Thanks to PRGalleria again for the opportunity to test out a very affordable SSD storage from SEAGATE.
The version that I tried was the 250GB FAST SSD High Performance USB-C external SSD Storage. For this particular model , Seagate offers capacities ranging from 250GB all the way up to 2TB
A quick scan of the web showed that the latest prices in SGD ranged from $150 to $190.
Read & Write performance (Max.) is quoted at 540MB/s & 500MB/s which is pretty fast amongst SSDs & way faster then external HDD (Hard Disk Drive) storage devices
Size wise , while not the most compact , it is only 0.3 inches thick & extremely well built.
BUILD Quality
The SEAGATE FAST SSD has a very solid build which will provide the user with lots of confidence.
To me the most important criteria is the socket / connector design where the USB-C wire plugs in. For this SSD , the connector area is well build & solid with no real possiblity of physical or any connector damage with repeated plugging in/out actions.
Some other SSD designs which I have used have exactly that weakness.
I also like the silver face plate which probably acts like a heat-sink of sorts. Overall a solid & neat enclosure.
What I LIKE about the SEAGATE SSD FAST SSD ?
>> The flat enclosure is really handy and makes for very easy storage. It's not bulky like my LaCie RUGGED external storage drive.
It's just like carrying an oversized compact flash storage card which I can easily slip into my shoulder sling bag.
>> The other main advantage is the BLAZING SPEED if I compare to external HDD storage devices.
I tested the transfer performance of the Seagate FAST SSD vs. my LaCie 2TB Rugged which is now the external HDD storage that I bring along to back-up my images during all my photography adventures.
Copied 90GB of files from MacBook PRO using the same USB-C cable & slot.
Results
Seagate SSD FAST 250GB - 5 minutes & 20 seconds (transferring at approx 300 MB/s)
LaCie 2TB RUGGED - 18 minutes & 24 seconds (transferring at approx. 88 MB/s)
The SSD storage is consistently 3.4x faster during transfers which is great , this advantage in speed saves so much time !
>> The affordability for an external SSD storage device.
The pricing is already lower than the XQD cards that I am using in my Nikon cameras. Though for the same price I could easily get an external HDD storage type device , the pricing is now at a level that I would fork out without much hesitation for the size , speed AND reliability advantage as there are NO moving parts in a SSD storage device.
Overall Perception
I used the Seagate SSD storage device extensively together with my LaCie 2TB Rugged storage while I was recently at Bromo National Park , Java , Indonesia.
The SSD was consistently fast & handy. Easy to store whether in the sleeve of my camera bag or the pockets of my jeans which is great !
All in all , this is another great value for money product from Seagate.
Definitely one SSD for consideration if you are thinking of acquiring external external SSD storage devices for your own personal use.
Till my next blog , Happy Photography AND make sure you back-up your precious images.
cheers,
Andrew