The Lexar SL660 Blaze is designed for gaming and high-performance device users that are looking to increase storage on their console or premium gaming rig. To ensure you know it’s for gaming, Lexar has a light ring on the side of the SSD. The SL660 Blaze leverages a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface along with NVMe performance to give users up to 2,000MB/s read and 1,900MB/s write speeds.
The Lexar SL660 Blaze is designed for gaming and high-performance device users that are looking to increase storage on their console or premium gaming rig. To ensure you know it’s for gaming, Lexar has a light ring on the side of the SSD. The SL660 Blaze leverages a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface along with NVMe performance to give users up to 2,000MB/s read and 1,900MB/s write speeds.
Lexar SL660 Blaze
Lexar has been around for some time now as a brand for memory solutions, being in business for about 25 years now. Lexar has a wide range of products ranging from DDR5 RAM sticks all the way to memory card accessories, however, Lexar has recently been getting into gaming products to deliver high-quality computer products.
The SL660 Blaze is one of the newest additions to Lexar’s portfolio of high-performance portable SSDs, and in this case, the SL660 was built for performance on a common standard.
Lexar has made this portable SSD in two different sizes, a 512GB version and a 1TB version. It’s a bit odd there’s no 2TB version, especially with the gaming focus. Games aren’t getting any smaller and 512GB isn’t going to get you very far. SanDisk for instance offers a competing drive in capacities up to 4TB.
The physical size of the drive is also quite small and stylish, measuring 112.6mm x 57.4mm x 10.6mm (4.43in x 2.26in x 0.42in) and weighing only 80 grams. The size of the SL660 is barely bigger than that of a credit or ID card making it easily portable as anyone could carry it in their pocket and not have to worry about transporting or moving a bulky device for a gaming station.
As for the build quality of the SL660, it does offer decent shock protection and vibration resistance as it features a premium aluminum enclosure with a sandblasted finish for added protection.
The SL660 Blaze has an RGB light highlighting in the small carrying handle on the drive. As in most gaming setups nowadays, the big thing is how customizable are setups through RGB lighting. With the SL660, users get an automatic light ring that adds some atmosphere, but can’t be managed or disabled.
Another style element that comes with the SL660, is a detachable stand that allows users to have a better-looking workspace, tilting the drive on its side. It also comes with a durable pouch for added convenience.
Another important feature of the SL660 is the added security protection that Lexar has included. The SL660 Blaze supports advanced security software with 256-bit AES encryption to protect all the contents on the drive against corruption, loss, and deletion. This security software allows users to create a password-protected safe that automatically encrypts data, and if files are deleted, they are erased and can’t be recovered.
The Lexar SL660 Blaze 512GB model is currently going for $119.99 on Amazon, while the 1TB model is currently listed for $189.99. Each Lexar SL660 model is also backed by a 5-year limited warranty.
Lexar SL660 Blaze Specifications
| Capacity | 512GB/1TB |
| Color | Graphite Grey |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen2x2 |
| Performance | Speed up to 2000MB/s read, up to 1900MB/s write |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C ~ 70°C |
| Storage Temperature | -40°C ~ 85°C |
| Dimension | 57.4 x 112.6 x 10.6mm / 1.722” x 3.378 ”x 0.318” |
| Weight | 80g / 0.176lbs |
| Systems Supported | Mac® OSX 10.6+, Windows® 10/8/7, Android 4.4+ |
| Warranty | 5-year limited warranty |
Performance
Moving on to our testing of the Lexar SL660, the first test that we ran was the Blackmagic Design Disk Speed Test on a Lenovo P520. The Lexar SL660 hit a pretty high mark of 1,611.1MB/s (1.6GB/s) write and was able to get 1,758.6MB/s (1.75GB/s) read. Decently high speeds and along the lines of what we expected to get from this drive as it was intended for gaming. The other part of the test, the “Will it Work?” section was a complete success from the SL660 as it hit every checkmark showing that it supports all video types.
The next test is IOMeter, in which we looked at 2MB sequential read and write, 2MB random read and write, and then 4K random read and write. In our first test, the SL660 gave a lower speed than the peak claims, however, this is due to the nature of the benchmark as since it is a single-thread test. In the 2MB sequential, the SL660 got 1,298MB/s write and 1,597MB/s read, and in the 2MB random, 1,204MB/s write and 1,309MB/s read. Lastly, in our 4K tests, the SL660 reached 19,589 IOPS write and 4,313 IOPS read.
| IOMeter (1-Thread) |
|
| Test | Results |
| 2MB sequential write | 1,298.27MB/s (1.3GB/s) |
| 2MB sequential read | 1,597.99MB/s (1.6GB/s) |
| 2MB random write | 1,204.17MB/s (1.2GB/s) |
| 2MB random read | 1,309.95MB/s (1.3GB/s) |
| 4K random write | 19,589.63 IOPS |
| 4K random read | 4,313.64 IOPS |
Moving on to our other IOMeter test, this benchmark was a 4-thread test meaning that it put more of a strain on the drive to try to get as much performance out of it as possible. Starting in the 2MB tests, in the sequential section, the SL660 was able to get 1,790MB/s write and 1,979MB/s read, and in the random section, 1,618MB/s write and 1,835MB/s read. Lastly, in the 4K random tests, the SL660 reached 64,145 IOPS write and 14,329 IOPS read.
| IOMeter (4-Thread) |
|
| Test | Results |
| 2MB sequential write | 1,790.09MB/s (1.8GB/s) |
| 2MB sequential read | 1,979.76MB/s (1.9GB/s) |
| 2MB random write | 1,618.69MB/s (1.6GB/s) |
| 2MB random read | 1,835.22MB/s (1.8GB/s) |
| 4K random write | 64,145.92 IOPS |
| 4K random read | 14,329.8 IOPS |
Conclusion
Overall, the Lexar SL660 is a step forward in high-speed portable gaming drives from Lexar. The SL660 is made for gamers and performance users who need a storage device with a high-speed interface to save more of their favorite content. With a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface, a detachable stand for style, 256-bit AES encryption software, and a 5-year limited warranty, the Lexar SL660 Blaze brings a lot to the table.
When looking at performance, we ran our standard Blackmagic Design and IOMeter speed tests. In the Blackmagic Design benchmark, we saw 1,611MB/s write and 1,758MB/s read, very quick speeds from a gaming drive and quite close to the 2,000/1,900MB/s speeds reported by Lexar. What was more impressive however in the Blackmagic Design test was that the SL660 Blaze was able to hit every checkmark in the “Will it Work?” section meaning that it supports all video bitrates.
In our IOMeter benchmark, the single thread 2MB workloads we saw showed 1,298MB/s write and 1,597MB/s read in the sequential load, and 1,204MB/s write and 1,309MB/s read in the random load, a little light compared to the Blackmagic design test, but still decent. In the 4-thread 2MB test, we got 1,790MB/s write and 1,979MB/s read in sequential and 1,618MB/s write and 1,835MB/s read in random, just about hitting the limits of the interface.
If we have much to complain about, the capacities top out at 1TB, for gaming drives we expect to see at least a 2TB option, if not 4TB. And while we get the lights are fun, at some point vendors need to figure out a way to give end-users control over the light show. Otherwise though, the build is very good and the performance is excellent.
The Lexar SL660 Blaze Gaming Portable SSD is available in a 512GB model and a 1TB model for $119.99 and $189.99 respectively, and for those looking for more information, it can be found on Lexar’s Product Page.
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