Crucial X8 Portable SSD: Affordable for mainstream users

If you’re downloading huge files, look elsewhere.

- JON L. JACOBI

Crucial’s X8 Portable SSD (1TB as tested) is affordable, fast with everyday tasks, and sports a classy design. It feels nice in the hand and looks good emerging from your pocket. But there is a performance caveat for those who work with very large files and data sets.

DESIGN AND SPECS

Crucial takes a slightly different approach to the design of its X8 Portable SSD by mixing materials. The main body is anodized aluminum, and there are plastic inserts running across each side, with grippier end caps. They’re all shades of black, and the overall effect is quite nice.

The X8 is one of the larger portable drives I’ve tested. Measuring 4.33 x 0.45 x 2.08 inches (width/depth/height), and weighing just shy of 3.5 ounces, it’s not quite as husky as Samsung’s X5, but more like SanDisk’s Extreme Pro Portable SSD (go.pcworld.com/ snxp). It sits in your hand nicely.

The X8 connects using USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) and is available in two capacities: 500GB ($119.95 from Crucial [go.pcworld. com/19cr]) and 1TB ($164.95 on Amazon [go.pcworld.com/64am]), the latter being the capacity we tested. The NAND is TLC, which is plenty fast for an external USB SSD—most of the time. Yes, another tease about performance.

The X8 ships with a Type-C to Type-C cable, with a Type-C to Type-A adapter.

PERFORMANCE