INTRODUCTION

   Since their debut in the market roughly 7 years ago portable SSDs have set new standards, not just thanks to their performance but also their size/capacity ratio. Yes, 2.5" portable HDDs are not exactly large and exist in capacities of up to 5TB whereas USB flash drives have even touched 2TB but portable SSDs are available at up to 4TB and clearly sit right between the two in terms of size. On top of that performance is a crucial element when people (especially professionals) are out to get a new portable drive and that's something portable SSDs are second best to none. Crucial released their X6 line of USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSDs in mid-2020 and even though i did have the chance to test the 2TB model (review here) since they did expand the line with a faster 4TB variant last year i really wanted to check it out.

   Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc. Crucial solid-state drives (SSDs) and memory (DRAM) upgrades are compatible with over 100,000 new and old desktops, laptops, workstations and servers. Crucial Ballistix memory delivers a performance edge to gamers, enthusiasts and power users. Available worldwide at leading retail and e-tail stores, commercial resellers and system integrators, Crucial products enhance system performance and user productivity. Learn more at crucial.com.

   Currently the X6 line USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSDs is available in 500GB/1TB/2TB/4TB capacities and under the hood of the X6 4TB enclosure (made out of plastic as with all X6 models) we find the DRAM-less Phison PS2251-17 NAND flash controller (native USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 - no bridge chip required) which always according to the manufacturer can achieve speeds of up to 1000-800MB/s in sequential reads and writes respectively (800MB/s for the 4TB model - 500GB/1TB/2TB models only go up to 540MB/s). Just like with previous models for their X6 4TB portable SSD Crucial has paired the PS2251-17 NAND flash controller with Micron's 96-layer 3D QLC NAND Flash (4 modules). Needless to say, the X6 4TB supports both SMART and TRIM technologies and just like its predecessors is covered by a 3-year limited warranty.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The X6 arrived inside a small black and blue box that has a large product picture at the front right beneath the company logo and over its capacity and advertised performance.

A few words about the product are printed at the rear in 11 languages.

Crucial packs the X6 drive with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a quick start guide.

THE X6 4TB

Just like the 2TB version the X6 4TB measures roughly 68mm in length, 64mm in width and 11mm in thickness (weighs just 41g).

To have a better idea about its size i placed the X6 4TB right next to the Samsung T1/T3, ADATA SE760, Mushkin CarbonX, Kingston DT Max and the Sabrent Rocket Nano (review soon).

The USB type-C port is located on the right side of the enclosure.

At the base we find the drive capacity just over numerous certifications.

Opening the enclosure was quite easy and as you can see the entire PCB is dressed with thick aluminum foil (for reduced temperatures).

On one side of the PCB, we find the Phison PS2251-17 NAND flash controller along with two Micron 96-layer 3D QLC NAND flash modules (each 1024GB in size).

Two more Micron 96-layer 3D QLC NAND flash modules are placed on the other side.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Solid state drives are basically the same as USB flash drives and so we’re using almost the same testing methodology to successfully record achieved read & write performance numbers in our charts*. The benchmark suites used are HD Tach RW (Read Speeds / Long Bench 32mb Zone Testing), HD Tune Pro (Read / Write speeds), Sisoftware Sandra Titanium 2020 (Read / Write speeds), AIDA64 Engineer Edition (Average Linear / Random Read & Write speeds), Crystal Disk Mark 6.0.2 (2GB Read / Write speeds) and finally ATTO 4.00.0F2 (Max Read / Max Write speeds). Every test is repeated a total of 6 times after which the average performance numbers are recorded into our charts (0 = we were unable to complete that test).

   All tests are performed with our main rig running Microsoft Windows 10 Pro installation on a CORSAIR MP510 960GB NVME SSD* with all updates installed up to the day we started tests.

* Since August 2019 for portable SSD tests I started using the X299 test rig.
** For USB 3.2 Gen2x2 portable SSDs I’ll be using the Z590 DARK based test rig.

TEST RESULTS - AIDA64 / ATTO

TEST RESULTS - HD TACH RW / HD TUNE PRO

TEST RESULTS - SISOFTWARE SANDRA TITANIUM / CRYSTAL DISK MARK

CONCLUSION

   As you have probably seen in the charts already i tested the X6 4TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSD both with my GIGABYTE X299 AORUS GAMING 9 (USB 3.2 Gen 2 compatible) and EVGA Z590 DARK (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 compatible) systems. The reason is simple really, Phison launched both the PS2251-17 (U17) and PS2251-18 (U18) NAND flash controllers last year with the former being a USB 3.2 Gen 2 one (1000-8000MB/s) and the latter a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 one (1900-1700MB/s). Since both were launched by Phison at the same time out of pure curiosity i decided to put the X6 4TB (PS2251-17) to the test and as you can clearly see when plugged into a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 type-C port it gets a healthy performance boost in most tests. So, if you do happen to have a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 compatible motherboard it's a sure bet that you can squeeze more from your X6 4TB (again out of curiosity will be testing that in future USB 3.2 Gen 2 portable SSD reviews).

   The Crucial X6 4TB USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable SSD combines a tiny enclosure with a very high storage capacity so it’s not what I’d call affordable. To be precise it currently retails for USD473.31 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 476.86Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so one could say that its target audience is indeed somewhat limited. Price aside however the X6 4TB drive by Crucial delivers on everything that matters, it’s tiny, storage capacity is massive (for its size) and performance is very good so that’s why it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Tiny Size
- Very Good Performance
- Massive Storage Capacity (For Its Size)
- Temperature, Vibration and Shock Proof
- 3 Years Limited Warranty

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Plastic Enclosure