LOW-COST SOLID STATE DRIVES

ON TEST…

Samsung T5

Adata SE800

LaCie Mobile SSD

Seagate One Touch

SanDisk Extreme

When it comes to a lightweight, reliable way to carry around your data, solid state drives (SSDs) are the way to go. SSDs are lightning fast and come in a range of storage capacities depending on your budget. The five SSDs in this group test all cost under £130 for 500GB of storage.

First things first, when it comes to archival storage (over decades or longer), SSDs aren’t the best option. This is because NAND flash-based drives tend to leak storage if left for long periods without power. DRAM-based drives come with either an internal battery, or an AC/DC adapter to avoid this problem, but are not as portable as a result. Since they use flash memory, NANDbased SSDs are great for temporary storage, though. They offer quicker transfer speeds, lower latency, silent running and greater resistance to physical shock.

While files