Crucial X9 2 TB external SSD review

pcgamer.com:

The Crucial X9 surprised me a little. I've spent so much time with 20 Gbps external drives that I forgot the simple unassuming pleasure of a solid 10 Gbps external SSD such as the Crucial X9. Which is a shame, really, because the best USB ports on most motherboards and laptops tend to offer speeds no better than 10 Gbps as this is the maximum spec for USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 ports, and this is quick enough for most purposes.

Of course, there's also the fact that 10 Gbps drives are often a fair bit cheaper than 20 Gbps ones, and this certainly holds true for the Crucial X9. Make no mistake, that's a primary benefit of the X9 in today's market: it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

In fact, at the time of writing, you can pick up a 2 TB version such as the one being reviewed here for just $117 at Newegg (or $109 at Amazon if you don't mind it being imported), and a 1 TB version for just $77 at Newegg (or $70 at Amazon with the same caveat). And while the former price is admittedly with an ongoing deal, it's frequently on sale and even when it's not it doesn't cost a bunch much more than this—technically a $170 MSRP, but pretty much always $135 maximum, these days.

This places it firmly in budget portable SSD territory, but that would matter nil if the Crucial X9 wasn't also a quality little drive. Fortunately, it is. From build quality and thermal performance to, well, actual performance, the Crucial X9 works a charm, as I discovered when I saw it run rings around the PC Gamer external SSD test gauntlet.

Capacity: 1 TB / 2 TB (tested) / 4 TB
USB Gen: 3.2 Gen 2x1
Rated performance: 1,050 MB/s read
Flash memory: 3D NAND
Controller: Unknown
Price: $117 / £111 / AU$134 (1 TB)

I also found myself falling in love with its design when I used it, much as I did with the TeamGroup PD20, though for different reasons. I'm not entirely sure why it had this effect on me—perhaps there's something about very square, puck-like products that my fingers just love to hold and my eyes love to gaze