Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

External SSD Storage

Feb 15, 2016 1:51PM PST

Hi guys,

Im currently using a Samsung 250 Pro SSD as an external drive, which is connected to my system using a thunderbolt go flex adapter. From what i gather, this adapter seems to have been discontinued, but I am looking at getting an additional external Hard drive, and am currently unsure as to which of the following two options would be better:

1.) Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD - which would be connected using a USB 3.0 to 2.5 inch SATA cable.

2.) The new Samsung Memory 1 Terabyte USB 3.0 Portable External SSD Solid State Drive.

I understand that the 850 pro would be limited by the USB 3.0, but I'm curious as to which option would be better, or if any of you guys have any better suggestions? Using the SSD as an internal drive isn't currently an option, its more a case of figuring out what the best route for an external drive would be.

Thanks,
Jack

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Clarification Request
So why not a thunderbolt case for the drive?
Feb 15, 2016 1:59PM PST
- Collapse -
SSD Performance
Feb 15, 2016 2:02PM PST

Sorry, just to clarify, I'm curious as to which drive would be better in terms of the actual performance. Read/write speeds etc.

Thanks

- Collapse -
Thunderbolt Case
Feb 15, 2016 2:07PM PST

I guess the thunderbolt case would be a great option in maintaining the performance of the 850 pro. Is there any specific case that you would recommend, or anything in particular that i should look out for? Looks as though they're roughly £100.

- Collapse -
Since I'm not there
Feb 16, 2016 11:54AM PST

When I can't find reviews I check the best sellers list on Amazon then go for items in the top 20. So far, a winner every time.

- Collapse -
Answer
Discontinue?
Feb 16, 2016 11:36AM PST
- Collapse -
Discontinue?
Feb 16, 2016 12:38PM PST

Hi

Thanks for the response and the link. Im currently a bit dubious about going for the go flex as i have read that there have been a lot of issues with hard drives over 500gb. Im not sure how true this is but i have certainly come read about this issue on a couple of occasions. I guess i will weigh up this option against the thunderbolt caddy.

Thanks for your help.

Out of interest, does anybody know what the difference would be in performance between the two drives that i have mentioned when used with usb 3.0?