At first we would like to thank Crucial for sending a sample of their X8 1TB Portable SSD for testing and reviewing.

 

 

 

About Crucial:

 

“Looking for computer memory or a new storage drive? You've come to the right place!

 

Crucial is a global brand of Micron Technology, Inc., one of the largest memory and flash storage manufacturers in the world. We make computer memory upgrades (DRAM) and solid state drives (SSDs), and offer more than 250,000 upgrades for over 50,000 systems. For 17 years, we've sought to provide the Crucial Difference — award-winning products, outstanding support, and a team of memory and storage experts who explain complex lingo in everyday terms. We're here to help improve the performance of your system.

 

Crucial memory and SSDs have been qualified and approved by major original equipment manufacturers, and every single module that leaves our doors has been rigorously tested at the component and module level. That's a big deal in the memory industry, but it's not all. When it comes to our SSDs, each drive undergoes over a thousand hours of prerelease validation testing and hundreds of qualification tests to ensure optimal reliability and performance.

 

To find upgrades in just a few clicks, our award-winning Crucial System Scanner or Crucial Memory Advisor™ tool will identify compatible upgrades for your system, and if you order on Crucial.com, we guarantee compatibility — or your money back. With fast and free shipping, outstanding tech support, and an exhaustive library of articles, videos, and install guides, we make it easy to find and install the right upgrade for your system.

 

Let us be your memory and storage experts.”

 

Product Features

 

Phenomenal Speed

 

Wherever you are, access your games, photos, and videos quickly — even offline. With read speeds up to 1050MB/s, you can load files up to 1.8x faster than most portable SSDs, 7.5x faster than portable hard drives, and 100x faster than USB flash drives.1

 

Works with a Broad Range of Devices

 

Increase storage capacity for nearly any computer, tablet, phone, or console. Works with Windows, Mac, iPad Pro, Chromebook, Android, Linux, PS4, and Xbox. Connect with a USB-C 3.2 Gen2 interface or use our included adapters for USB-C or USB-A connections.2

 

Built for the Toughest Conditions

 

Indoors or outdoors, at home or off the grid, the X8 is manufactured to be durable, rugged, and compact. Tested against extreme temperatures, shock, vibration, and even a 7.5-foot drop, you can trust that your drive will withstand the elements.6

 

Sleek Style, Innovative Design

 

Form meets function with the Crucial X8. Built with a unibody core of anodized aluminum, the case not only looks and feels great, but dissipates heat efficiently to maximize performance.

 

Complete Data Protection

 

Store your photos, videos, and files with confidence. You can use Windows Backup, macOS Time Machine, Windows Bitlocker to Go, and Apple FileVault, along with third-party endpoint-protection software suites like Symantec and McAfee.

 

A Reputation for Reliability

 

When you need ultimate peace of mind, trust the expert quality and engineering innovation of Crucial, a brand of Micron®, one of the leading flash storage manufacturers in the world. The Crucial X8 Portable SSD is backed by a 3-year limited warranty worldwide. Enjoy comprehensive support materials, such as operating instructions for various platforms and articles on maximizing your drive’s performance.

 

 

Product Specifications

 

SSD Series - X8

Warranty - Manufacturer's 3 Year Limited

Sequential Read - 1050

Capacity - 1TB

Interface - USB 3.2 Gen-2 (10Gb/s)

Specs - SSD portable Crucial X8 1TB • USB 3.1 Gen-2 • Up to 1050MB/s sequential read

Capacity Range - 960 GB to 1 TB

 

Not long ago, Crucial has launched its X8 Portable SSD, which is quite speedy with read speeds up to 1050MB/s in order to backup our important data and is compatible with a large range of devices. The product can be bought with two different capacities (500GB and 1TB) and is backed by a 3-year limited warranty worldwide.

 

The external drive is shipped inside a very compact cardboard enclosure, which shows a photo of the product, along with a list of compatible systems, the total storage capacity but also highlights the rated read speed:

 

 

 

On one of the box sides, Crucial did list the box contents:

 

 

 

The full list of compatible systems is also present on the opposite side:

 

 

 

The user will be also informed on the product internal code name and serial number:

 

 

 

Finally, on the back we will get a small product description, in multiple languages, together with links to the supplied online resources:

 

 

 

After we did remove the top packaging layer, we have spotted the X8 Portable SSD, sitting secure inside a transparent plastic mold, but also wrapped in a transparent plastic bag:

 

 

 

Some documentation is also supplied with the product, along with the data transfer cable:

 

 

 

Crucial has included an USB-C to USB-C cable (USB 3.2 Gen2) but also an USB-C to USB-A adapter, for devices that do not sport the newer USB-C interface:

 

 

 

While the adapter is pre-installed to the cable, it is easy removable:

 

 

 

 

With the purchase of the drive, you also have access to the Acronis True Image for Crucial software, for drive cloning, backups and more, as mentioned in the leaflet. The drive is also compatible with Crucial Storage Executive, for additional optimization:

 

 

 

The X8 has a premium build quality, with a unibody core of anodized aluminum and rubberized plastic covers on the sides; the product logo is placed on a thin plastic frame:

 

 

 

The same frame design is present on the back side of the drive, where we will get to see the total drive capacity, but also logos of the supported standards:

 

 

 

On the right side of the drive we will be able to spot the USB Type-C port:

 

 

 

In order to get the drive operational, we’ll only get to install the supplied cable:

 

 

 

Test Bench:

 

CPU: Intel I5 9700K Retail

CPU Cooler: Deepcool Captain 240 EX RGB AIO

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming

RAM: Patriot Memory Viper RGB Series DDR4

Video: KFA2 GeForce GTX 1060 OC 6GB

Power Supply: Cooler Master 850W

SSD: OCZ Vector 150

Case: Cooler Master ATCS 840

 

Crucial X8 1TB Portable SSD comes pre-formatted as exFAT, a file format compatible with both Windows and Mac OSX platforms for read/write purposes:

 

 

With the help of AIDA64, we could extract more information regarding the drive:

 

The Tests

 

HDTach Short Test

Blank SSD

 

HDTach Long Test

 

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CrystalMark HDD Test Suite

AIDA64 Disk Test Suite

PCMark05 HDD Test Suite

 

 

CrystalDisk Test Suite (Random)

HDTune Test Suite

Blank SSD

 

PCMark Vantage HDD Test Suite

 

PCMark 7

 

Anvil [Read]

Anvil [Write]

 

Extra Tests:

 

AS SSD Benchmark

Blank SSD

AS SSD Benchmark (IOPS)

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ATTO Disk Benchmark

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PCMark 8

Blank SSD

 

 

 

The Tests

 

HDTach Short Test

Filled SSD

 

HDTach Long Test

 

Filled SSD

 

CrystalMark HDD Test Suite

AIDA64 Disk Test Suite

PCMark05 HDD Test Suite

 

 

CrystalDisk Test Suite (Random)

HDTune Test Suite

Filled SSD

 

PCMark Vantage HDD Test Suite

 

PCMark 7

 

Anvil [Read]

Anvil [Write]

 

Extra Tests:

 

AS SSD Benchmark

Filled SSD

AS SSD Benchmark (IOPS)

Filled SSD

ATTO Disk Benchmark

Filled SSD

PCMark 8

Filled SSD

 

 

 

Judging by the length of the supplied USB Type-C cable, the X8 was mainly thought to be used with more portable devices such as laptops, tablets or even consoles. Thanks to the high read/write speeds, we can successfully use the drive for productivity tasks and not only for backups and data migration from one computer to the other, solving a lot of issues in case your device has not been equipped with a high-capacity SSD. During normal use, the aluminum unibody chassis of the product can become warm to the touch, meaning that it is also used as a heatsink for the internal drive.

 

In terms of drive performance (inside we actually have a P1 NVMe SSD, joined by 1GB of DRAM for caching purposes), this model can sustain high transfer rates for quite some time. We have transferred a 687GB file to it and we have observed that after the cache gets filled, the drive will write directly to the NAND ICs, with speeds of about 60-63MB, which is still acceptable. If the drive is left in IDLE mode for a while, the cache will be emptied and maximum performance will be restored:

 

 

 

This type of behavior is also confirmed by our HD Tune Write test:

 

 

 

We also do appreciate the inclusion of the USB Type-C to Type-A adapter, for use with other (older) machines as well.

 

In terms of pricing, currently the drive has dropped at some shops to about 149 Euros (1TB capacity), which is great!

Crucial X8 1TB Portable SSD is Recommended for:

 

 

We would like to thank again to Crucial for making this review possible!