INTRODUCTION

   Largely thanks to their impressive performance numbers and small form factor it didn't take long for M.2 PCIe NVMe solid state drives (SSDs) to also enter and dominate the external storage media market. Of course, as many of you are certainly aware USB connectivity can't keep up with the data transfer rates of the high-end M.2 PCIe NVMe models so even the latest, fastest (to date that is) and rarest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard tops out at around 2000MB/s (20Gbps). USB 4.0 was also announced last year and since it will be based on the Thunderbolt 3.0 connectivity by Intel it will be able (at least in theory) to support speeds of up to 4000MB/s (40Gbps). Needless to say, the most common standard is USB 3.2 Gen 1 (previously USB 3.1 Gen 1) which tops at around 500MB/s (5Gbps) followed by USB 3.2 Gen 2 (previously USB 3.1 Gen 2) which tops at around 1000MB/s (10Gbps). Late last year Crucial released their X8 Portable SSD based on the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard and today it's finally with us.

   Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc. Crucial solid state drives (SSDs) and memory (DRAM) upgrades are compatible with over 150,000 new and old desktops, laptops, workstations, and servers. Crucial Ballistix memory delivers a performance edge to gamers, enthusiasts, and power users. Available worldwide at leading retail and e-tail stores, commercial resellers, and system integrators, Crucial products enhance system performance and user productivity. Learn more at crucial.com

   The X8 (currently available in 500GB and 1TB capacities - a 2TB model should be announced in the following months) is a compact external SSD that features an enclosure made out of anodized aluminum (also helps dissipate heat coming from the M.2 SSD) complete with thick rubber pieces located on both sides (this combination renders the X8 temperature-proof, vibration-proof and shock-proof up to 7.5 feet on a carpet). Under the hood Crucial has placed their very own P1 M.2 PCIe SSD (review here) which according to them allows the X8 to reach read & write speeds of up to 1050MB/s (meaning it can push the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard to its maximum - the P1 can go of course faster but because of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 performance limit Crucial was able to reduce power consumption and temperatures via a new updated firmware). The X8 is also compatible with PCs, Macs, PS4s, XBOX Ones, iPad Pros, Chromebooks and select Android devices (a USB-C to USB-C cable with an USB-A adapter is also placed in the bundle) via USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface and is covered by a 3 year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The small black and blue box of the X8 has a large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo and next to the capacity and advertised performance.

Another product picture is located at the left side of the box right beneath the bundle contents.

Checking the other side, we see the system compatibility list and the 3-year limited warranty logo.

Some words about the product are printed at the rear of the box in 11 languages.

Along with the X8 Portable SSD you'll also get a USB-C to USB-C cable with a USB-A adapter and the quick start guide.

THE X8 1TB

Measuring 110mm in length, 53mm in width and 11.5mm in height the 97g heavy X8 1TB is quite compact.

To have a better idea about its size we placed the X8 by Crucial right next to the T1 and T3 portable SSDs by Samsung and the Bolt B75 Pro portable SSD by Silicon Power.

At the top of the drive we only see the company logo whereas at the base we see the drive capacity and several certifications.

The USB-C port is located on the right side of the enclosure and inside one of the rubber pieces.

Here you can see the USB-C to USB-C cable and the USB-C to USB-A adapter.

The P1 M.2 PCIe NVMe drive used in the X8 features a special firmware which scales down its default read & write performance to reduce both power consumption and temperatures.

STORAGE EXECUTIVE

If you want to check the health of your drive and perform firmware updates (none is available for the X8 to date) you will need to download the Storage Executive software (although our system is updated to Windows 10 Pro v1909 the software detected the previous version).

Strangely enough even though empty the X8 seems full from within the Storage Executive software.

You can of course check the S.M.A.R.T attributes of the drive and as you can see you can also use the Momentum Cache feature (increases performance by using a small amount of your system RAM). All other options in the Storage Executive software however are not supported by the X8.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Solid state drives are basically the same as USB flash drives and so we’re using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record achieved read & write performance numbers in our charts*. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read / Write speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Titanium 2020 (Read / Write speeds), AIDA64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear / Random Read & Write speeds), Crystal Disk Mark 6.0.2 (2GB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO 4.00.0F2 (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

   All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro installation on a CORSAIR MP510 960GB NVME SSD* with all updates installed up to the day we started tests.

* Since August 2019 for portable SSD tests i started using our primary test rig.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA TITANIUM / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

   Before we move to our conclusion i need to point out that unlike what you may read elsewhere the bundled USB-C to USB-A adapter fully supports 10Gbps speeds (verified this by also using the USB-A adapter with our X299 system). With that out of the way as expected all of the M.2 SATA and 2.5” SATA models in our charts don’t hold a candle to the performance of the Crucial X8 1TB. The only 2 models that trade blows with the X8 are the standalone enclosures by Orico which we paired with the very fast (and even faster than the P1) P34A80 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe model by Silicon Power.

   The X8 1TB Portable SSD by Crucial was officially launched less than 4 full months ago and today it retails for USD166.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 179Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is extremely well thought considering that competing products like the SanDisk Extreme Pro cost quite a bit more. At the end of the day the X8 delivers on everything Crucial promises (mainly performance) and since the price is also right it certainly deserves our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality (Anodized Aluminum Enclosure)
- Excellent Performance (USB 3.2 Gen 2)
- Just 11.5mm Thick
- Temperature, Vibration and Shock Proof
- 3 Years Limited Warranty
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- None