LaCie claims read/write speeds of up to 6,700 MB/s and 5,300 MB/s, which it says are adequate for real-time editing of 8K and 6K RAW footage. In testing the highest speeds, file transfers were 5,787 MB/s read and 5,188 MB/s write—which, while not quite matching the claim, still make it far and away the fastest drive in this guide. But raw speeds are just numbers for spreadsheets; I was more interested in real-world performance. Since I happened to also be testing the Nikon Z6III (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which can shoot 6K ProRes RAW, I loaded a good bit of footage on the Pro5 and was indeed able to edit using DaVinci Resolve Studio.
The downside here is the price. This started off at $600 for the 4-TB version (which is the minimum you’d want for working with ProRes RAW video files). That was already pricey, but these days that’s climbed to insane heights ($1,600 as of this update), making it a less compelling value. Still, if you need the speed, this is the drive to get.
Best USB4 Drive
If you don’t yet have any devices with Thunderbolt 5 support, this Thunderbolt 4 drive would be my recommendation for anyone obsessed with speed. Corsair’s EX400U is an impressive little drive, consistently delivering speeds of around 3,800 MB/s for sequential read and and 3,550 MB/s write. Again, this is only going to be possible if you have a device that supports USB4/Thunderbolt 4 (including recent MacBooks, Dell XPS, and others—see our guide to the best laptops for more). Technically, just as I was wrapping up this update, LaCie’s new rugged SSD came out, which beat this drive in my tests by about 10 MB/s, but this drive is smaller, lighter, and cheaper.
I also like that Corsair has included a MagSafe connector on the back of the case, which makes it a great option for backing up ProRes video footage from your iPhone. Also, this little drive’s price, so far, hasn’t shot up into the stratosphere.
Best for Photographers
Photograph: Scott Gilbertson
Crucial’s X9 Pro hits the sweet spot of speed, portability, and price to become one of the best drives out there for photographers looking to make backups in the field. These drives are tiny, about half the size of a deck of cards, and weigh a mere 1.3 ounces. They’ll connect to just about anything. I tested the X9 Pro on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS and never hit any issues with any of them. When it comes to speed, the X9 Pro claims symmetrical read and write speeds, at 1,050 MB/s. I actually consistently got higher speeds, up to 1,110 MB/s for read and 1,100 MB/s for write. That puts the X9 Pro at the top of the pack in terms of portable drive speed.