SanDisk's rugged portable SSD gets a bargainous price drop

There's always been one problem with using computers for graphic design or video work, and that’s storage. It’s immortal, back to when we put colour separations on a Zip Disk for a courier to bike to the printer and the 100MB capacity came up surprisingly quickly, such was the size of a CMYK TIFF.

- Get the SanDisk SSD for $522 $429 at Amazon

Those days are behind us, but the problem remains. Cameras output huge amounts of data that can’t just sit on the memory cards - you want to get them cleared off to put back in the camera - and the puny 512GB SSDs that seem to be standard in modern laptops have the same problem as the venerable Zip Disk - they fill up too easily.

There are options for data storage. External Firewire hard drives or that close cousin of the Zip Disk, the Jaz Drive (one whole gigabyte!), were once on every desk, but these days a fast external SSD is what you want for slurping up your files, and while you’re unlikely to hand one to a chap on a motorbike in these days of FTP and WeTransfer, it’s incredibly useful to have one around. If you can get one at a bargain price, then all the better.

The Sandisk Extreme Pro USB4 SSD is one of the best I’ve tried. It would definitely survive a high-speed trip to the repro house in a biker’s bag, as it’s a rugged drive clad in rubber armour with a metal frame underneath. What’s more likely is that roving photographers and filmmakers will carry one in their backpacks - there's a loop in the corner to facilitate hanging it on a carabiner.

It’s fast too, with a USB4 connection that’s speedy on just about all modern USB-C connections, though the cable isn’t captive so you’ll have to remember to take one with you.

SanDisk’s SSD is available in capacities of up to 8TB, enough to gulp down multiple CFExpress cards, and currently has 18% off at Amazon for the 4TB model. UK readers get a smaller discount on the 2TB model at Amazon UK, with just 5% knocked off.

There are much cheaper drives out there, but the SanDisk has two advantages. Not only does it have that rubber exterior, but the USB4 connection is much faster than many alternatives, which can top out at USB 3.2’s 10Gbps,or about 1,000MB/s when transferring data. The USB4 SSD hit 3,700MB/s, almost four times faster. This means you’ll have much less of a wait until your files are backed up, and anyone who’s tried copying video from a GoPro in the middle of a rainstorm will appreciate how important that can be.

The SanDisk Extreme Pro USB4 is a great drive at a great price, especially if you want something that can stand up to a bit of rough treatment. It has an IP65 rating against dust and water ingress, and SanDisk claims it can withstand a 2M drop. Just try doing that with a Zip Disk.