Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Excellent 20Gbps efficiency
- Super-slim, trim profile
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- Slower writing 48GB of recordsdata and folders than its SL600 cousin.
Our Verdict
If what you search is a quick, handsome USB SSD that slides into your pocket virtually imperceptibly, or mounts simply to the again of your cell gadget, then Lexar’s SL500 is probably going what you’re searching for.
Price When Reviewed
2TB: $230
Best Prices Today: Lexar SL500 20Gbps USB SSD
$199.99
Physically, Lexar’s SL500 moveable USB 3.2×2 SSD makes its SL600 and SL660 stablemates appear to be chunky monkeys. Actually, measuring a mere 0.3-inches thick (lower than 0.2 on the edges), by 2.1-inches extensive, by 3.3-inches lengthy, the SL500 make practically all exterior SSDs seem chunky.
As it’s additionally attractively styled, and weighs a mere 1.5 ounces, let’s simply say the SL500 is an excellent mannequin amongst exterior SSDs.
Further studying: See our roundup of the best external drives to study competing merchandise.
What are the SL500’s options?
The SL500 is a super-slim, USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps) exterior SSD that is available in 2TB, and shortly, 4TB flavors. It ships with a brief Type-C to Type-C cable and is warrantied for 5 years. That’s a restricted guarantee that little question assumes that you just gained’t hit it with a sledgehammer, or write a number of petabytes of knowledge to it.
The drive ships formatted to exFAT, so it’s readable and writable on each Windows and macOS (Linux too, after all) proper out of the field.
Lexar consists of its DataShield software program for each working techniques, which lets you safe the SL500 with a password. If you choose to make use of a password, you’ll want to put in the app on any pc you wish to entry the secured drive from.
How a lot does the Lexar SL500 value?
The 2TB model of the SL500 is being launched on March 20 at a listing value of $230. That’s roughly par for the course for a name-brand USB 3.2×2 20Gbps unit, although you will get name-brand 10Gbps 2TB SSDs and no-name 20Gbps 2TB SSDs for fairly a bit much less. (Our favourite 10Gbps exterior SSD, the Crucial X9 Pro, for instance, prices simply $95 for 2TB.) A 4TB model of the SL500 will likely be accessible later within the yr at an undisclosed value.
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How quick is the Lexar SL500?
The 2TB SL500 we examined fared fairly effectively towards the likes of the Samsung T9 and Crucial X10 Pro. Its artificial benchmark outcomes had been so shut (barely higher) to the beforehand reviewed SL600, I double-checked to see that I hadn’t grabbed the improper file. I hadn’t.
The outcomes had been effectively inside statistical variance and the fraternal victory was so shut, it’s more likely to be the identical controller and NAND in a distinct kind issue.
Right-click on a chart and choose “Open image in new tab” to see extra element.
Random 4K writes in CrystalDiskMark 8 had been once more excellent, and practically similar to the SL600.
Our real-world 48GB transfers had been a distinct story, and a gradual folder write dropped the SL500 two locations behind the SL600. A little bit of a thriller if we’re calling it the identical drive. That makes it the fourth quickest out of 10 USB 3.2×2 SSDs we’ve examined, although including the USB4 OWC 1M2 in 20Gbps mode drops the SL500 to fifth.
Also, you’ll want to use the shorter cable that ships with the SL500 or one licensed for 20Gbps USB. A duplicate routine truly crashed utilizing an extended plain-Jane Type-C cable — a happenstance we’ve not often seen however one we are able to’t blame on the drive.
Back to regular, the SL500 posted an virtually similar time because the SL600 writing our massive 450GB file. This makes the 48GB efficiency disparity all of the extra puzzling.
Should you purchase the SL500?
The super-slim kind issue of the SL500 renders it uniquely moveable in addition to appropriate for auxiliary storage to your cellphone or different small gadget. It’s not fairly as quick writing as some, nevertheless it’s quick sufficient that we’ll think about the SL500 a superb factor in a small bundle.
How we check
Drive assessments at the moment make the most of Windows 11 (22H2) 64-bit operating on an X790 (PCIe 5.0) motherboard/i5-12400 CPU combo with two Kingston Fury 32GB DDR5 modules (64GB of reminiscence complete). Intel built-in graphics are used. The 48GB switch assessments make the most of an ImDisk RAM disk taking on 58GB of the 64GB complete reminiscence. The 450GB file is transferred from a Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, which additionally accommodates the working system.
Each check is carried out on a newly NTFS-formatted and TRIM’d drive so the outcomes are optimum. Note that as any drive fills up, efficiency will lower resulting from much less NAND for secondary caching, and different components.
The efficiency numbers proven apply solely to the drive we had been shipped in addition to the capability examined. SSD efficiency can range with capability resulting from extra or fewer chips to learn/write throughout and the quantity of NAND accessible for secondary caching (writing TLC/QLC as SLC). Vendors additionally sometimes swap elements. If you ever discover a big discrepancy between the efficiency you expertise and that which we report (techniques being roughly equal), by all means—tell us.