless, transportable SSDs do are likely to have restricted storage capability, usually with a most of simply 1TB or 2TB. In distinction, the SanDisk Desk Drive supplies each high-speed SSD efficiency and excessive capability too, beginning with a minimal of 4TB for $379.99/£359.99. If that’s not sufficient then you may also step as much as 8TB, for $699.99/£663.99.
Because the title suggests, the Desk Drive could be very a lot designed for desktop use in an workplace, and it’s bigger than most standard SSDs, standing 40.2mm excessive and 99.2mm on all sides, and weighing 268g. The drive itself continues to be small and lightweight sufficient to slide right into a backpack or touring bag alongside together with your MacBook, but it surely does require a mains energy provide as properly, so this isn’t a drive that’s going to depart the workplace fairly often (we did attempt to energy it by means of a USB-C port on our MacBook Professional, however that didn’t work).
It’s additionally a little bit disappointing that the Desk Drive simply has a single USB-C port for knowledge switch. At this value, a few additional ports would have been a helpful bonus, particularly for MacBook fashions that solely have a few USB-C ports of their very own.
We didn’t have any complaints in regards to the Desk Drive’s efficiency, although. SanDisk quotes a pace of 1GB/s, though the outcomes we received have been nearer to 925MB/s and 910MB/s for write and browse speeds respectively. That’s not as quick as some high-end SSDs which can be designed for skilled customers – corresponding to SanDisk’s personal Professional Blade system – but it surely’s nonetheless lots quicker than a standard exhausting drive, and the Desk Drive shall be an excellent possibility for individuals who merely want a quick backup drive that gives loads of storage for photographs, movies and work recordsdata.
Seagate OneTouch SSD
Execs
Ships with USB cables that cowl each USB-C and USB-A
Sturdily constructed
Cons
Doesn’t supply {hardware} encryption choices
Greatest Costs Right now:
Seagate’s OneTouch exhausting drives are a well-liked selection with many customers. The OneTouch SSD is the smallest and lightest transportable drive we’ve ever seen and is obtainable in black, silver or blue.
When sitting flat on the desk it measures simply 2in/50mm large, 2.7in/70mm deep and a mere 0.4in/10.6mm thick. And it weighs solely 2.6oz/74g, so you may simply slip it into your pocket and carry it round together with your laptop computer or iPad if you’re touring. It’s sturdily constructed too, with Seagate claiming that it might probably face up to being dropped from a peak of 6.5 foot/2m.
The OneTouch drive has a USB-C interface, however Seagate contains each USB-C and USB-A cables so to use it with most Macs and PCs straight out of the field.
It really works with Apple’s Time Machine for automated backups, however Seagate additionally contains its personal ToolKit app, which has a ‘sync’ possibility for backing up particular folders. The drive additionally features a one-year free subscription to the Mylio photo-organizer app, and 4 months with Adobe’s CC Pictures plan, usually $9.99/£9.98 a month on an annual plan (learn our information to getting one of the best deal on Adobe Artistic Cloud).
The drive is obtainable with 500GB, 1TB or 2TB of storage, so it supplies loads of room for backing up giant libraries of photographs, movies or music. It doesn’t fairly match Seagate’s quoted pace of 1GB/s, but it surely recorded learn and write speeds of 835MB/s and 915MB/s respectively in our checks, which nonetheless put it among the many quickest solid-state drives that we’ve examined lately. And, with its ridiculously gentle and compact design, the OneTouch shall be supreme for backing up all of your vital recordsdata if you’re on the transfer.
LaCie Rugged Mini SSD
Execs
Compact, rugged design
As much as 4TB storage
3-year guarantee
Cons
Costly
No Thunderbolt interface
Requires USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 for optimum efficiency
Greatest Costs Right now:
Persevering with LaCie’s Rugged vary of exhausting drives and SSDs. These have lengthy been widespread with individuals who want a sturdy back-up drive that may address tough climate and circumstances when working outside, however the Rugged drives have at all times tended to be slightly giant and hulking – just like the Rugged SSD Professional (above) – so LaCie has produced a extra compact possibility within the type of the brand new Rugged Mini SSD.
As you may count on, the Rugged Mini seems to be very very similar to its rugged relations, with LaCie’s distinctive shiny orange rubber sleeve serving to to maintain the drive protected. However, in fact, it’s lots smaller than earlier fashions, measuring simply 17.3mm thick, 66.9mm large, 105mm lengthy. It solely weighs 114g as properly, so you may simply slip it right into a jacket pocket or backpack if you’re touring.
Regardless of that compact design, the Rugged Mini continues to be powerful sufficient to deal with some tough remedy. It’s rated IP54 for water and mud resistance, so it ought to be capable of address life outside in the event you’re engaged on location for a photo- or video shoot. And, due to that rubber sleeve, it might probably deal with drops of as much as 3m and even survive being pushed over by a 1-tonne truck. And if that’s not powerful sufficient, the drive comes with a three-year guarantee that features LaCie’s Rescue Information Restoration Service, to assist restore any misplaced knowledge.
The drive’s USB-C port will work with any Mac or PC that additionally has USB-C or Thunderbolt. However, like a variety of drives that we’ve seen lately, it makes use of a model of USB generally known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which isn’t totally supported by Macs in the mean time. Which means Macs received’t be capable of get the complete 2000MB/s speeds supported by that interface, and our checks confirmed this, recording write and browse speeds of 900MB/s and 970MB/s respectively. We’ve seen stronger efficiency from some rival drives, however these speeds ought to be completely enough for routine backups if you’re on the street, and the sturdy design of the Rugged Mini makes it an excellent possibility for individuals who want a drive that they’ll use outside regularly.
Pricing is a little bit complicated, although. Within the US, the Rugged Mini prices $84.99/£74.99 (1TB), $109.99/£99.99 (2TB), and $159.99/£149.99 (4TB). We’ve seen a lot decrease costs from Amazon and different on-line retailers, so it’s undoubtedly value procuring round earlier than shopping for.
WD My Passport SSD
Execs
Light-weight
Provides USB-C and A
{Hardware} encryption
Cons
Costly
Remarkably quick cable
Software program points
Greatest Costs Right now:
$84.99
Western Digital’s Passport drives have at all times supplied transportable, light-weight designs, and the My Passport SSD combines compact design with sturdy efficiency and extra safety features.
Accessible in a wide range of colours, the My Passport SSD supplies as much as 4TB of solid-state storage, though the 1TB mannequin that we overview right here prices $74.99/£94.99.
The drive measures simply 0.35in/9mm thick, and weighs 1.6oz/46g, so it’s sufficiently small to slide right into a jacket pocket if you’re on the transfer. Nonetheless, it’s additionally powerful sufficient to outlive being dropped from a peak of two metres.
The drive is supplied with a USB-C interface, however WD features a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor with the drive, so you may nonetheless use it with older Macs that don’t have USB-C. The solid-state drive supplies good efficiency too, recording a write pace of 935MB/s and browse pace of 908MB/s, making it an important possibility for backing up your vital recordsdata on the transfer.
It’s safe too, as WD’s Discovery app permits you to set a password for the drive so as maintain your recordsdata protected. There’s a second app as properly, referred to as WD Unlocker, which is constructed into the drive itself, and permits you to enter the password so to use the drive with one other Mac or PC if it’s worthwhile to.
When the drive was first launched there have been complaints that the WD apps hadn’t been correctly up to date to 64-bit code for the most recent variations of the macOS, however we examined the drive with our workplace Macs and didn’t encounter any issues.
Learn a full overview over on our sister website Tech Advisor.
Samsung Moveable SSD T7 Protect
Execs
Rugged & shock resistant
Password safety
USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor included
Cons
The usual T7 is cheaper and could also be ample to your wants.
Greatest Costs Right now:
$109.99
There are three variations of Samsung’s T7. The usual T7 is a compact, light-weight SSD that appears similar to the previous T5 – though it boasts increased efficiency, so be sure to test the mannequin numbers earlier than shopping for. We examined the T7 Protect, which is a extra rugged mannequin, wrapped in a sturdy rubber sleeve designed for out of doors use. Each of these fashions can use Samsung’s Moveable SSD app so as to add password safety to your recordsdata, however there’s additionally a 3rd mannequin referred to as the T7 Contact that has a built-in fingerprint sensor for additional safety and comfort.
Accessible in black, blue or silver, the T7 Protect prices $129/£110 with 1TB of storage, however we’re seeing nice reductions now it’s been out some time. It has a USB-C interface for connecting to your Mac, however Samsung features a USB-C cable and a USB-A adaptor so to use it with older Macs which have USB-A. The rugged protecting sleeve implies that it’s a little bit bigger than the opposite T7 fashions, measuring 0.5in/13mm thick, 2.3in/59mm large and three.4in/88mm lengthy, and weighing 3.4oz/98g. Even so, it’s nonetheless sufficiently small to slide right into a jacket pocket or backpack with no hassle in any respect, and many individuals will recognize the additional safety that it affords.
The T7 Protect is rated IP65 for water- and dust-resistance, and Samsung claims that the shock-resistant rubber sleeve can survive drops from a peak of three meters.
It’s an excellent performer too. Samsung quotes learn and write speeds of 1,000MB/s, however our checks with the Blackmagic disk device really recorded a learn pace of 1,780MB/s, and a write pace of 1,300MB/s, which makes the T7 Protect an important backup possibility for individuals who have to work outside with their laptop computer.
OWC Specific 1M2 USB4 SSD
Execs
Very excessive knowledge switch charges
Excessive-quality housing
Good cooling with no fan
Greatest Costs Right now:
$229.99
The OWC Specific 1M2’s cooling fins alone account for round half of the general peak of this exterior SSD. The aluminum housing is kind of giant at 5.2 by 2.8 by 0.9 inches (13.2 by 7.1 by 2.3 centimeters) and the very high-quality metallic housing additionally has sufficiently giant rubber surfaces on the underside.
To check for pace, we used two benchmarks, Aja System Check Lite and Blackmagicdesign Disk Pace Check. The outcomes are spectacular: 2736MBps (write) and 2980MBps (learn) in Aja System Check Lite. The values with Blackmagicdesign Disk Pace Check have been round 100MBps increased–it cracked the 3000 MBps mark within the learn take a look at.
Learn our full
OWC Specific 1M2 USB4 SSD overview
How we take a look at Mac SSDs
We take a look at SSD drives with our Mac working the most recent model of macOS. We format the drive earlier than we start after which we run benchmarks and carry out real-world operations to find out its pace relative to different related drives. We additionally have a look at longevity and sturdiness – we need to guarantee that a drive received’t die after a couple of months of use, so the construct and development issues. Portability can also be thought-about, assuming the drive is designed to be transportable.
Why you must belief Macworld
At Macworld been placing Mac {hardware} by means of its paces for many years. We all know the right way to root out the strengths and weaknesses of a SSD drive utilizing a mix of rigorous benchmark testing and real-world hands-on use.
How to decide on an SSD: Shopping for recommendation
You’ve learn our suggestions of one of the best SSDs for Mac house owners available on the market proper now. However how did we attain these choices, and what normal recommendation do you have to comply with when selecting the right SSD to your wants?
SSDs vs exhausting drives
Value per gigabyte is the important stumbling block. You may pay $200 for a 1TB transportable SSD, whereas a 1TB exterior exhausting drive prices round $25.
It’s because exhausting drives use comparatively low cost spinning platters to retailer knowledge. SSDs make use of NAND reminiscence chips. They’re pricier, but additionally quicker and permit for a lot smaller enclosures.
When you resolve in favor of exhausting drives, see our roundup of one of the best Mac exhausting drives.
Which connectors to decide on
One other factor to pay attention to is whether or not the SSD connects by way of Thunderbolt 5, 4 or 3, and USB 4 or USB-C, USB 3 or USB 3.2×2. The latter is one to keep away from if you’re a Mac person as a result of Apple helps solely 10Gbps with USB 3.2, which means 3.2×2 20Gbps SSDS are constrained to half their potential.
There are some SSD drives that assist the brand new Thunderbolt 5 commonplace, which brings speeds of as much as 80Gbps if in case you have a Mac with M4 Professional or M4 Max. We’ve checked out some Thunderbolt 5 geared up SSDs under.
How briskly are you able to count on SSD file transfers to be? The highest exterior SSDs can learn and write at as much as round 550MB/s.
Nonetheless, to get these speeds you want a port in your Mac or MacBook that may deal with this bandwidth.
When you’ve received a Mac mannequin with a Thunderbolt/USB-C port, you’re set. Whereas exterior SSDs use USB 3.1 requirements slightly than Thunderbolt, the port additionally helps USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, which is what we’re after.
Most trendy Macs have a Thunderbolt 4 port, however some MacBook Professional fashions have already got Thunderbolt 5 (Professional and Max variations) as does the Mac mini with the Professional chip, and the Mac Studio. Thunderbolt 4 is sort of precisely the identical as Thunderbolt 3 was, but it surely has stricter implementation necessities and a few adjustments for PC customers which simply deliver it into line with what Mac customers already had. Thunderbolt 5 is the highest-performing interfaces for exterior storage. We clarify every part it’s worthwhile to learn about Thunderbolt 5 vs Thunderbolt 4 and three vs USB4 individually. Thunderbolt 5 is a giant step up from Thunderbolt 4. Bandwidth doubles from 40Gbps to 80Gbps, show connections go as quick as 120Gbps. That’s as much as 3 times extra bandwidth than earlier current connectivity options.
How a lot storage do I would like?
Current exterior SSDs have a tendency to return in three or 4 capacities: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and also you may even discover 8TB.
You’ll need to consider carefully in regards to the capability you want, as the price distinction between 500GB and 1TB fashions is normally stark. There aren’t the identical comparatively minor value leaps seen in 1-4TB exhausting drives.
We will’t reply this one for you, but it surely’s a good suggestion to do a fast psychological calculation. For instance, 4K footage from a Panasonic Lumix GH4 digital camera eats up 4GB each 5 minutes. Video editors who work in 4K want a number of storage.
Nonetheless, in the event you simply have to again up or carry round some motion pictures and photographs, a smaller-capacity mannequin could properly do the trick. Try your Mac’s personal storage capability and use that as a information. We suggest about twice that quantity as a result of it permits you to make a full again up and retailer some incremental backups too.
Simply don’t assume that the lowest-cost drives present one of the best worth. It’s normally the case that the upper the capability the higher the worth per gigabyte is. One of the best worth is normally the very best capability, however that additionally means a better value, so that you in all probability need one thing in the course of that, relying in your wants.
2.5in or ultra-portable?
SSD efficiency varies from round 300-500MB/s learn speeds all the best way as much as 3000MB/s, however there are three primary bodily types of SSD. And two could be thought-about transportable.
‘Bare’ SSD boards plug instantly into PCIe or SATA interfaces. These are the type you may use to interchange the SSD in a laptop computer, or add to a desktop. They don’t seem to be actually transportable.
2.5in SSDs supply a mixture of portability and inside use, and are the most cost effective option to get a conveyable drive. They’ve a plastic casing, avoiding harm to the parts, however use SATA connectors slightly than USB.
You should buy an enclosure to get extra safety and that all-important USB or Thunderbolt interface, and even simply use a SATA-to-USB cable. We use certainly one of these cables within the workplace to ferry round take a look at recordsdata on a 2.5in SSD.
For the last word transportable expertise you want a ‘pocket’ SSD, although, not one primarily based on 2.5in drive dimensions. These are designed for use with USB or Thunderbolt connectors, not these discovered inside a Mac or MacBook.
You’ll principally discover this sort under. They’re extremely small and handy. Nonetheless, they’re dearer than 2.5in-style drives, so you might need to take into account the bigger sort if decrease spend is a prime concern.
Shock-proof and rugged?
Different options to look out for embody IP-ratings for climate safety and password safety to your vital recordsdata.
SSDs are extra sturdy than exhausting drives. They don’t have any transferring elements, and received’t be broken if they’re moved or knocked whereas writing knowledge. Whereas trendy exhausting drives have some degree of shock safety, it’s nonetheless a giant challenge.
You’ll be able to deal with an SSD fairly imply earlier than it begins complaining.
Some transportable SSDs even supply water resistance. You may as well get ruggedization in a specialised drive enclosure, in the event you select to go down the two.5in drive route.
This can be a big portability profit. But when they’re sat nonetheless all day, are SSDs extra dependable than HDDs? Laborious drives are likely to fail mechanically. For instance, the motor that spins the platters may burn out. SSDs’ reminiscence cells age, which may result in failure. Each varieties require specialist restoration. As ever,
again up vital knowledge.
Nonetheless, for our functions, as individuals who often need to fling drives in rucksacks and plug them in whereas sat in an airplane seat, SSDs are the clear winner.
Software program
Simply keep in mind to test that any apps supplied by the producer work with Macs and properly as Home windows PCs.
