Page 7 - Conclusion
The ADATA SE920 1TB is leading us to a new and exciting adventure with USB4 and for the most part it starts on the right foot. This portable SSD comes in a neat package with its unique physical feature of active cooling in the form of an internal fan to keep the device cool. It integrates with a sliding mechanism to enable the fan, as well as a nearly fully metal body to help dissipate heat. A durable cable is included to support the claimed transfer speeds. In use, the SE920 1TB opens our eyes to the speed gains found in USB4 40Gbps. Our testing shows the performance increases are near 50% over our current generation of external SSDs. Better yet, it is backwards compatible and performs well over USB 3.2. With a 5-year warranty, the SE920 1TB is clearly covered by ADATA and the provided backup software is a nice addition. On the other hand, my primary gripe stems from the growing pains of the new interface. While active cooling is unprecedented for this product category, it is also a potential future point of failure and I would like to see a passively cooled option. In addition, the sliding cover should be more secured so it does not create creaky and rattly noises when pushed in and out. Other areas of improvement include reducing its dimensions and weight for a more portable experience and smoothing out the edges for a better feel when handling it. At the time of the review, the ADATA SE920 1TB has a suggested retail price of $150 for 1TB and $200 for 2TB. While it is more costly than our current crop of USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 options, the price premium reflects its performance. Better yet, these results alone show there is great potential for this and the upcoming generation of external storage.
ADATA provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.6/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The ADATA SE920 1TB USB4 external SSD is one of the fastest portable drives we have tested yet and it gives us a glimpse into the future of external storage.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
4. Benchmark: ATTO Disk Benchmark
5. Benchmark: Crystal Disk Mark 8.0
6. Benchmark: HD Tune Pro 5.70
7. Conclusion
