The Best External SSDs For Video Editing (2022)
Last updatedThis is a list of the best external solid state drives (SSDs) I recommend and use for video editing.
But first...
Choosing A Drive
Remember - you will probably never regret having too much space AND too much speed.
Don't get confused by USB-C...
- USB-C is only a connector type
- USB-C supports both USB and Thunderbolt
- USB-C Thunderbolt ports can usually support both Thunderbolt and USB
- USB-C USB ports can usually only support USB
- Some USB-C cables do not support Thunderbolt
- Some Thunderbolt cables do not support USB-C
Know what port(s) your computer offers, then find drives that are compatible with that specific interface. Many times your computer ports will be the limiting factor for speed and compatibility.
For example, if your computer has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 capability (up to 10Gbps) and you purchase a drive with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 capability (up to 20Gbps) then you will probably only be able to get about half the read/write speeds the drive claims.
If you have a computer that supports Thunderbolt 3 or 4 then you should get the maximum performance from every drive in this list.
If you have a computer that only supports USB then some, or all, of the drives in this list may not perform to their maximum performance claims.
Many of these drives come with short cables for a reason. The shorter cables help maintain the speeds the drive manufacturers claim. If you want or need a longer cable, be sure to get a very high quality cable or you will potentially see speeds drop the longer the cable gets.
If you are editing single camera footage at 4K30 or less and and using a fairly standard codec (H.264, H.265/HEVC, ProRes, DnXHD/DnXHR, or compressed RAW formats like BRAW or ProRes RAW), then all of the drives on this list should work well.
If you are editing multi-cam footage, using formats greater than 4K30, and/or using a higher quality codec (uncompressed or higher qualities of RAW, for example), then read/write speeds greater than 1000 MB/s are recommended.
On to the list...
SanDisk Extreme Portable V2
Get Latest Price on AmazonThe absolute best convergence of speed, size, ruggedness, and price.
These little drives have become rather ubiquitous, and for good reason.
If you want a reliable and consistent drive at a great price and don't need the fastest speeds available, look no further.
Connector: USB-C
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 1050 MB/s
Samsung T5
Get Latest Price on AmazonNot as fast or rugged as my top pick, but still plenty quick for many and a steal of a price.
I own many of these and use them all the time for recording and editing 4K ProRes files.
Why do you recommend the T5 instead of the T7?
According to a lot of reviews and tests, the T7 may have higher speed claims but it tends to bog down with larger video files. The T5 does not suffer from the same bottlenecks and proves to work more consistently for editing and large file transfers.
Connector: USB-C
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 540 MB/s
SanDisk Professional G-DRIVE SSD
Get Latest Price on AmazonIf you like my top pick but want a little more ruggedness, this is the drive for you.
The same basic performance of the SanDisk Extreme Portable with the added benefit of IP67 water/dust resistance, up to 2000lb crush resistance, and better drop resistance.
Connector: USB-C
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 1050 MB/s
Sabrent Rocket Nano
Get Latest Price on AmazonI've been using a bunch of these little guys for the last 2 years and they have been excellent!
I have moved countless terabytes of 4K video files through these drives and they have performed flawlessly.
Tiny, fast, consistent, available up to 2 TB, and excellent prices.
Connector: USB-C
Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 1000 MB/s
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro
Get Latest Price on AmazonWhen you need faster speeds than my top pick but are still on a budget, look no further.
LaCie Rugged drives have been a favorite among creative professionals for more than a decade, and they have the track record to prove it.
If you're working with high quality 6K, 8K, or multiple channels of 4K files then this is a great place to start.
Connector: USB-C
Interface: Thunderbolt 3 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 3.2/3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 2800 MB/s
Glyph Atom Pro NVMe SSD
Get Latest Price on AmazonThis one goes to 11!
When you need portability, durability, and gobs of transfer speed then this is your answer.
These check all my boxes (and then some) for a great editing drive:
- Designed and built in the USA
- 3 year full warranty
- Thunderbolt 3 & 4 compatible
- Meets MIL-STD-810F standards for shock, vibration, dust, and sand resistance
- Fan-less passive cooling
- Blazing fast and consistent transfer speeds
- Bus powered
Connector: USB-C
Interface: Thunderbolt 3 (Compatible with Thunderbolt 4 and USB 3.2/3.1/3.0/2.0)
Transfer Speeds: Up to 2800 MB/s