Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsFast, good for sustained use and compatible with ipad Pro 2018 & iMac 2020
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 April 2021
Are you finding researching a new SSD a complete minefield? Theres so many out there and I didn't know what to buy. I had 3 questions that I had to answer to come to my decision. Spoiler...they are not all equal!
1. Q: is it compatible with my iMac 2020 and iPad Pro 2018? (I'd read loads about compatibility issues and even contacted SanDisk who wouldn't commit to a clear answer). A: so far it works well with both, but see the speed results below.
2. Q: what speed does it give in real life? (I wanted to have around 1000 MBPS read and write speed even after sustained use). A: I did a Speedtest (Black Magic) through the Mac and it's giving approx. 950 MBPS read and write via the iMacs TB3 and USB port, which I'm very happy with. Remember, this is not a TB3 SSD. To get the full-rated 2000 MBps you'd need to use this with a USB 3.2 X2 port which my 2020 Mac doesn't have. Speed when connected to iPad? I'm not sure yet, but I'll revise this once I've worked it out. It's very decent though.
3. Q: why this particular SSD if you can't get the full speed out of it anyway?
A1: it's fast enough for my needs right now, but it's heavily future proofed for when speedier ports become available on Macs or iPads.
A2: it out performed similarly priced drives (Samsung T7, T5, Crucial X8, LaCie Rugged) and held its own against more expensive drives like Samsung X5, LaCie Rugged Pro, WD Black) with regards to speed and throttling, even after sustained use when transferring big files. (Throttling due to heat is a problem with many SSDs and claimed headline speeds aren't achieved in real life due to this).
A3: it's small, seems durable for travelling and has no sharp edges to scratch other equipment. It comes with a USB-C to USB-C and a USB-C to USB-A cable. Both are a good length (approx. 30cm) for placement behind an iMac.
A4: Its got a 5 year warranty.
My question was… Should I go for the Extreme V2 (non-Pro version) rated at 1000 MBPS and save myself £45? The reviews are coming up decent as well for that one. Not quite as fast over sustained use, (approximately 800-ish), but if you don't ever see yourself ever getting a USB3.2 X2 machine, that would be my second choice.
