Roomy, fast, and a good value (especially at its highest capacities), the Crucial X10 is a top external SSD choice for media libraries, PC games, and scratch-disk duty.
Micron’s Crucial X10 external SSD, introduced nearly two years after the Crucial X10 Pro, offers one great advantage over its slightly more expensive series-mate. The X10 (starts at $119.99 list for its base 1TB version; $329.99 for 4TB as tested) is available in five capacities, including 6TB and 8TB—the latter matching the highest capacity available in external SSDs sold by consumer retailers—and at a very good cost per gigabyte, especially in the higher capacities. Its main downside is its lack of AES hardware-based encryption, which might limit its use in the corporate world, but it is a good pick for photographers and videographers, as well as for storing a game or media library. For its exceptional value as a high-capacity drive, it earns PCMag’s Editors‘ Choice award as an external budget SSD.Design: A Featherweight and Matte-Blue Pack Rat
Measuring 0.4 by 2 by 2.6 inches and weighing just over an ounce, the matte-blue X10 is a small slab with rounded corners, and supremely portable. It closely resembles previous Crucial X9 and X10 series SSDs, with minuscule differences in size and weight, and in the placement of the little corner hole to fit a cord or lanyard.
C port resides in the middle of one of the X10’s narrower ends, and a short USB-C-to-USB-C cable is included. The X10 supports the speedy USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 spec. To avail yourself of its blazing throughput, you will need either a compatible computer (many models, even recent ones, lack a 2×2 port), or to add a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 expansion card to your desktop system. Otherwise, the drive reverts to USB 3.2 Gen 2 speeds, which max out at about 1,000MBps.Capacity and Pricing: More Space for Less Cash
Most external-SSD families max out at 4TB (or less), while the 4TB version of the Crucial X10 we tested is only midway to its peak capacity. Only a handful of other external SSDs are available in 8TB versions; among them are the Samsung Portable SSD T5 EVO and the Oyen Digital U34 Bolt—both of which we reviewed at that capacity—and the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD.
