A few months ago, Crucial came out with the Crucial X6 Portable SSD. This was a nice-looking, Type-C portable drive that worked just fine in our tests, however, it was limited by only a cap of 2TB capacity. Crucial has now released the 4TB Crucial X6 for those that need a bit more space to store their files in a small, stylish body.
A few months ago, Crucial came out with the Crucial X6 Portable SSD. This was a nice-looking, Type-C portable drive that worked just fine in our tests, however, it was limited by only a cap of 2TB capacity. Crucial has now released the 4TB Crucial X6 for those that need a bit more space to store their files in a small, stylish body.
Considering we’ve already reviewed the product, and weren’t exactly falling over ourselves to recommend it, why review another one? One reason is our morbid curiosity to see how different capacities in the same family compare performance-wise (and we typically do this at launch when possible, example here). Another, specific to this case, is that the product has a much higher quoted speed and it is nice to put that to the test. The 4TB version of the Crucial X6 has sped up to 800MB/s versus the 2TB we previously tested that topped out around 540MB/s.
Aside from the speed, everything else is pretty much the same. The drive is drop-proof up to 6.5 feet and is resistant to shock, vibration, and extreme temperatures. The X6 is compatible with all of the recent USB-C technology, including Windows, Mac, iPad Pro, and Android devices. Those who need support with the PS4 or Xbox One (and other USB-A devices) will need to purchase a USB-C to USB-A adapter separately.
The Crucial X6 Portable SSD promises 4TB of capacity for under $500 and currently, that is the case. Like the other capacity, this one too comes with a 3-year warranty.
Crucial X6 Specifications
| Interface | USB 3.1 Gen-2 interface |
| Controller | Phison |
| Capacities | 4TB |
| Sequential read performance | 800MB/s |
| Support |
|
| Warranty | 3-years |
Crucial X6 Design and Build
The overall design is just the same with it weighing slightly more. Lyle did a nice write-up in the original review.
Crucial X6 Performance
To gauge the performance of the Crucial X6, we tested it via Blackmagic software and IOMeter, both on a Lenovo P520. We also compared it to the following recent USB 3.1 compatible drives:
For Blackmagic, the Crucial X6 was able to hit 667.7MB/s read and 748.2MB/s write a fairly big step up from the 2TB version’s 505.9MB/s read and 450MB/s write. The X8, which uses the USB 3.2 Gen2 interface, was of course much faster with 904.7MB/s read and 802MB/s write.
For IOMeter, we first looked at 2MB sequential with both 1 and 4 thread, the latter which is a higher load that pushes the drive a bit more. For 1 thread, the 4TB X6 reached 790.9MB/s read and 1.26GB/s write in 2MB sequential. This was dramatically better than the 2TB X6 (477.2MB/s read and 160.0MB/s write) and even better than the X8 (784.24 MB/s read and 760.02 MB/s write).
In 2MB random the 4TB X6 hit 760.2MB/s read and 1.24GB/s write another big step up from the 2TB version (213.6MB/s read and 149.3MB/s write) and again better than the X8 (727.33 MB/s read and 752.36 MB/s write). In 4K random, the 4TB X6 gave us 4,883 IOPS read and 25,802 IOPS write. Here it is a bit better than the 2TB version’s read speeds of 4,325 IOPS and much better than the 2TB’s write speeds of 2,822 IOPS. The X8 did better on read at 5,978 IOPS, but less on write 8,435 IOPS.
Looking at a 4-thread workload, in 2MB sequential the 4TB X6 hit 1.2GB/s read and 1.5GB/s write. Again, this is quite a leap over the 2TB X6 (539.8MB/s read and 350.4MB/s write) and even the X8 (997.99 MB/s read and 953.12 MB/s write). With 2MB random the 4TB version of the drive hit 1.11GB/s read and 1.48GB/s write compared to the 2TB X6 (500.1MB/s read and 325.0MB/s write) and the X8 (997.99 MB/s read and 949.20 MB/s write). In 4K random, the 4TB X6 hit 13,783 IOPS read and 81,702 IOPS write. The 2TB version had 15,071 IOPS read and 3,647 IOPS write and the X8 saw 39,643 IOPS read and 44,518 IOPS write.
Conclusion
Crucial took its X6 and not only double its capacity, but bumped its performance up as well. The Crucial X6 4TB looks like the previous in the series and still leverages the USB 3.1 Gen2 interface through a USB-C cord. This version is quoted to be able to hit max transfer speeds of 800MB/s. The drive is compact and easy to travel with. It is said to withstand bumps and bruises along the way as well.
For testing, we used IOMeter and Blackmagic to determine its capabilities, the former which we tested in with both one thread and four threads. In Blackmagic, the Crucial X6 4TB hit 667.7MB/s read and 748.2MB/s write. In IOMeter we ram both 1 thread and 4 thread. In 1 thread the 4TB X6 gave us 790.9MB/s read and 1.26GB/s write in 2MB sequential, 760.2MB/s read and 1.24GB/s write in 2MB random, and 4,883 IOPS read and 25,802 IOPS write in 4K random. Here the drive outperformed its quoted transfer speeds, by quite a bit. The 4TB X6 also outperformed the 2TB version and in several spots, it outperformed the X8 as well.
With 4 Thread the 4TB X6 his 1.2GB/s read and 1.5GB/s write in 2MB sequential, 1.11GB/s read and 1.48GB/s write in 2MB random, and 13,783 IOPS read and 81,702 IOPS write in 4K random. Again, we see the 4TB X6 exceeded its performance claims and at times the faster interface X8.
The 4TB Crucial X6 has all the good points about the original release only improved upon. The new version has twice the capacity and smashes past its quoted speeds. Not only did it outperform its earlier version, in certain tests it was able to outperform a drive with a faster interface. If one needs a high-capacity drive with good speeds for less than $500, the 4TB Crucial X6 checks all those boxes.
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