Best external ssd on Reddit
172 reviews from r/mac, r/macmini, r/PS_Help and 30 more subreddits
172 reviews from
and
By Brand
/By Product
#1
Samsung
4.5
(70)
"I would recommend a Thunderbolt 3/4 or USB4 drive."
"Or usb c to M.2 that will max out with a decent pie gen 3 drive. That or the Samsung T7."
"Personally I would recommend the T7."
"If you can possibly stretch your budget a bit, the Samsung T7 is a."
"Works great and is plenty fast."
"Samsung (7) for reliability without question."
"The Samsung T5 or T7 portable SSDs are popular choices due to their high reliability, decent speed, and capacity options up to 2TB."
"Samsung T7 Portable SSD is a solid choice for fast performance and reliability."
"SSDs like the Samsung T7 or SanDisk Extreme Pro are popular for their high-speed performance."
"Here are five top-rated external SSDs for gaming that offer fast load times, reliable performance, and compatibility with various setups: 1. **Samsung T7 Portable SSD** Known for high-speed read/write speeds up to 1,050 MB/s,"
#2
SanDisk
4.2
(17)
"It's very quick (around 2800MB/s)."
"The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is highly recommended."
"I’m using San Disk extreme. With 0 issues"
"SanDisc Extreme's are working just great for me."
"I use a couple SanDisk Extreme 2TB for editing and a Mercury Elite Pro Dual 24TB raid for storing projects and backups."
"I’m currently using a SanDisk Extreme with 2000 MB/s speed."
"Known for its durability and high performance, it’s a versatile option that’s particularly popular for both gaming and general storage."
"The read speeds are lightning-fast, which means no more frustrating load times."
"One of the fastest SSDs with Thunderbolt 3 connection, capable of transferring 800GB in about 15-17 minutes."
"The SanDisk Extreme 1TB SSD works well for gaming, providing good performance when settings are adjusted."
#3
Crucial
4.3
(16)
"Crucial X8 Portable SSD offers a great balance between speed, reliability, and affordability."
"After all research got myself a Crucial X9 Pro 2TB."
"Crucial T500 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD, Up to 7400MB/s."
"Great performance and reliability for Raspberry Pi."
"Offers high speeds and a robust design at a competitive price, making it a solid choice for PS5 users."
"Crucial x8 2TB works just fine for me - no issues at all."
"Been using this setup for 6 months, works like a charm. It's one of the smallest portables."
"If speed matters to you then this approach will be the best option. It will be close to the speed of the MacBook internal drive."
"The crucials are the best of the bunch."
"Good value for the price, decent speeds."
#4
WD
4.8
(8)
"SSDs such as the WD Black P50 Game Drive and Seagate FireCuda are built with shock resistance in mind."
"I use a WD Black SN850X connected to a USB4 MAIWO External NVMe enclosure."
"Specifically designed for gaming, offering excellent speed and a rugged build."
"The transfer speeds are fast enough to keep up with the PS5’s demands, and it’s got enough storage (I went with the 1TB) to hold a bunch of games."
"WD Black is a great choice for a fast USB-C external SSD."
"The WD Password is great for storing my files."
"If you want to have faster loading time and quick file transfer then go for WD 2TB SSD."
"Good for long-term data storage."
#5
OWC
4.7
(6)
"I have three of the OWC 1M2s which have worked flawlessly for several months."
"My only two recommendations after a lot of research and testing are - OWC 1M2."
"This external case allows for high-speed connection with an SSD M.2 type."
"It is one of my best investments. It holds all my current projects and no issues whatsoever."
"I just preordered the OWC Envoy Ultra 4TB with Thunderbolt 5 connectivity."
"If you're getting an M4 Pro and plan on working with large files from an external SSD I would go with a TB5 SSD."
#6
Western Digital
3.8
(5)
"The MacBook has no issues editing video off a WD My Passport external drive, expecting performance on par with the internal SSD."
"Get 5tb wd my passport/passport ultra."
"Western Digital or Seagate - can't go wrong with those."
"I got a ACASIS 40Gbps M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure and added a Western Digital 4TB SN850X NVMe drive."
"External drives were not as durable for daily usage."
#7
Variety
3.6
(5)
"Superfast data transfers, perfect for PS5 backups."
"Compact and durable, great for on-the-go storage."
"Significantly faster speeds, great for large PS5 games."
"Affordable but slower speeds, not ideal for PS5 games."
"Overkill for PS5, only beneficial for professional use."
#8
Kingston
4.3
(4)
"Kingston XS1000 is a great option."
"Go for xs1000 kingston, 2TB for 12k."
"The cheapest branded SSD is Kingston."
"Maybe the Kingston brand?"
#9
UGREEN
4.3
(4)
"The upgrade to a 40Gbps enclosure has significantly improved my transfer speeds."
"Works exceptionally well, stays cool enough, and is just as cheap/cheaper than a manufactured external drive."
"I used it in a UGREEN 10Gbps enclosure, but just upgraded to a 40Gbps enclosure."
"I bought a UGREEN enclosure and do get 3000 MB/s write and read."
#10
Satechi
4.7
(3)
"I personally use Satechi USB 4 enclosure with WD SN770 SSD."
"My fastest external connected to my M1 Mac Studio with impressive speeds."
"Consistently achieves 3,000-3,100MB/s read and write speeds."
#11
Apple
2.8
(5)
"The Mac mini M2 Pro supports high-speed external drives, achieving up to 2500MB/s with Thunderbolt 3."
"The only downside is access speed, but overall a great device for video editing."
"You need TB3 SSD but it will max at 1,000MB/s."
"The system is limited to USB 2, which is slow compared to USB 3. An internal SSD is recommended for better performance."
"USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 not supported, waste of money."
#12
LaCie
3.3
(4)
"For users focused on both speed and secure data protection, the LaCie Rugged SSD is worth considering."
"Returned the 2TB Sandisk and got two 1TB LaCie Mobile SSDs from Apple, which is a great choice!"
"Without full Thunderbolt support, modern Macs will not support USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, limiting speed to USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 at 1000MB/s."
"LaCie SSD will not work as TB1."
#13
Lexar
5.0
(2)
"Great value for the price, got it for 10 bucks on AliExpress."
"The external SSD works great for gaming and is full of project data."
#14
Rufus
5.0
(2)
"Rufus is recommended for installing Windows onto an external SSD."
"Using Rufus to install Windows on an external SSD is effective and fast."
#15
Seagate
4.5
(2)
"Tailored for gamers with features like customizable lighting and high performance, it’s popular among those looking for a gaming-themed external SSD."
"Reliable HDD option for Raspberry Pi."
#16
ZikeDrive
3.5
(2)
"Have a look at the ZikeDrive."
"Have a look at the ZikeDrive."
#17
SSD
3.0
(2)
"Internal drives often have better durability in the long run."
"External drives are not as durable for daily usage compared to internal drives."
#18
Generic NVMe Caddy
5.0
(1)
"NVME Caddy + your SSD of choice. Disgustingly quick if you get a decent pairing."
#19
True
5.0
(1)
"Get True USB4 external SSD for about $200-$300"
#20
Sabrent
5.0
(1)
"The card model I’m using and recommend is: Sabrent Rocket V60 UHS-II."
#21
Glyph
5.0
(1)
"Glyph. Used them for years. Excellent company."
#22
SK Hynix
5.0
(1)
"I have a ugreen nvme enclosure with a 2 tb sk kynik p41 in it that I boot to occasionally with linux."
#23
Synology
5.0
(1)
"Go with ssd, i have a synolgy nas DS418 and smb is pain."
#24
WD BLACK
5.0
(1)
"The 4TB SSD provides exceptional performance, faster than the internal storage on my M1 Mac mini."
#25
Argon40
5.0
(1)
"Great design and functionality for Raspberry Pi 4!"
#26
WD Blue
4.0
(1)
"Cheap m.2 ssd like WD Blue"
#27
Generic M.2 SATA SSD
4.0
(1)
"I bought a cheap M.2 SATA enclosure with a M.2 SATA SSD, more or less cheapest I could find on swedish amazon"
#28
Generic USB-C NVMe Enclosure
4.0
(1)
"I've got a USB-C NVMe enclosure with a 512gb NVMe SSD installed that I use."
#29
Adata
4.0
(1)
"Adata Legend 700/800, Patriot P300/P400, Teamgroup MP33/44 - that's what I use."
#30
iMac
4.0
(1)
"Booting Windows from an external SSD on an iMac works well."
#31
Samsung T9
3.0
(1)
"Samsung T9 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 but Gen 2x2 is not supported by MacOs"
#32
External SSD
2.0
(1)
"Limited lifespan due to finite write cycles."
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