I've tested a ton of USB SSDs over the last few months and can tell you, you probably don't need any faster than this Adata drive that's over $20 off for Prime Day

Adata SD810 | 2 TB | USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 | 2,000 MB/s read | 2,000 MB/s write | $149.99 $128.24 at Amazon (save $21.75)
Small, light, and very fast in the right USB port, this little SSD might be all you need for your external storage requirements. It's also rated to IP68, so it'll fend off dust and water ingress nicely.

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External SSDs are my bread and butter (he said to perplexed eyes on his first date). I've been testing different drives for close to a year, now, and I'm here to tell you: You probably don't need faster than this USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 drive, the 2 TB version of which is currently on sale for $128 at Amazon (or $80 for the 1 TB version).

That's why this drive still sits at the top of our list of the best external SSDs for gaming. In my Adata SD810 review I noted that for most use cases this drive should be more than sufficient, thanks to its better than average ability to maintain peak transfer speeds. In other words, it can keep your big files transferring at well above 1,500 MB/s for quite a while.

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There are faster drives out there now with a 40 Gbps USB4 spec—I highlighted a blisteringly fast one of these just yesterday, as it's on sale for $238 at Amazon right now—but most people won't need, or possibly even be able to make use of, a drive so fast. For one, not everyone will have a USB4 port, and if you do, it might not be rated to 40 Gbps.

Perhaps more importantly, however, is that USB4 speeds still won't be worth the extra cost for lots of people. I mean, that's almost double the price for the fast SanDisk drive at $238. If you have a 40 Gbps port and are going to be doing a lot of biiiiig transfers or using the SSD as a game library to actually run all your games off, then it might be worth it. But if not, something like the SD810 is all you need.

To give a little more context, in my testing, I found that this drive (at least, the 1 TB version I tested) maintains upwards of 1,700 MB/s for about two and a half minutes. That means you should be able to transfer about 250 GB of data before speeds drop—and how regularly are you transferring over 250 GB at a time?

It also does well in RND4k performance, which is great for gaming. In my testing, I found it to keep up with the Samsung T9 in the 3D Mark storage benchmark, a much more expensive drive.

So with the speed consideration out of the way, we move on to the rest of what the SSD has to offer, which is a nice, understated metal design, and an IP68 rating that apparently means it can be submerged for up to 60 minutes in over 1 meter of water. I never tested that out, myself, but it's good to know it's got the rating. The pop-off cap certainly feels secure enough.

Just don't expect to be able to launch it off any walls—it's not impervious—and be prepared for an occasional faff getting the lid to actually pop off. But with those minor inconveniences aside, for these discounted prices, the drive will be sure to satisfy most people.

A quick final note, though: Just as I said USB4 drives aren't worth it if you don't have a USB4 port, this drive won't be worth it if you don't have a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, so make sure you have one of those. If not, the Crucial X9—a USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 drive on sale right now—will be a better (and cheaper) option.

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Best SSD for gaming 2025

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1. Best overall: WD_Black SN7100

2. Best budget: Lexar NM790

3. Best PCIe 5.0: WD_Black SN8100

4. Best budget PCIe 5.0: Crucial P510

5. Best 4 TB: TeamGroup MP44

6. Best 8 TB: WD_Black SN850X

7. Best M.2 2230: Lexar Play 2230

8. Best for PS5: Silicon Power XS70

9. Best SATA: Crucial MX500