{"id":1099164,"date":"2026-01-26T15:43:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/MWuCmCgNfMuaJaZvYahfUd"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:43:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:43:43","slug":"crucial-x9-2-tb-external-ssd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/crucial-x9-2-tb-external-ssd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Crucial X9 2 TB external SSD review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Crucial X9 surprised me a little. I’ve spent so much time with 20 Gbps external drives that I forgot the simple unassuming pleasure of a solid 10 Gbps external SSD such as the Crucial X9. Which is a shame, really, because the best USB ports on most motherboards and laptops tend to offer speeds no better than 10 Gbps as this is the maximum spec for USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 ports, and this is quick enough for most purposes.<\/p>\n

Of course, there’s also the fact that 10 Gbps drives are often a fair bit cheaper than 20 Gbps ones, and this certainly holds true for the Crucial X9. Make no mistake, that’s a primary benefit of the X9 in today’s market: it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.<\/p>\n

In fact, at the time of writing, you can pick up a 2 TB version such as the one being reviewed here for just $117 at Newegg<\/a> (or $109 at Amazon<\/a> if you don’t mind it being imported), and a 1 TB version for just $77 at Newegg<\/a> (or $70 at Amazon<\/a> with the same caveat). And while the former price is admittedly with an ongoing deal, it’s frequently on sale and even when it’s not it doesn’t cost a bunch much more than this\u2014technically a $170 MSRP<\/a>, but pretty much always $135 maximum, these days.<\/p>\n

This places it firmly in budget portable SSD territory, but that would matter nil if the Crucial X9 wasn’t also a quality little drive. Fortunately, it is. From build quality and thermal performance to, well, actual <\/em>performance, the Crucial X9 works a charm, as I discovered when I saw it run rings around the PC Gamer external SSD test gauntlet.<\/p>\n

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Crucial X9 specs<\/div>\n
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(Image credit: Future)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Capacity: <\/strong>1 TB \/ 2 TB (tested) \/ 4 TB
USB Gen: <\/strong>3.2 Gen 2×1
Rated performance: <\/strong>1,050 MB\/s read
Flash memory: <\/strong>3D NAND
Controller: <\/strong>Unknown
Price: <\/strong>$117<\/a> \/ \u00a3111<\/a> \/ AU$134<\/a> (1 TB)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

I also found myself falling in love with its design when I used it, much as I did with the TeamGroup PD20<\/u><\/a>, though for different reasons. I’m not entirely sure why it had this effect on me\u2014perhaps there’s something about very square, puck-like products that my fingers just love to hold and my eyes love to gaze upon.<\/p>\n

The Crucial X9 is very understated: it’s just a small, flat, squared drive with a slight curve and gloss to its edges. You can tell it’s been designed for people who will actually be using it as a portable drive, in public, for work, and so on.<\/p>\n

It has a hole to attach a lanyard, too, just like the more sturdy metal Pro version, and if I was a lanyard kind of bloke I’d have hooked it up in a heartbeat. And speaking of sturdy, although the non-Pro version is plastic, it is “shock, vibration, and drop proof up to 7.5 feet”, according to Crucial (PDF warning)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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So, you should be fine unless you’re keen on sticking your arms up straight and dangling the thing precariously for that sweet hit of risk-adrenaline. No IP rating for dust protection, though, which is a shame, but the low price has to come from somewhere.<\/p>\n

The X9 is a successor to\u2014you guessed it\u2014the X8, but it also competes against the X6 given the now-similar price tags. And on this front, the charts speak for themselves, don’t they? The X9 blows the X6 away, so in my eyes, unless the X6 has a particularly stunning deal on, I’d opt for the newer drive any day.<\/p>\n