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Best 1TB USB TLC SSDs

1TBUSBTLC

There are 5 1TB USB TLC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the ADATA EXTERNO XPG SE900G at 2000 MB/s read at 1TB. Sequential reads across the group span 450–2000 MB/s at 1TB.

Why this configuration

A 1TB USB TLC SSD is a portable, take-anywhere configuration. External SSDs trade a little peak speed for the freedom to move data between a PC, console and laptop without opening anything up.

1TB is the capacity most single-drive builds settle on.

Usually chosen for: backups, working off an external drive, and console storage overflow.

Good fit: everyday all-rounder use, from OS drive to game library.

Ranked list

Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 1TB ratings where published (5 of 5 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 1TB run 450–2000 MB/s.

#ModelTierControllerRead MB/s (at 1TB)TBW
1 Mid-range 1000 Find on Amazon
2
HP Portable HP SSD P700
HP Portable HP SSD P700
250GB, 500GB, 1TB
Mid-range Silicon Motion SM2263EN + SATA-to-1000 Find on Amazon
3
Samsung T5 PORTABLE SSD
Samsung T5 PORTABLE SSD
250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Mid-range SAMSUNG 2-core MGX controller(S4LN540 Find on Amazon
4
Samsung T3 PORTABLE SSD
Samsung T3 PORTABLE SSD
250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Mid-range SAMSUNG 2-core MGX controller(S4LN450 Find on Amazon
5
ADATA EXTERNO XPG SE900G
ADATA EXTERNO XPG SE900G
500GB, 1TB, 2TB
2000 Find on Amazon

The parts, explained

1TB is the mainstream single-drive capacity.

USB and Thunderbolt portable drives trade peak speed for pocketability and cross-device use.

TLC NAND is the mainstream choice — a solid balance of endurance, speed and cost.