SAMSUNG T5 Portable SSD 1TB - Up to 540MB/s - USB 3.1 External Solid State Drive, Black (MU-PA1T0B/AM)

Bottom line: Works wonderfully and harmoniously across computers. This drive comes with a hardware-based secure log-in system, and when you plug it in you'll see a choice of emulator/"activator" interfaces for login to PC or Mac or device. I ordinarily use it with a Macbook or desktop Mac, but I've guest-visited PC's also, and what happens is: you plug it in and will see the initial choice of platform log-in apps. Choose your OS, click, and enter your password - whatever password you set up initially from your own computer/device, as once you do that your password is hard-wired into the drive, and you can access it from anywhere - if you have the password. Setting up hardware-based encryption/security is optional, by the way. But really simple, and it really works easily across my own computers and ones I've guest-logged into while traveling. Same routine. Bring up system-specific log-in screen, enter password, you're in. Password required every time it's re-installed. Great basic mobile security. For Mac there's a known strangeness, despite full compatibility. When first plugging it in or upon ejecting it, you may see an upper-right-hand corner pop-up saying disk was improperly ejected (last time). Maybe on Windows "safely eject" avoids that, but on Mac you'll likely see it. Not to worry, as long as you're not transferring data while unplugging. (In Mac I "eject" and it looks normal but still will get a pop-up nag about safely ejecting.) What else can I say? I know there's a few reputable makers of 250-500GB SSD portable drives worthy of consideration. (As a scientist, believe me, I read all the reviews and looked at "data", but as a typical computer user I chose based on things like form factor, price, and past experience). So this is my 3rd Samsung T (2 "3"s and one T-5 now). I've had no problem with any of them (thus my collection has expanded). They are fast, reliable, and practical between the various interfaces, portable security protection, and choice of cable/interface. I'm a fan.

I’ve been using the Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB for several months now, and I have to say, it’s an excellent choice for anyone needing fast and reliable external storage. Whether I’m working with large files for video editing or just backing up important data, this SSD does the job without a hitch. Design & Build Quality: The T5 has a sleek, compact design that fits easily in my bag or pocket. It's lightweight and made from durable, metal material that feels sturdy but not too heavy. The build quality is top-notch, and I don’t worry about it getting scratched or damaged from everyday use. I’ve also dropped it a couple of times, and it still works perfectly—it's definitely built to last. Speed & Performance: The 540MB/s read/write speed is incredibly fast, especially when compared to traditional hard drives. I use it to transfer large video files and it handles the job without any slowdown. Transferring a 10GB file takes just a couple of minutes, which has really sped up my workflow. Compatibility & Ease of Use: I’ve used it with Windows and Mac, and it works seamlessly with both. It comes with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to USB-A cables, which makes it compatible with a wide range of devices. Setting it up was super easy—just plug it in, and it works right away without any complicated software installation. Security: The AES 256-bit hardware encryption is a great feature if you’re concerned about data security. I use the password protection feature, and it works perfectly to keep my files safe. Battery Life: The T5 doesn't need an external power source, which makes it convenient for travel. It’s powered directly through the USB connection, so I don't need to worry about carrying extra cables or chargers. Conclusion: Overall, the Samsung T5 Portable SSD 1TB has been a fantastic addition to my tech gear. It’s fast, durable, and portable—everything I need in a reliable external storage drive. Whether you’re a professional or just need extra storage for everyday use, this SSD is a great choice. Highly recommended!

This is an impressive little device. I am impressed with the look, and the apparent durability of the drive. In classic Samsung style, the drive is a good looking accessory especially for my Dell Precision 5530. I believe the drive will be very durable it is made of what feels like aluminum and is sealed on the ends. I would not hesitate to put this in my pocket for quick and easy transport. The big question for me was about the speed. I have owned many external drives that claim to be fast, but I still can't run my VMs directly from the drive. I tested both the USB C and the USB A cables to know which I would have to use. With both connectors the T5 really delivers. I can't tell a difference between this drive and an internal SATA SSD installed directly on the SATA bus. I have included some screenshots of the benchmarks I did on each connection type. The external drive basically saturates the SATA protocol bandwidth, AWESOME! On the Thunderbolt 3 Type C port, I was seeing full SATA capability on the large reads and writes. However, when it is hooked to the USB 3.1 type A connector (the rectangle one) it seems as if the USB overhead slows down the large sequential operations by 10% or so . However, the USB 3.1 A out performed the thunderbolt 3 connection when it came to 4k and 4k QD performance. For me the 4k performance is most important as that is what the OS does constantly. The 10% or so drop in performance on the large sequential files in reality will not materially affect the performance of the VMs. I officially brand these drives as AWESOME and they will be my new go to drive when I need high performance low cost external storage.

First, the case was not included. That was an extra purchase. Just to be clear it’s in the pics only because I highly recommend at least a small “EVA” case since it is light weight and probably wouldn’t hold up to being crushed or dropped. The case recommended was perfect. It’s a great drive. Good construction/ metal outer casing. Large capacity @ 2TB is perfect for 4k footage. Decent/ reasonable price. Good performance. Apx 500mbs synchronous. Fast enough to work with 4K prores on the go. Certainly the fastest external I have. See pics for screen grab. Very compact and easy to carry. However, it doesn’t like extension cables in the least. This is not a fault of the drive, just a fault of crappy and wildly different USB C standards. So far it seems to only work with the original cables. I had trouble even mounting the drive with cables other than the original. I’m using an Abelton USBC card on my Mac Pro and the Samsung seems to prefer the type A gen 2 port on one of my machines. On the other machine USBC is fine. They have slight differences. With a direct connection I get full speed. So far longer cables and adapter cables seem to crush the performance ranging from slow to slow as molasses. I’ll update when I find a better cable longer than 1-3 FT. In the mean time I’m ok with the short cable as long as I get full speed. The only Other gripe I have is purely aesthetic. I hate that the label with the serial/ model number and bar code is on the front of the drive. Ugly staring at it on my desk. Samsung please just laser etch it in next time.

Excellent external drive with large capacity and tiny form factor. I also love the security features that includes the requirement of a password to access. Keep in mind that (on Win11) once password is entered, the drive remains accessible on your PC even after waking it from sleep and singing back in to Windows. Only a complete shut down of the PC will restart the external drive so that it requires the password again. Speed is fast. May not be as fast as most new drives created after 2024 (this one was purchased about 2020).

Great little SSD, and very compact. It's not exactly plug-and-play (for PS4) but going into the PS4 settings and formatting it as an Extended Drive is super simple and fast. I was able to quickly load it up with games and immediately had noticeably reduced load times compared to the standard stock HDD. I got it on sale during Prime Day so I got a great deal but this is an ideal portable SSD for any purpose and worth the money. I also bought a little carrying case for it to take around with me. The only con I could mention is that it is a very small product so it might not be great if you're prone to losing stuff! Otherwise it does exactly what was advertised. Only had it for a few days but I'll update this review if anything changes. In the meantime, do recommend!

The little Portable SSDs are great except for one thing that they fail to tell you. Yes the are durable, yes they are fast, yes they are high capacity, the red one can hold up to 500 Gb, and the black one up to 1,000 GB/1 Tb. Not magnetic media, so airport scanners shouldn't affect them, but haven't taken one through one. I found out recently, from a computer technician, that you need to power them up every 2-3 months, or you are taking the chance of the capacitors, power storage components, draining of power and dying, and allowing the semiconductors, (memory chips) to loose power and go blank. Just as the the memory sticks in a desktop computer do when you turn off the power. So if you are going to use yours for a back of important documents, irreplaceable photos, ... be sure to power it up every couple of months to prevent the loss of these precious items. I recommend a traditional mechanical HDD for backing up such data, or burning it into high quality optical media, if you have a machine with an optical drive. As with all computer storage devices, they generally will only work on a machine containing the same OS/file handling system of the machine that formatted the drive. Some are interchangeable, but not always. PC to Mac, or Mac to PC could be instances of incompatibility ... For everyday use, such as putting large games on, they are awesome, as they are fast. Some game creators recommend them for this reason, less lag in play. Highly recommended for use in laptop and notebook computers, as they are durable, and can withstand drops and being bumped around in the back of a vehicle unlike a traditional HDD. No spinning platters, so no 'heads' to crash.

Not sure why my first reviews not posted as I showed the damage with shipping as it was shipped in a thin bubble envelope instead of box. See pictures of the damage. Not worried as the drive has no moving parts, but they need to thinking about how they ship various items. Ok for the good, this drive is small, portable and solid. It has 2TB of storage and work out well for moving my PS4 games over to the drive as well as moving my PS5 games over. I was able to play PS4 off the drive with no issues. It takes less time to move PS5 from the ssd to the console, than to download it to the console. The console will only allow certain speed, so to get the faster one would be overkill and more expensive. The T5 drive will get the job done and not break the bank. So far, so good. I have played the PS4 game (COD) right off the drive with no problems for a few days. Worth the buy.