It may be troublesome to really distinguish your exterior SSD from others in the identical USB era. USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives like this TeamGroup PD20, as an example, are likely to share the identical rated speeds, the identical capability choices, and heck, even the identical internals such because the controller.
TeamGroup’s tackled this downside by placing its eggs into the shape issue basket and going for a small however trendy moveable SSD with the PD20. It is a technique that has, for my part, paid off.
This is not to say it is good—the PD20 has its issues, and we’ll get into these shortly—however it actually nails its technique and delivers a really moveable drive. Which, I needn’t remind us all, is what exterior SSDs are imagined to be all about: portability.
First off—and most clearly—it is extremely small. For reference, verify the gallery under and you may see it subsequent to the already very dinky Adata SD810, the Samsung T9, after which the Logitech G Professional X Superlight gaming mouse. However its measurement is not all that makes it very moveable.Â
TeamGroup PD20 specs
Capability: 1 TB / 2 TB (examined) / 4 TB
USB Gen: 3.2 Gen 2×2
Rated efficiency: 2,000 MB/s
Flash reminiscence: 3D NAND
Controller: Silicon Movement SM2320
Value: $148 / ÂŁ146Â
You may additionally discover just a little hoop on prime, which I can solely assume is to connect it to one thing like a keyring. And this actually exhibits how far we have come, does not it? This factor is so small and moveable that it is virtually the identical as a USB flash drive however a lot sooner and extra capacious.
It is the sort of drive you might be proud to take out and about, too. It seems to be loads fancy and the majority of its ridged, rubberised shell is nice to carry and chuck round. Not that you ought to be doing a lot of chucking round, thoughts, as a result of this factor is not probably the most sturdy drive ever. Mine survived a desk-height drop to the ground with none points, although, and it feels sturdy sufficient to connect to your keys and plonk them hither and thither, as one tends to do with keys.Â
Don’t be concerned about mud or water, both, as a result of the PD20’s physique has just a little rubber cowl hooked up that pops into the USB-C port, stopping most on a regular basis mud or liquid accidents from inflicting an excessive amount of of an issue. Simply be sure you double-check it is plugged, although, as a result of I discovered that generally it would not push in simply and I needed to readjust the angle of the duvet as I closed it to get that dust-tight grip.
Supplied you’ve got plugged the port correctly, you ought to be protected as much as the usual of its IP54 ranking. Which means it is dust-protected (although not dust-tight) and in addition proof against “splashing water”, which covers most potential hazards for a keychain SSD.
What do you get if you put all these items collectively? A really sensible and trendy little drive that is additionally rated for speeds which are about as excessive as most trendy PCs can deal with over a USB connection (2,000 MB/s).
Rated speeds aren’t real-life ones, although, and that is the place issues aren’t fairly so rosy for the TeamGroup PD20. However we would not count on them to be, for such a small drive, would we? Smaller drives cannot supply as a lot in the best way of cooling and are due to this fact extra more likely to begin throttling speeds faster than others.
That seems to be the case with the PD20, so far as I can inform. It does supply peak sequential switch speeds much like different USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives—simply shy of 1,800 MB/s, on this case—however just for (nearly precisely) 30 seconds, whereas different 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives such because the stellar Adata SD810 final over 2 minutes.
This quantities to only 49 GB of sequential knowledge transferred earlier than speeds slowed down drastically for the PD20, whereas the SD810 managed about 260 GB. Admittedly, different 3.2 Gen 2×2 drives sit between the efficiency of those two, however the PD20 was the worst of the bunch.
The explanation for this, I can solely assume, is that it is also the most well liked of the bunch. It did not take lengthy in any respect for the PD20 to get toasty, and when it did it reached as much as 83 °C. The opposite drives I examined maxed out properly under this, at 65 °C or decrease. This may naturally make for a drive that throttles itself faster, earlier than it is even ran out of its pseudo-SLC cache—which appears to be after about 3 minutes, or, put one other means, after 150 GB of sequential switch.
However does this actually matter? I suppose that is down to every particular person’s use case, however talking for myself, I am unable to think about needing to switch over 50 GB of information at a time all too typically. That’s, until I used to be transferring an entire load of enormous sport installs directly. If that is your use case then a dinky drive like this one won’t be for you.
Purchase if…
âś… You need a actually moveable SSD: This factor is actually a USB flash drive, however a lot sooner. It even has a loop for a keychain!
Do not buy if…
❌ You need to do massive file transfers: Whereas the PD20 can crack out about 50 GB-worth of file transfers in a single go whereas sustaining peak speeds, after this speeds rapidly drop.Â
Talking of gaming, this factor performs fairly properly, however it’s removed from the most effective USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drive for gaming when it comes to random 4k efficiency (as proven within the CrystalDiskMark outcomes) and real-world gaming efficiency (as proven within the 3DMark Storage and FFXIV outcomes).
Realistically, although, it performs properly sufficient as a gaming drive that I do not suppose anybody would discover the distinction. I transferred my sub-2 GB Crab Champions Steam set up over to the drive, which took only a few seconds, and gave it a bash. The sport performed easily—no hitches—and new ranges loaded immediately.
If you’d like probably the most persistently quick drive in the marketplace, this one is not for you. However if you need one thing small and genuinely moveable, the PD20 mini exterior SSD might be the best choice in the marketplace. Supplied you have got a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, after all. If you happen to do not, you would be higher off getting one thing just like the Essential X6 and calling it a day.
If you happen to do have such a USB port, nevertheless, and as most modern-day PCs do, the PD20 is a cracking little drive that delivers precisely what it ought to given what it is going for. It is mini, and it feels and appears good to hold round. Simply 50 GB-worth of peak efficiency at a time is not something to put in writing dwelling about, but when it is sheer portability you are after, and completely usable speeds, the PD20 has so much to supply.Â