The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD launched in 2019 has been one of many prime performers within the exterior flash storage market section. Putting a high-end WD Black SN750-class M.2 PCIe 3.zero x4 NVMe SSD behind an ASMedia ASM2362 bridge helped it ship speeds of as much as 1050 MBps when used with USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. One of the important thing differentiators was its efficiency consistency beneath heavy sequential writes, with no SLC caching results (write velocity cliff) or thermal throttling. Coupled with its useful industrial design (particularly, the carabiner loop built-in into an easy-to-carry casing), it has been on prime of our record of beneficial USB 3.2 Gen 2 exterior SSDs because the starting of this 12 months. Along with the 2019 PRO, SanDisk additionally provided the lower-priced 2018 SanDisk Extreme – a SATA SSD behind a USB 3.2 Gen 1 bridge. Despite thermal throttling beneath stress, the efficiency and value made the 2018 Extreme Portable SSD a sexy possibility for informal customers.
Today, Western Digital is upgrading each the SanDisk Extreme and the Extreme PRO Portable SSDs fashions with a v2 suffix – Accompanying that’s an approximate doubling of the height bandwidth numbers for each fashions. In quick, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 is now a USB 3.2 Gen 2 gadget with speeds of as much as 1050 MBps. The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 is a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 gadget with speeds of as much as 2000 MBps.
An in depth assessment of the 1TB mannequin of the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 (together with the just lately launched WD My Passport SSD (2020) 1TB model) is obtainable right here. A DRAM-less SN550-class NVMe SSD is used behind an ASMedia bridge, permitting for decrease energy consumption and a relaxed thermal design in comparison with the 2019 Extreme PRO Portable SSD (which additionally claimed learn/write speeds of as much as 1050 MBps).
The Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 makes use of the WD Black SN730E SSD, which is actually the OEM model of the SN750, however upgraded to 96L BiCS four 3D NAND flash, and has firmware tweaked to be used with exterior drives. The PCIe 3.zero x4 NVMe interface permits the Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 to help learn/write speeds of as much as 2000 MBps. The cast aluminum warmth sink used within the 2019 SanDisk Extreme PRO is carried over to stop thermal throttling. The SSD additionally has a 2m drop safety. New to the v2 SSDs is official compatibility with a spread of USB Type-C smartphones.
The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port within the PRO v2 is enabled by the ASMedia ASM2364 bridge chip. The SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 will not be the primary USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drive from the Western Digital steady. Late final 12 months, WD had began promoting the WD_BLACK P50 with related marketed speeds. Targeting the gaming market, the WD_BLACK P50 had a singular industrial design and utilized a SN750E inside SSD (64L BiCS Three 3D NAND flash) – a model of the SN750 with tweaked firmware.
Despite the looks of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports in sure high-end motherboards, and the announcement of a number of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 PCIe playing cards, the uptake of this high-speed interface within the computing world has been restricted. Announced playing cards (such because the GIGABYTE GC-USB 3.2 GEN2X2) are but to develop into out there within the retail market. In reality, solely the WD_BLACK P50 and the Seagate Firecuda Gaming SSD seem like USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 shopper units from well-known producers out there for buy as we speak. They are actually joined by the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2. Western Digital indicated that they count on elevated adoption of USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 subsequent 12 months on the host facet. Given that the Tiger Lake platform does not help USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, it will be fascinating to observe how this performs out within the close to future. We could have some extra feedback on the state of this market section and hands-on evaluations of some USB 3.2 Gen…
