Corsair EX400U portable SSD review
CORSAIR EX400U: 30 seconds comment
The tsunami strike just started to exit before the waves arrived, and that’s where we store it with USB4.
While the Thunderbolt SSD has been around for some time for those with deep pockets, the USB4 promises to be an external drive with super high speeds that are much cheaper.
Today, I have sent the Critical EX400U, a mainstream player based on the brand’s previous EX100U, a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 drive with a more spectacular speed.
This small 64mm square drive contains 1TB, 2TB or 4TB capacity and promises a read speed of 4,000mb/s and a write performance of 3,500MB/s. This theoretically makes it as fast or faster as a typical Gen 3 Internal NVME drive, but the drive is connected using a USB4 port.
It will work with lower specs USB-C ports, such as those with USB 3.2, but for a full experience it requires either USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Those systems with one of the ports and that are fast enough to support these transfer speeds will get twice the best USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 drive, while the standard USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD is four times the same.
There are some other less important selling points, this drive doesn’t support hardware encryption, but for raw performance it ticks all boxes.
Obviously Best Portable SSDthe EX400U is the affordable answer to this question: “Will this file transfer happen soon to rush me home?”
Corsair Ex400U: Price and Availability
- how much does it cost? from £140/$130
- When to go out? Available now
- Where can you get it? Sold through online retailers and directly from Corsair.
When you offer it like Corsair, you can transfer twice as fast as a 2×2 drive and a typical Gen 2 SSD, which is expected to be four times the price premium.
Starting directly from pirate For the 1TB model in the UK, the 2TB and 4TB options are £199.99 and £359.99, respectively.
Prices for Europe are 164.99 euros, 239.99 euros and 424.99 euros, and US customers pay $129.99, 189.99 and 349.99. However, at the time of writing, the 4TB model went bankrupt in full swing.
Comparing it with Corsair’s previous EX100U model (in the US), the EX400U is about 45% more expensive for the same capacity, but is more than twice as fast.
However, with Nextorage NX-PS1Pro I recently reviewed this and it costs $249.99, $349.99 and $599.99, while the same capacity is not that deep.
Since there are relatively few USB4 SSDs around, the difference can be expected, but those who want to have additional performance will pay for this privilege at least for a shorter period.
CORSAIR EX400U: Specifications
| model | CSSD-EX400U2TB |
|---|---|
| ability | 1TB / 2TB / 4TB |
| Capacity test | 2TB |
| Sequential performance of tests (read/write) | 4056/3630 MB/s |
| connect | USB 4.0, Thunderbolt 4, USB 3.2 Gen 2 or Gen 1 on USB-C |
| Controller | PHISON PS2251-21 |
| encryption | Software only |
| aspect | 64.3 x 64 x 12mm (WXHXD) |
| weight | 190g |
| power supply | USB-Bus Power |
| Warranty form | 3 years |
CORSAIR EX400U: Design
- Aluminum shell
- Only USB-C cable
- magsafe
When placed next to a popular USB SSD like the key X9 Pro, the Corsair Ex400U is thicker and square, but is actually not the same length as its counterpart. There is some metal in the design, but part of the case is also plastic, which feels less solid than the key X9/X10 wire.
However, Corsair references internal SSDs are able to withstand 1500G loads. This seems to be huge, but when fired, the typical shells will range from 15,000 grams to 30,000 grams. In short, it should handle the table on the table, but it has some limitations as it is not used for water or dust encounters.
Along with the drive, the Corsair also includes a 30cm USB-C to USB-C cable with “40Gbps 240W” on it, which seems to be ideal for work.
There is a killer feature that the EX400U is given the form of a ring that I have never seen on another USB SSD, i.e. in the form of a magnetic field that matches the magnetic field.
As a tech journalist, I want to face the myth that we all use Apple branded devices. My zero, but even so, MagSafe is a very useful option.
When you connect it to a laptop or even a desktop, you can use a magnet to adhere it to any ferrous surface, preventing it from falling and disconnecting.
The cost of adding this feature must be small, but engineers include it in the genius in the EX400U.
Overall, the SSD may not be as powerful as some competitors, but it can be protected enough unless someone thinks it might be a great hockey hockey hockey.
Interestingly, the Corsair includes a three-year warranty in the EX400U, while the Nextorage NX-PS1PRO is more rugged and covers only one year.
CORSAIR EX400U: Performance
- Requires USB 4.0
- Cache settings enhancement
- Excellent performance
| bench | test | CORSAIR EX400U 2TB | Nextorage NX-PS1PRO 2TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crystaldikmark 8.05 | Read by default | 4056 MB/s | 3753 MB/s |
| Line 1 – Cell 0 | Default write | 3630 MB/s | 3220 MB/s |
| Line 2 – Cell 0 | Real world reading | 2303 MB/s | 2923 MB/s |
| Line 3 – Cell 0 | Real world writing | 3269 MB/s | 2391 MB/s |
| AJA system test 64GB | read | 2827 MB/s | 3126 MB/s |
| Line 5 – Cell 0 | Write | 2638 MB/s | 2708 MB/s |
| As an SSD | read | 3506 MB/s | 2242 MB/s |
| Line 7 – Cell 0 | Write | 3197 MB/s | 1908 MB/s |
| Behavior | read | 3780 MB/s | 3540 MB/s |
| Line 9 – Cell 0 | Write | 3470 MB/s | 3010 MB/s |
| PCMARK data driver station | Fraction | 2028 | 2136 |
Needless to say, but if you don’t have a USB4 or Thunderbolt 4 port, it makes little sense to buy an EX400U. It will work with USB 3.2, but the performance on that interface will be about 1,000mb/s.
To achieve the speed I recorded, it also assumes that you have internal NVME storage space, which is rated quickly and can quickly send and receive data.
These benchmarks show that the EX400U 2TB matches most speed tests I performed on the Nextorage NX-PS1PRO 2TB, which is more costly.
To get these top speeds, it is necessary to enable write speeds in the device manager, but Corsair expects this in the comments.
One result that needs to be explained is the AJA system test, where the cache method on the EX400U is lower than the results provided by NX-PS1PRO.
Looking at the graphics, NX-PS1PRO makes a slightly weird write mode where the data is written in blocks of about 2700mb/s, and then it will briefly drop to 1200MB/s every 1500MB or so. Instead, the EX400U will run at full speed, slowing the spike more tightly until it runs out of cached system RAM (about 48GB points) and then drops in the last quarter of writing operations.
For most writes, the EX400U will reach 3200MB/s, but the average score after 48GB drops to 2638MB/s. If the file is less than 48GB, the EX400U will write and read faster.
Like Nextorage products, the Corsair EX400U does not support hardware encryption, but you can use software encryption to protect sensitive documents stored on your drive.
Overall, this drive is the speed that USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 ports have been waiting for.
Corsair Ex400U: Final Judgment
Unless you want a more flexible caddy solution or hardware encryption UGREEN USB4 casethe Corsair EX400U is powered by using USB4.
Where the older EX100U doesn’t offer the entire Gen 2×2 experience, this drive works as a great service for the standard USB4 and shows how useful it might be in the future.
However, the EX400U is not perfect, leaving room for the enhanced EX500U.
At this price point, hardware encryption should be included. I thought all Corsair’s MP600 series supported this technology, but now I suspect that the MP600 Micro Models doesn’t, my guess is what’s inside the EX400U.
The only drive in the Corsair M.2 collection is the 2230 or 2242 drive, and the MP600 Core Mini drive does have encryption, leaving only the MP600 Micro as a possible candidate.
This also explains why since Corsair has not released the 4TB option on that drive, the 4TB model seems to be missing in action. Before the 8TB model was introduced by Corsair, it might have been a long time to infer the inference, as it fits in the 2242-size M.2 modules can be a huge challenge.
Aside from these points, the Corsair EX400U is by far the most affordable USB4 drive. It throws gloves at the feet of Samsung, sanding and keys, and I’m really happy to see them competing with other people’s hardware.
Should I buy the Corsair Ex400U?
| value | Cheaper than other options, but not cheap | 4/5 |
| design | Small, lightweight, not waterproof, but has a magsafe bottom | 4/5 |
| Performance | Faster than any USB 3.2 SSD, most Thunderbolt drives. | 4,5 / 5 |
| Comprehensive | Pirates defeat the sander, which is crucial to the prize | 4.5 / 5 |
If…buy it
if…
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