INTRODUCTION

   High read & write performance is pretty much the sole reason behind the huge success portable SSDs currently enjoy. Size and lack of moving parts certainly also matter and do play a part in this but performance is clearly the number 1 reason both consumers and professionals alike prefer portable SSDs over portable HDDs. However, unlike portable HDDs the lack of moving parts has allowed manufacturers to skip on producing rugged models and so just a tiny fraction of all available models currently in the market belongs in that category. The SE800 USB 3.2 Gen 2 External SSD by ADATA may not be among the latest models to hit the market but it's rugged and should have no problem going up against everything the competition can throw at it.

   Founded in May 2001, ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. is committed to providing top-notch memory solutions that enrich the customer’s digital life. The company’s dedication to integrity and professionalism has made ADATA the leading memory brand with the most award-winning product designs. Backed by technical expertise, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, and premium customer service, ADATA offers complete memory solutions including DRAM modules, USB flash drives, memory cards, solid state drives and portable hard drives.

   The SE800 portable SSD by ADATA is currently available in just two capacities (512GB/1TB) and two colors (black and gunmetal blue) and is based on the DRAM-less Innogrit Shasta IG5208 4-channel NAND flash controller which ADATA has paired with 64-Layer 3D TLC NAND Flash by Micron and the ASM2362 USB3.2 Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3x2 host interface bridge chip by ASMedia. The DRAM-less Innogrit Shasta IG5208 4-channel NAND flash controller may not be the most popular model around but still it's is NVMe 1.3 compatible, supports ONFI 4.0 and Toggle 3.0 and comes packed with several technologies including Smart Cache, integrated Power-On Reset (POR) function, multi-level power management and of course AES-256bit encryption. As for its rugged aluminum enclosure well it's both STD-810G 516.6 impact resistant (26 drops from about 4 feet) and IP68 certified (dust and water proof up to 1 meter) as long as you keep the protective cap on/closed. As with most of their products ADATA covers the SE800 portable SSDs with a 3-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The company logo along with a large product picture and both the connectivity type and capacity are printed at the front of the box.

At the rear of the box, we see the product specifications in 9 languages.

Along with the drive itself you'll also be getting a USB-A to USB-C cable, USB-C to USB-C cable and the quick start guide.

THE SE800 1TB

The 40g heavy brushed-aluminum enclosure of the SE800 measures 72.7mm in length, 44mm in width and 12.2mm in thickness.

In case you're wondering how this translates to size i placed the SE800 right next to the SE760 again by ADATA, Z7S by Netac, SL200 by Lexar, PC60 by Silicon Power and the SL100 Pro again by Lexar.

At the front of the drive, we find the USB-C port and an activity LED.

The country of manufacture along with the drive capacity and several certifications are printed at the rear (unfortunately just like with the SE760 model i was unable to open the enclosure, not without risking damage to the interior).

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 the primary test rig.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA TITANIUM / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

   Just like with the SE760 model the SE800 hits very high read & write numbers that all but maximize the bandwidth of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 standard (10Gbps). On top of that the SE800 is a rugged model which means it’s effectively both dust and water proof so that too should definitely appeal to potential buyers. My sole “issue” as always has to do with available capacities and with even 8TB SSD models currently available it makes very little sense for ADATA to only have two available capacities for the SE800 (luckily this will change, unless a new model gets announced).

   With a current price tag set at USD129.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 140Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the 1TB variant of the SE800 portable SSD by ADATA is priced just about right. We are talking about a rugged model after all, on top of that add its tiny size and impressive read and write performance and it’s very easy to see why it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Rugged Brushed Aluminum Enclosure (STD-810G 516.6 & IP68 Certified)
- Near Excellent Performance (Surpasses 900MB/s)
- AES 256 Hardware Encryption
- Available Colors (Black / Blue)
- Size
- 3 Year Limited Warranty

CONS

- Available Capacities (512GB/1TB)