SK hynix Tube T31 1TB Stick Kind SSD with DRAM | as much as 1000MB/s | 10 Gbps | USB-A 3.2 Gen2 | Exterior Stable State Flash Drive Appropriate with PS4, PS5, Xbox, Window PC & Mac

Cheap, fast, big — you CAN have all three
If you’re looking for a really fast drive in the form factor of a USB stick, here it is. (It’s not as fast as an internal NVMe drive, but anything that connects to a standard USB port can’t be.) If you carry around a small flash drive for quick backups or reimaging of systems, this is about as good as it gets. If you catch it on sale it’s around the same price as an ordinary thumb drive with the same capacity, but it’s a far better drive.This is actually an M.2 SSD in a stick-shaped case. Its read speed is as high as a USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (also known as SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps) drive can be; it saturates the USB bus. That, in turn, is as fast as a USB-A port can go; higher speeds would require a USB-C connection. The rated write speed isn’t QUITE that fast but it’s close, and independent testing showed it beating that spec and saturating the bus. If you plug it into a Superspeed 5Gbps port it will only be half as fast, but will still equal or beat any other drives; it won’t be fast in a USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) port but it will still work, and will be as fast as any drive can be on that slow port.SK Hynix doesn’t publish a TBW spec for this drive, but it’s likely to be comparable to other consumer SSDs; hundreds of terabytes written per terabyte of capacity. It supports S.M.A.R.T and TRIM, though many operating systems won’t make full use of those on an external drive.The form factor is the one negative here. Being able to plug directly into a USB-A port is handy, but the drive is big enough that it blocks adjacent ports on many systems and won’t fit into some laptops at all. If you regularly face space constraints, you might prefer the X31 Beetle from SK Hynix instead; that’s essentially the same drive in a small package with a USB-C port, and comes with C-C and A-C cables for use with computers with either type of port. Because of the need for included cables, the X31 Beetle is usually slightly more expensive than the T31 Tube.

Good, but not what I was hoping for…
Let me preface this by saying that I have particular expectations for a product like this because of personal history. If I was coming into this without those prior expectations I would rate it as excellent. I think most people just looking for a device like this would be more than satisfied with it. That said, I personally was slightly disappointed.A couple years ago I spent a good while looking for a product like this. After finding the options at the time lacking, I made something myself out of machined aluminum and one of the m.2 2242 NVMe to USB carrier boards you can buy here on amazon or on aliexpress. When I recently saw that SK Hynix, a brand I respect and trust, had come out with what looked like exactly the product I had been looking for, without the hassle of making another one myself, I excitedly grabbed one.Functionally it’s excellent and preforms well. It uses good components and is easy to recommend over traditional usb sticks for longevity, consistency, speed, and versatility. Additionally SK Hynix deserves praise for filling a glaring hole in the market.Now, when I first saw this, I assumed it would be made of aluminum, since that seemed the most logical choice, since it is sturdy, durable, and also has favorable thermal properties, allowing you to just use the case for thermal management, forgoing a more complex solution. However, this is instead made of plastic. This decision, while likely made for good reasons, also means that they needed to fit an additional thermal solution inside the case along with both the ssd board and the carrier board. This, and other considerations of the construction, means that this thing is a good 4mm wider and thicker, as well as 12mm longer than the device I made from aluminum. Now for most people who wouldn’t have anything to compare it to, this wouldn’t be an issue, but for me it takes it down from perfect to just ok.My only real nitpick with the device is that the cap is likely to get lost immediately, since it’s just friction fit and not connected to the device at all when loose.Still, it is a good device, and one that I can easily recommend to someone that just wants an off-the-shelf, portable, self-contained solution at a good price that can handle the kind of things you need a proper ssd for.For those looking to do a little more work there is also now an off-the-shelf solution with an aluminum case that is also available on Amazon sold under the brand ElecGear. Though the fit and finish is only so-so, it is considerably smaller and only requires that you purchase your own 2242 or 2230 drive and assemble the enclosure, which takes at most a few minutes. I still think I would recommend the T31 over that option for most people, but there are some people who would likely prefer the smaller sturdier construction.

slim design portable drive
I like this portable SSD. It’s only slightly bulkier than USB drives but with much bigger storage and fast speed to transfer files. Would even great if there are 2TB and 4TB version.

A great large size USB for your needs. Fast as a formula one👍🏼

定番のバッファローより少し大きいですが、大容量で安い。転送速度も通常のUSBメモリと比べて体感で10倍以上早い。一般人には無名メーカーですが、ssdの保存領域であるnandチップ自体を製造していて他の有名メーカーでも多く使用されている大手メーカーなので信頼性は確実です。