Best Ssd for Video Editing – It’s easy to take external SSDs for granted these days. The ability to have these tiny little lightweight, sturdy, resilient drives that can store ridiculous amounts of videos and let us edit without taking up space on the internal drive is a godsend to many editors and filmmakers.
Both Sandisk and especially Samsung have done a lot of good in this part of the industry, making video editing on the go much more easy and affordable for everyone. While Samsung somewhat took over the public mindshare for these small portable SSDs we’re just happy to see more manufacturers stepping up in the quest to make the best external SSD possible.
When it comes to choosing the best hard drive in 2021, there are a ton of choices.
With this post, hopefully we helped narrow down your search for the best external hard drive for video editing, photo editing, and motion/graphics design.
ROUND UP
Always remember to double check that your computer/workstation has the correct ports, and is compatible with whichever external hard drive you choose.
Additionally, it’s important to note that we’re dealing with technology. Sometimes things go wrong.
1.SAMSUNG T5
Features
- Superfast read write speeds: SSD with V-NAND offers ultra-fast data transfer speeds of up to 540MB s (up to 4.9x faster than external HDDs); Ideal for transferring large-sized data including 4K videos, high-resolution photos, games and more
- Compact and portable design: Top to bottom shock resistant metal design fits in the palm of your hand and easily slides in your pocket or purse to take work and entertainment on the go
- Secure encryption: Optional password protection and AES 256-bit hardware encryption keeps your personal and private data more secure
- Seamless connectivity: Includes USB type C to C and USB type C to A cables to connect to PCs, Macs, smartphones and other devices
2.SanDisk 1TB
Features
- High-speed transfers with up to 550MB/s read speeds let you move hi-res photos and videos faster (Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending on drive capacity, host device, OS and application.)
- Ruggedized, water- and dust-resistant (IP55-rated) (IEC 60529 IP55: Tested to withstand water flow (30 kPa) at 3 Minch; limited dust contact does not interfere with the operation. Must be clean and dry before use.)
- Shock-resistant solid state core for greater durability (Shock-resistant (up to 1500G) and vibration-resistant (5g RMS, 10-2000 HZ), Non-Operating Temperature (from ‐20°C to 70°C), operating temperature (from 0°C to 45°C))
- Compact and pocket-sized
- For PC and Mac users
- Built by SanDisk, a technology leader and pioneer of the modern day SSD, to deliver superior performance
- Order with your Alexa enabled device. Just ask "Alexa, order SanDisk External SSD."
3.ADATA SX8200 Pro
Features
- Ultra-Fast PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 Interface
- Sequential read/write speed up to 3500/3000 MB/s, Performance may vary based on system hardware & configuration
- Ideal for intense 3D animation, rendering, video and photo editing, and other intense applications
- 5 year PCIe M. 2 2280 is not compatible with SATA M. 2 2280, Please check your system spec before purchasing
- Interface: PCIe NVMe Gen3x4. Please check your motherboard manual and make sure your motherboard's M. 2 slot supports PCIe NVMe or M Key with NVMe. This SSD is not compatible with Mac. Additional parts may be required to use on Mac system.
4.XPG SX8200 Pro 1
Features
- Sequential reads/writes performance up to 3500/3000MB/s *Performances differ by capacities and other variables
- SSD Interface: M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe M-Key *Please check your system for drive compatibility
- RAM Latency: CL16-20-20
- 2 oz copper for better cooling
- Warranty: SSD: 5 Year ; Memory RAM: Limited Lifetime
5.Sabrent Rocket Q
Features
- M.2 PCIe Gen3 x 4 Interface.
- PCIe 3.1 Compliant / NVMe 1.3 Compliant.
- Power Management Support for APST / ASPM / L1.2.
- Supports SMART and TRIM commands. Supports ONFi 2.3, ONFi 3.0, ONFi 3.2 and ONFi 4.0 interface.
- All Sabrent SSDs come with FREE Sabrent Acronis True Image for Sabrent Software for easy Cloning. For those who require a specific sector size to clone their existing SSDs: A newly released Sabrent utility enables users to re-format the Rocket drive and choose the sector size of their liking, either 512-bytes or 4K bytes.
6.Patriot Viper VPR100
Features
- 1TB High Performance SSD, Solid State Drive; for desktop PC builds; due to product height not compatible with laptops.
- Phison E12 Series Controller; 2280 M.2 PCIe Gen3 x 4, NVMe 1.3
- Features an external thermal sensor, vicious heatshield design, RGB APP sync up
- Sequential (ATTO): up to 3,300MB/s Read & up to 2,900MB/s Write (RGB unsync); 4K Aligned Random Write: up to 650K IOPs (RGB unsync)
- Backed by Patriot’s award-winning, build quality, and 3-year warranty; O/S Supported: Windows 7*/8.0*/8.1/10
7.Western Digital
Features
- Boost your system's performance with next-gen NVMe SSDs
- Over 4 times faster than our SATA SSDs
- Western Digital designed controller and firmware for optimized performance
- Western Digital SSD dashboard constantly monitors the health of your SSD
- NVMe drive not compatible with SATA interface
8.Corsair Vengeance LPX
Features
- Hand-sorted memory chips ensure high performance with generous Overclocking headroom. SPD Speed-2133MHz
- Vengeance LPX is optimized for wide compatibility with the latest Intel and AMD DDR4 motherboards.
- A low-profile height of just 34mm ensures that vengeance LPX even fits in most small-form-factor builds.
- A high-performance PCB guarantees strong signal quality and stability for superior Overclocking ability.
- A solid aluminum heatspreader efficiently dissipates heat from each module so that they consistently run at high clock speeds.
- Supports Intel XMP 2.0 for simple one-setting installation and setup.
- Available in multiple colors to match the style of your system.
9.Intel NUC 9
Features
- Target Usage: Virtual Reality, Gaming, Creator
- 9th Generation Intel Core i9-9980HK (NUC9i9QN) with Intel UHD Graphics, 350 MHz - 1. 25 GHz
- Supports Microsoft Windows
- Supports Intel Optane SSD and Intel Optane Memory M10 and H10 ready
- Support up to 3x 4K displays; 2x Thunderbolt 3; HDMI 2. 0a
- Connectivity technology: Bluetooth
10.OEM Optane H10
Features
- This product requires additional steps to set it up. Please ask question if you’re not familiar with this Intel Optane Drive. Optane Memory H10 with Solid State Storage
- Storage Capacity 512GB Solid State Drive with 32 GB Buffer
- Drive Performance Maximum Read Transfer Rate 2400 MB/s
- Maximum Write Transfer Rate 1800 MB/s
- Endurance (TBW) 300 TB Interfaces/Ports Drive InterfacePCI Express PCI Express 3.0 x4
Best Ssd for Video Editing – BUYER’S GUIDE
Storage Capacity
You’ve probably heard size isn’t everything, that may be true but when it comes to capturing Ultra HD video that isn’t necessarily true. As a YouTuber or filmmaker you’re constantly producing large amounts of video in high resolutions that need storage. Therefore we would recommend at least 1TB for your needs.
Transfer Speed
Time is money my friend and YouTubers know this. Transfer speed is important and if a drive can shave down the agony of the waiting to write or read off of a drive then the external drive was definitely worthwhile.
SSDs come in 2 main categories of speed 500-600MB/s range as seen with the Samsung T5, Sandisk Extreme and the G-Technology Rugged SSD and the RAID 0 SSDs with a transfer speed of 750-950MB/s. These are exceptionally faster than traditional hard drives.
What is the difference between an SSD and an SSD in RAID 0?
RAID 0 are meant for Speed, but with speed comes a cost. A physical dollar cost as they are a lot more expensive but also at the cost of data redundancy which means the failure of one drive will cause the entire array to fail. Because the array has data striped across all of the drives, the failure will result in total data loss. However, SSDs are less prone to failure than traditional hard drives but glitches may still occur.
Therefore, RAID 0 in my opinion are not for long term storage but more for the capture, editing and transfer, a working drive.
Portability & Durability
Portability is key with external drives, wether you’re working from home but moving around with your laptop or travelling and exploring the size and durability of an SSD is quite important.
Most SSDs come with shock resistant drives and a rugged exterior, some are even water, dust and crush proof and drop proof of up to 2-3M. The most durable SSD mentioned above is the is the G-Tech Rugged SSD which has an IP67 Rating but is marginally larger than its competitors.
Hard Drives in comparison are not drop proof and are very fragile due to the moving parts in it, this is why we reccomend using an SSD.
Portability is also a key factor, if you’re someone who’s is travelling in lot on planes, trains and ubers or goes to co-working spaces most of these SSD drives are highly portable with the Samsung T5 being the sleek portable drive of choice.
Hard Drives are typically a lot heavier, larger and slower thanks to all the moving parts.
However, if you are looking for a middle-ground with ruggedness, portability and speed we would recommend the Sandisk Extreme.
Compatibility
Most PCs & Macs nowadays have USB 3.0. Its the most common. A lot of drive performance in terms of speed depends on your own setups specifications in terms of USB and how fast your internal drive can read/write too.
The latest USB 3.1 Gen 2 are backwards compatible with 3.0 and even 2.0 but you’re probably not using the outdated USB 2.0. If your computer/laptop does not have USB C it probably has a USB A Connector (Most Common USB) and these cables come available with most of the SSDs.
USB 3.0 performance tends to test with SSDs around the mid 400MB/s. While USB 3.1 (often referred to as USB 3.1 Gen 2) clocks in over 500 for most non-raid drives, and with RAID in the high 700’s-800MB/s. Mac users with Thunderbolt 3 and thunderbolt three drives have the fastest transfer speeds as highlighted with the Glyph Atom.
All SSD’s listed above come with USB C to USB C and USB C to USB A.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best external hard drive for video editing?
Long story short, there is no best external hard drive for video editing. Because hard drives are bound by the physical speed of moving parts, they’re slower. Much slower.
Even the fastest of hard drives will be thoroughly embarrassed by even the most modest (and still much faster) solid-state drive. The transfer speeds of traditional hard drives just can’t keep up with SSD drives.
WRAP UP
If you’re a video editor, getting a good SSD for your system is crucial. The Fast SSD will significantly speed up the processing of footage and can increase overall performance and reduce game loading time. If you do not want to upgrade your computer’s storage, a suitable portable SSD will solve your problem too. In this guide we will consider the best storage solutions for any budget.
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