by 2 reviews.
Crucial X10 Pro 4TB Portable SSD Review: A Speed Demon with a Few Quirks
The Crucial X10 Pro 4TB Portable SSD is a high-performance external storage solution designed for professionals, gamers, and creators who demand speed, durability, and reliability. With read speeds of up to 2100MB/s and write speeds of 2000MB/s, this SSD is a game-changer for tasks like 4K video editing, large file transfers, and expanding PS5 storage. Its rugged design, featuring IP55 water and dust resistance and drop protection up to 7.5 feet, ensures your data stays safe even in challenging environments.
But does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive into the pros and cons based on real customer experiences.
Pros: What Customers Love
1. Blazing-Fast Speeds
The Crucial X10 Pro’s speed is its standout feature. Customers rave about its ability to transfer large files in record time. One user reported transferring 800GB to 1TB of data at speeds of 300 to 500 MB/s, far outperforming competitors like the Samsung T9. Another reviewer backed up a 500GB MacBook Pro in under 30 minutes, calling the performance "truly remarkable."
For gamers, the SSD’s speed ensures lightning-fast load times, making it a perfect companion for PS5 storage expansion.
2. Durable and Compact Design
The rugged aluminum casing and IP55 rating make this SSD a reliable choice for on-the-go professionals. Customers appreciate its ability to withstand drops and bumps, with one reviewer noting its lightweight design makes it less prone to impact damage. Its compact size also makes it easy to carry in a pocket or bag, adding to its portability.
3. Massive Storage Capacity
With 4TB of storage, the Crucial X10 Pro offers ample space for high-resolution photos, 4K/8K videos, and large game libraries. Users love the convenience of having all their data in one place without worrying about running out of space.
4. Wide Compatibility
The SSD works seamlessly with a variety of devices, including PS5, PS4, Xbox, PC, Mac, Linux, and Android. Its USB-C 3.2 interface ensures fast, plug-and-play connectivity, making it a versatile choice for multi-device users.
5. Secure and Reliable
Built-in hardware encryption ensures your data stays protected, while the rugged design safeguards against physical damage. Customers appreciate the peace of mind that comes with knowing their files are secure.
Cons: Areas for Improvement
1. Partitioning Issues
One of the most common complaints is the SSD’s partitioning setup. Out of the box, the drive is split into two partitions: a small, unformatted partition and the main storage partition. This causes compatibility issues, especially with Android devices, which try to mount the first partition. Users have had to reformat the drive to resolve this, which can be a hassle for non-tech-savvy individuals.
2. Customer Support Concerns
A few customers reported issues with Crucial’s customer support. One user experienced a drive failure and found it difficult to communicate with a representative due to language barriers and delays in resolving the issue. While the performance of the working drive was praised, the lack of timely support left a negative impression.
3. Price Point
While the Crucial X10 Pro offers excellent performance and features, it comes at a premium price. Some users feel that the cost is justified given the speed and durability, but others may find it a bit steep compared to competitors.
4. Cable Limitations
Although the SSD boasts impressive speeds, some users noted that real-world performance may be limited by the quality of the USB cable used. While this isn’t a fault of the SSD itself, it’s something to keep in mind for those looking to maximize performance.
Final Thoughts
The Crucial X10 Pro 4TB Portable SSD is a top-tier external storage solution that delivers on its promises of speed, durability, and versatility. Its blazing-fast performance, rugged design, and massive storage capacity make it an excellent choice for professionals, gamers, and creators alike.
However, it’s not without its flaws. The partitioning setup and occasional customer support issues may be a turnoff for some users. Additionally, the premium price tag might not be suitable for everyone.
Verdict
If you’re looking for a high-performance, durable, and reliable portable SSD, the Crucial X10 Pro 4TB is a solid investment. While it has a few quirks, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, making it a standout choice in the crowded external storage market.
Rating: 4.5/5
Specification Crucial X10 Pro 4TB Portable SSD – Up to 2100MB/s Read, 2000MB/s Write, Water and Dust Resistant, with Mylio Photos+ Offer – USB 3.2 External Solid State Drive – CT4000X10PROSSD902:
Comments from Amazon:
I needed a large SSD at a good price and value for money which Black Friday gave me alongside portability and this ticks all the boxes. The speeds are incredible and whilst it's important to keep in mind it's unlikely that you'll reach the true speeds due to cable limitations, it's an incredible product and very future proof! Super happy with my purchase, very easy to use with the cables, though it would've been nice to have a USB C to 2.0 adapter in the box but the storage capacity and portableness make up for it. Also the build quality is SOLID, not scared of losing it but I'd highly recommend buying the case too.
The device is impressively small and extremely fast, as demonstrated by the ability to back up a 500GB MacBook Pro in under 30 minutes. Its performance and compact size are truly remarkable.
I bought two of the 4TB Crucial X10 Pro Drives in early September. I used the same methods to format them in APFS Encryption for my Mac Mini computer. In early November, one of the drives would not open due to encryption errors, which my Mac stated was a "disk error". It was impossible to run the Mac Disk Utility on it since it would not open up due to encryption errors. Finally, I erased it and changed it to APFS unencrypted. File copying back to it was okay until the drive was about 20 percent full, then it indicated drive errors.Running the Mac Disk Utility on it revealed that the drive was corrupt and cannot be repaired. I contacted customer service at Crucial since it was too late to return the drive to Amazon for a replacement. Within a few minutes, I reached a customer service representative with an accent so bad it was extremely hard to understand him, especially since I am hearing impaired. Finally he asked that I send (via email) information including photos of the drive, the Amazon invoice, etc. I am still awaiting an answer from Crucial over three days later for a drive that is not just used by copying backup files, but I actually use as a primary data drive for my Mac Mini. The performance of the one drive is awesome, but the other drive is next to useless and I am still waiting for Crucial to send a replacement and to answer my email. By the way, Crucial has a disk management program for Windows that allows you to troubleshoot their drives; but not for Apple Macs. Not impressed. I would not buy this drive again.
Excellent performance when connected to a 10GBPS port.
First off, this is a wonderful SSD. It is lightning fast, and, aside from some initial issues, compatible with a huge range of devices and operating systems. It's probably the fastest external SSD that I have ever personally used, but I don't have benchmarks or anything to back that up. I was able to move 400 gigabytes of downloads from my computer to the drive in less than 30 minutes. The compatibility with crucial storage executive is also useful. However. They did something incredibly stupid and I'm having trouble trying to figure out exactly why. Instead of formatting the entire drive as a single partition with a common format such as exFAT, they broke it up into two partitions. One partition is the main drive, and is formatted like you would expect, but in front of that is a very tiny unknown partition. That causes severe issues on Android, because Android tries to mount the first disk/partition that it comes across, and since crucial decided to put an apparently pointless and unformatted partition right at the front of the drive, that's the one that Android sees. So unless you go in and nuke the partitions and reformat the whole drive, you're going to have compatibility issues depending on what you plug this into. I have no conceivable idea why they would have this second tiny partition. It was only a few hundred megabytes, not big enough to really hold anything substantial. It didn't seem to have a file system that could be recognized by any disc software that I'm aware of, and it's apparently not necessary for using with the crucial storage executive (which I initially suspected). Removing all of the partitions and reformatting the drive does not affect its ability to be managed by the crucial storage executive. So... There's literally no reason that they should have put this partition in, and all it does is decrease the capabilities of the drive, so whoever made this decision is some kind of idiot. (Edit: It's almost infinitely unlikely, but it's possible, in the most exotic and extreme sense, that they use this partition to store extra blocks of NAND to compensate as individual cells fail. If this is the case, this is the dumbest implementation I've ever seen on an SSD. Usually they are under-provisioned at the hardware and firmware level, and the firmware has access to a little bit more flash memory than the operating system does. When cells fail, they activate the appropriate number of reserve cells, extending the useful life and preserving the actual capacity of the drive. Again, I emphasize, this almost is required to be done at the firmware level. Implementing this with some kind of hidden partition just doesn't make sense. The user should never see the over-provisioned flash memory reserved for repairs. If this is indeed the case, I recommend not using this drive, as it is designed with an inherent fault. However, since I've never seen this done anywhere else, I doubt that's the case. It's just literally the only thing I could think of.) There's a decent chance that that complaint doesn't apply to you, but for those who use it in a professional IT or with multi-device administration, it's not going to behave quite the way you expect right out the box.
Better than expected! I LOVE this SSD! So small and SUPER SPEEDY!
From a realistic standpoint, the Crucial X10 Pro offers exceptional speed and durability, making it a practical choice for anyone in need of reliable portable storage. Speed: Perfect for quick file transfers, video editing, and gaming. Durability: Its rugged aluminum case handles drops and bumps, and it’s compact enough to fit in your pocket. Its lightweight design makes it less prone to impact damage. Versatile: Available in sizes from 500GB to 4TB, it’s plug-and-play with Windows, MacOS, and Android. There's no need to worry about the size of the drive since all capacities come in the same dimensions. Security: Built-in hardware encryption keeps your data safe. Bottom Line: Although pricier, its performance and features make it a solid investment for reliable, high-speed storage. From my experience, the Crucial X10 Pro outperforms the Samsung T9 in both performance and build quality in every way. Example: In my everyday use, I transfer 800GB to 1TB of data for personal needs. The Samsung T9 transfers at 30 to 60 MB/s, while the Crucial X10 Pro achieves speeds of 300 to 500 MB/s.