I have been using an old element HDD for years and it served me very well but I decided to try out an external SSD instead so I picked this one up and I could not be happier, my games run so much smoother and the download times and load times have been cut in half if not much more !! Also the size and weight is so much less than the old school HDDs lol.

Crucial X8: very fast, sturdy, compact. Great External SSD There are newer X9 and X10 now but not necessarily better.

I bought this after I found out my old external hdd was obsolete, and barely able to transfer the photos that were on it. It was a 2005 IDE 500gb HDD. After getting everything to the computer then copying them over to the new drive I was amazed at how fast it was. The speeds to transfer data are amazing from what I was used to. So far it has been great, and the drive it self feels well built and very solid.

Great deal on sale. Needed larger 2TB external drive to back-up new 2TB MacBook Pro laptop

It seems to me that storage prices are starting to drop but the storage included with a laptop doesn't increase as quickly as I would like it. Also, many laptop storage options are soldered in place preventing upgrades. So an external storage device is really needed to keep up with my storage needs. I've had External SSD storage devices from a few manufacturers. One of the smaller (in physical size) ones that are part of my collection is Crucial branded and while it works great, I decided to pick up this Crucial X8 2TB to get the faster speeds. When I first handled this Crucial X8 I was surprised at its weight. It's about 100 grams. As I flipped it over in my hand, the main body is perhaps magnesium and the ends are coated with silicone. This differs from my previous Crucial external SSD which is all plastic. I imagine that this one is magnesium to dissipate any heat. It comes with a 9.5 inch USB-C to USB-C cord and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. It's definitely a faster performer than my previous Crucial drive. I was able to transfer ISO files with ease. I will definitely pick up more of these when they come on sale. They're handy to throw everything on them without having to make room for something else.