The cost of data storage is very affordable right now and the latest Solid-State Drives (SSDs) are streets ahead of the old hard drive technology. SSDs are silent, incredibly fast and mostly run at lower temperatures than spinning discs.
If you’re looking for extra storage to back up your laptop or store photos, videos, audio files or documents, then an external SSD is the way to go. PNY is a storage brand that’s released some new and affordable drives ideal for Windows and macOS users.
Offering the best bang for your buck is the PNY PRO Elite range of SSDs, which are available in 500GB and 1TB capacities. These drives are USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 Type-C and offer a read speed of up to 1,100MB/s and a write speed of 1,000MB/s.
The PNY Pro Elite SSDs are compatible with USB Type-C and Type-A enabled PC and Mac computers and USB Type-C and Type-A enabled tablets. There are even suitable cables provided in the box.
These budget drives are a good solution for gamers needing external game storage. The sleek aluminum housing of the PNY Pro Elite is small enough to slip into a pocket easily. The SSDs are fast and are suitable for transferring and storing documents, music, photos and videos.
I tested the 1TB version of the PNY PRO Elite SSD and got a write speed of 874.3MB/s and a read speed of 808.3MB/s. That’s not bad and not too far off the quoted theoretical speeds of the drive.
If you need something a little faster to transfer more data, PNY also has the EliteX-PRO range of SSDs, available in capacities ranging from 500GB to a maximum of 4TB. The 4TB model offers a lot of storage for the money and is ideal for long videos, hi-res audio files and digital images. A larger SSD also makes an excellent incremental backup drive using something like Time Machine in Apple’s macOS.
Transfer speeds quoted for the PNY EliteX-PRO SSDs are 1,600MB/s for reading and 1,500MB/s for writing. The interface on the EliteX-PRO is USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C. This standard uses multi-lane connections for new hosts and devices that support the standard.
In theory, USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 has two data lanes of 10 Gbps each, meaning a theoretical transfer rate of 20Gbps. However, your actual speed depends on the speed of the controller and memory chips used in the drive.
To test the speed of the PNY EliteX-PRO SSD, I hooked up a 4TB model to my Mac mini M2 Pro using a high-speed USB-C cable. I used Disk Speed Test software from Black Magic Design to test the transfer speeds. I got a read speed of 895MB/s and a write speed of 822.9MB/s.
Those results are not a vast improvement over the PNY Pro Elite, but the interface on my new Mac mini is a disappointing USB 3.1. However, if you have a computer that supports the latest and faster USB standard, you can get much better speeds form the drive. It’s worth buying the PNY EliteX-PRO SSD if you want some level of future-proofing.
The PNY drives have a 3-year limited warranty and 24/7 US-based technical support. There are other competitor brands available, so if you can’t find PNY where you are, look out for Kingston, Western Digital or Samsung. They are all excellent brands and in such a competitive market, you should be able to find a bargain or two.
Verdict: The PNY Pro Elite and PNY EliteX-PRO SSDs offer excellent value for money and deliver a solid performance. With a compact external SSD on your desk, you’re far more likely to back up regularly, which must be good.
Pricing & Availability: The PNY Pro Elite and PNY EliteX-PRO SSDs are now available from Amazon and other tech retailers. The PNY Pro Elite costs $34.14 for 500GB and $59.99 for the 1TB version. The faster PNY EliteX-PRO SSDs start at $52.16 for the 500GB model and $134.65 for the 4TB model.
More info: www.pny.com
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