Crucial X8 Portable NVMe SSD 1 TB

[W1zzard]

Crucial's X8 portable SSD offers amazing performance with up to 1 GB/s transfer rates. Internally, this is a real M.2 NVMe SSD similar to the Crucial P1. Priced at only $130 for the reviewed 1 TB variant, the X8 is very affordable, cheaper than buying the SSD and enclosure separately.

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[TheLostSwede]

Crucial really makes the fugliest product designs...
I just don't get it, would it have been that hard to spend another 50 cents on the housing to make something that looks a bit better?

 

[W1zzard]

Crucial really makes the fugliest product designs...
I just don't get it, would it have been that hard to spend another 50 cents on the housing to make something that looks a bit better?

How would you like it to look? Seems fine to me?

 

[TheLostSwede]

How would you like it to look? Seems fine to me?

It just looks cheaply made, like most of their "retail" products.
I have one of their USB drives in a drawer somewhere and in as much as it was a really fast USB drive at the time, it looks like a turd.
Their products are usually quite good, but they need a product designer...
In fact, I got a USB to SATA M.2 enclosure that is smaller and looks better than that.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Crucial really makes the fugliest product designs...
I just don't get it, would it have been that hard to spend another 50 cents on the housing to make something that looks a bit better?

Im from the group that doesn't care that it doesn't look modeled after a Lamborghini huracan. So long as its functional, reliable and transfers data as fast as a lambo

 

[Chrispy_]

I was interested to see if this was a decent enclosure and SSD since at $130 it's about $20 cheaper (converting to € pre-tax, at least) than buying, say, a 660p and NVMe-to-USB 3.1 enclosure.

But no. Why do they have to make the enclosure twice the width it needs to be? For what purpose?
"Portable" in the product name means that the #1 design feature should be to make it compact.

I have a few NVMe enclosures and this is at least 50% larger than the largest of them for reasons known only to some ass-backward designer at Crucial. Seriously, every single one of them has a PCB with space for the M.2 drive on one side and all the components for the enclosure on the other side.

I also have a M.2 2242 enclosure that is quite literally 1/8th the size of this carbuncle. It is admittedly only a SATA enclosure so I appreciate the PCB design is an unfair comparison.

 

[TheLostSwede]

This enclosure from Vantec looks so much nicer.

M.2 NVMe SSD To USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 Type C Enclosure, Revised Toolless

Revised to Toolless for Easy Access and Quick Swapping of M.2 NVMe. This Latest NVMe enclosure with USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 Type C interface is a new addition to the NexStar SX Family with the signature write protect function. This Anodized Aluminum crafted Enclosure with Heat Sink on the enclosure...

vantecusa.com

Also, look at the USB-C connector, it doesn't have any "outer walls" so depending on the tolerances of the housing, it's possible to damage the connector much easier than with a "full" USB-C port.

 

[newtekie1]

The drive is meh, especially the transfer rates. As the review says HDDs are too slow because it takes over 3 hours to transfer 1TB at 100MB/s, but then drive drive drops down to 100MB/s after 150GB. So it's not really much faster in that scenario, is it?

It doesn't really compel me to switch from my WD Blue SSD in this awesome Orico enclosure. I kind of wish the enclosure was USB-C, but that's about the only minor gripe I have with it.

This enclosure from Vantec looks so much nicer.

See, I disagree. I like the Crucial enclosure much better. Plain black, nothing fancy, looks better than flashy BS any day of the week.

 

[TheLostSwede]

See, I disagree. I like the Crucial enclosure much better. Plain black, nothing fancy, looks better than flashy BS any day of the week.

Flashy BS? It's a simple aluminium housing with a smaller form factor...
Are you sure you looked at the same product as me?

 

[QUANTUMPHYSICS]

So basically, you can buy a 1TB M.2 for around $80 and put it within a portable m.2-to-USB 3.1 casing from Ebay and make your own. Or buy a 2TB for less than $200.

 

[Sandbo]

This was $59 CAD on black Friday, I spent 5 mins in the toilet thinking about it, then I missed the deal.
FML.

 

[newtekie1]

Flashy BS? It's a simple aluminium housing with a smaller form factor...
Are you sure you looked at the same product as me?

It's shiny, it's got all those useless slits cut in it that only serve to get caught on shit in my bag. That's the flashy BS.

Give me smooth matte black of GTFO with that flashy garbage.

 

[TheLostSwede]

It's shiny, it's got all those useless slits cut in it that only serve to get caught on shit in my bag. That's the flashy BS.

Give me smooth matte black of GTFO with that flashy garbage.

You are aware NVMe drives get quite hot, right? So those "slits" are actually part of the thermal management, but whatever...

 

[newtekie1]

You are aware NVMe drives get quite hot, right? So those "slits" are actually part of the thermal management, but whatever...

You are aware NVMe drives don't really get that hot when their running off USB so those "slits" are actually completely useless fancy design features, but whatever...

 

[killster1]

Crucial really makes the fugliest product designs...
I just don't get it, would it have been that hard to spend another 50 cents on the housing to make something that looks a bit better?

looks fine to me, my issue is that its qlc thats why its so cheap. you can buy a case and nvme for the same price (30 for case, 100 for hp 1tb ex920)

 

[Cravo2002]

hello, I bought a ssd x8 2tb, I wanted to put it on the motherboard as if it were a normal ssd m.2 is it possible?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

hello, I bought a ssd x8 2tb, I wanted to put it on the motherboard as if it were a normal ssd m.2 is it possible?

Yes. But your warranty is gone if you do.

 

[Cravo2002]

oke, just one more question, how can i open the box? i tried but its very difficult to open it

 

[FreedomEclipse]

oke, just one more question, how can i open the box? i tried but its very difficult to open it

A hammer

I mean your going to void your warranty anyway by opening it so why not go all the way?

In all seriousness. There are some plastic clips..... (highlighted in red)

There are only two shown in the picture but there should be another set down the other end. You want something really really thin like a guitar pick to slip in there and softly pry away the clips and get them to release before you can slide the board out.