Professional’s Score
Professionals
- Small and simply transportable
- Each USB-A and USB-C ports supported
- As much as 4TB of capability
Cons
- Awkward port cowl
- Quicker Gen 2×2 drives round
Our Verdict
The development of the EX100U isn’t as strong as we’ve seen from different manufacturers, however the performance inside is superb. For one of the best efficiency, you want a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, however even with a regular Gen 2 USB port it’s moderately fast.
Worth When Reviewed
From $90.99 | Mannequin reviewed $184.99
Greatest Costs At the moment: Corsair EX100U
$107.99
Corsair has created some thrilling SSD know-how previously few years, particularly concerning NVMe drives. However till lately, its exterior storage choices principally pivoted round its Flash Voyager vary, a profitable design that dates again some appreciable time.
With Essential, SanDisk, Seagate and others promoting loads of exterior SSDs, it was about time that Corsair entered this slice of the market with one in all its uniquely styled choices, and the EX100U is that product.
Is that this the suitable drive to compete with the Essential X8 and SanDisk Excessive, or has it come too late for the exterior SSD occasion?
Design & Construct
The EX100U is a particular design which may confuse some purchasers initially.
It’s a silvery gray plastic lozenge measuring 79.37 x 36.65 x 11mm, with a lanyard slot at one finish and a rubberised cap on the different. I estimate that’s sufficiently big to have a 2240 M.2 NVMe inside, however that scale could be a coincidence.
What isn’t obvious whenever you first take away it from the packaging is that the rubber cap is detachable, although there aren’t any different locations for an exterior connection, so finally, I concluded it have to be below there.
Mark Pickavance
It may face up to as much as 500Gs of acceleration, even when the particular person holding that drive wouldn’t
Because the USB-C port behind the plug is recessed, and Corsair doesn’t declare the EX100U is waterproof, aside from stopping the ingress of mud to the port, why it’s included the plug is unclear past neatness.
What’s claimed by Corsair for the EX100U is that it might probably face up to as much as 500Gs of acceleration, even when the particular person holding that drive wouldn’t, and it is usually vibration resistant.
Within the field are two cables, one every for USB-C and USB-A ports, however no carry pouch to carry them when not linked to the drive or a lanyard. The cables are a good 30cm lengthy, and as a result of drive solely weighing 22g, having the drive dangle on the cable whereas connected to a desktop system in all probability isn’t a difficulty.
One delicate annoyance is that I didn’t discover any exercise LED on the drive, one thing we’d sometimes count on.
Specs & Options
I’m so glad that Corsair doesn’t provide foolish 250- or 500GB fashions and as an alternative opted for 3 capacities that folks will extra doubtless need and use, particularly 1-, 2- and 4TB.
Internally these are 3D NAND wafers wired to a Phison PS2251-18 controller and different electronics to facilitate a connection to the USB interface. Corsair quotes the identical efficiency for all of the capacities, and it additionally states that it doesn’t use a DRAM cache, however as an alternative has allotted a few of the NAND as a static pSLC cache.
It’s terrific to see a drive maker being so open concerning the internals of its drives slightly than hiding the controller or cache mechanism prefer it’s a commerce secret. And I commend Corsair for its candid strategy.
The maker additionally quotes a TBW (whole bytes written) worth for every drive dimension, which is uncommon, and these begin at 250TB for the 1TB mannequin after which enhance to 500TB for the 2TB and 1000TB for the 4TB. These can be acceptable TBW values for M.2 NVMe inner drives with a lot greater speeds, so the chance of those limits being skilled by house owners of the EX100U is on the low facet.
Mark Pickavance
Whereas the controller on these drives operates rubbish assortment and SMART assist, these models don’t assist the TRIM perform or have {hardware} encryption.
Most likely the largest promoting level of the EX100U is the USB interface helps older USB requirements but additionally embraces the often-ignored Gen 2×2 commonplace. Whereas the variety of machines with Gen 2×2 ports is comparatively small, those that have it might probably expertise a doubling of the potential bandwidth out there over USB 3.2 Gen 2 brings the throughput consistent with that of Thunderbolt 3.
For many customers with solely Gen 2, the speeds on provide listed below are roughly 1,000MB/s, each learn and write, with a Gen 2×2 port permitting as much as 1,600MB/s reads and 1,500MB/s writes, regardless of capability dimension.
The 2TB evaluate mannequin got here pre-formatted in exFAT, making it immediately useable on any fashionable PC working Home windows. And it might probably simply be reformatted to make use of with macOS or Linux for these working techniques.
General, the EX100U has the important options to present Essential, SanDisk and Kingston some competitors on this slice of the SSD market. However does it have the efficiency?
Efficiency
Whereas my check gear has a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, it must be realised that the majority techniques don’t have this model of USB, and it’s a necessary requirement to get probably the most out of the EX100U.
This isn’t the quickest Gen 2×2 drive out there, however it’s at the least 50% higher than drives that solely assist Gen 2 mode
Due to this fact, the speeds quoted listed below are considerably higher than customers would expertise on USB 3.2 Gen 2, which might hit a restrict of round 1,000MB/s for each studying and writing.
Utilizing CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 in default mode, the EX100U managed 1,701MB/s reads and 1,564MB/s writes, higher than the quoted efficiency. These outcomes had been supported by ATTO, attaining a peak of 1.69GB/s reads and 1.61GB/s writes.
Mark Pickavance
However in all probability probably the most sensible check was AS SSD, which rated this drive at 1,476MB/s and 1,413MB/s for studying and writing, barely shy of the quoted speeds.
On this identical benchmark, the Kingston XS2000 managed 1881MB/s reads and 1720MB/s writes, near the utmost that Gen 2X2 bandwidth can obtain.
Due to this fact, this isn’t the quickest Gen 2×2 drive out there, however it’s at the least 50% higher than drives that solely assist Gen 2 mode.
Worth
As we’ve come to count on from Corsair, the EX100U isn’t the most cost effective exterior SSD round, however it’s moderately priced for its capability and efficiency.
Within the USA, the MSRPs for the 1-, 2- and 4TB are $90.99, $184.99 and $464.99, respectively. These prices translate into £99.99, £199.99 and £489.99 within the UK and €109.99, €219.99 and €549.99 in Europe.
As a rule, regardless of area or foreign money, the 2TB mannequin affords one of the best cost-per-GB deal, and the 4TB is the costliest possibility per GB. You should purchase it from Corsair and retailers together with Scan within the UK and Amazon virtually all over the place.
The competitor product that the EX100U competes with most carefully is the Kingston XS2000, providing a really related dimension and enhanced efficiency over USB 3.2 Gen 2×2.
On Amazon.com, the Kingston XS2000 sells for $109.99, $199.99 and $555.06 for the three identical capacities as Corsair affords on the EX100U. That makes it slightly dearer than the EX100U, however it’s marginally quicker.
Mark Pickavance
General, the present pricing of the EX100U is undoubtedly greater than the place it’s more likely to relaxation as soon as preliminary calls for are met, and the channel restocks. For these solely concerned about Gen 2 appropriate drives with bigger capacities, the Essential X6 is barely $329.99 for the 4TB mannequin. In the event you don’t have Gen 2×2 ports out there, these drives can carry out at a lot the identical pace because the EX100U, representing higher worth.
Take a look at our chart of one of the best transportable exhausting drives and SSDs for extra choices.
Verdict
We discover ourselves in an odd know-how doldrum, to make use of a crusing reference, a useless house the place the prevailing winds of change refuse to blow.
In consequence, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, a know-how that the majority know-how pundits had handed over as area of interest and a stop-gap measure, seems to be getting sudden assist from the Corsair EX100U and the Kingston XS2000, amongst others.
To be clear, this can be a false daybreak for Gen 2×2 know-how within the medium time period.
As soon as USB 4.0 seems in power with its superior bandwidth and potential Thunderbolt compatibility, the resurgence of this USB flavour is more likely to sink and not using a hint. USB 4.0 doesn’t embrace assist for two×2 mode, changing it with an equal bandwidth protocol that’s not backwards appropriate.
In the meantime, the Corsair EX100U is an effective possibility for these fortunate sufficient to have Gen 2×2 ports on their techniques, even when it isn’t the quickest drive of this flavour we’ve examined.
Mark Pickavance
Specs
- Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
- Pace: 1600MB/s learn and 1500MB/s write
- Capacities: 1TB, 2TB and 4TB
- Dimensions: 79.37 x 36.65 x 11 mm
- Weight: 22 g
- Casing materials: plastic
- Working temperature: 0° C~70° C
- Guarantee: Restricted 3-year guarantee
- Suitable with: macOS 10.13+ (Time Machine appropriate), Home windows 10+
