Samsung - T7 2TB External USB 3.2 Gen 2 Portable Solid State Drive with Hardware Encryption - Indigo Blue

After debating on whether or not to completely replaced my late 2013 27" iMac and spending an exorbitant amount of time on Reddit and YouTube looking at the benefits of internal versus external SSDs. I decided against tearing the screen off of my iMac (why do you make it so hard Apple) and reconfiguring my boot disk to run off of an SSD. How did I choose this SSD? Honestly, impatience. I think the Samsung T5 would've worked just as well, given that the late 2013 iMac has thunderbolt 2 and USB 3.0/A. While the T7 is built to run super fast, I am capped out via the USB C to USB A compatibility. Also, I "needed" 2TB worth of storage, (I've been using 1TB since 2013 and I've used about 60% of it, so the need is relative and in my mind), and there wasn't a huge difference in the cost point of the T5 2TB and the T7 2B. Plus T7 was available same day and T5 had "unavailable to deliver." The install. I know it semi sounds like I know what I am doing, let me assure you - I do not. This is the first time I have made any changes and I was terrified.. but I had disk speeds in the teens and I am heavy into research and frequently have 6-7 different applications running. It was super easy. You literally plug the SSD in, wipe it, and copy your HDD over (I used carbon copy software). For me, given my 1TB HDD, it took about 4 hours. Afterwards, my disk speeds had increased from 30 to 4-500 MB/s. Well below what this SSD is rated for but once again - external SSD through a USB 3.0 and not through the thunderbolt 2. That being said - it's like a new computer. Restarts take 20-30 seconds from start to finish versus the 5-7 minutes. Applications open instantly. I can play world of warcraft on one screen while studying on another. This is a lifesaver and saved me an incredible amount of money. I would highly recommend to any novice looking to extend the life of earlier model iMacs whose HDDs are behind the glass screens. I've also bought 32GB of RAM from MacSales to replace the 8GB but it has not been delivered. I cannot see how it could improve my performance further, but we will see. Attached are the new disk speeds, this is with 9 different applications running not including World of Warcraft which is open on my second screen. Also - Don't be fooled if you google "Samsung T7 SSD iMac" and see people saying that the it will not connect to iMac, it connected just fine straight out of the box. They probably reformatted it wrong. Go to youtube, watch videos. If I can do it - you can too!

I needed more storage to run big games on my Razer blade pro 17 and Samsung didn’t fail to satisfy, I run all my library full of games on steam with no issues

I've been a fan of Samsung's portable SSDs ever since I got my first 256GB T3 drive 4 years ago. I must say, the T7 is a great upgrade. The size of the unit is roughly the size of a credit card and only 8mm thin making it so easy to slide into a pocket of your clothing or bag and take it anywhere. The built-in hardware encryption is a great feature. There is even a read-only partition on the drive that includes the installation software for when you need to access the drive on a new computer. My own personal speed tests gave 1004.6 MB/s read and 915.93 MB/s write (Blazing fast!!). The NVMe technology has certainly given this drive a leg up over the older Samsung models. The SSD also stayed cool during even extended transfer sessions. Would highly recommend. I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for my honest feedback

This is by far the easiest recommendation i have ever had to make because of how awesome the drive is. The obvious cool thing about this drive is the size. Its small and thin and can even fit in my wallet if I wanted to because it has the length and width profile of a credit card. Granted, it is a little wider than its predecessor the T5 but the difference does not affect its portability. Note that it is also thinner than the T5.Even along with the included cables it fits into any pocket without being conspicuous. This makes it very easy to travel with and use on the go. The include cables are a huge plus for me because it helps the drive deliver on performance. True almost everything is USB C now and most people have cables they can use with it, but I found that using the included cables gives a slight boost in performance. The performance of this drive is amazing. Its read and write times were almost twice as fast as the T5 which was already plenty fast. The software utility included is intuitive and easy to use. It allows for either a password or a pin which also adds to its ease of use and portability. Whether I am connected to my phone, tablet or computer it is comforting to know that my files are secure and cannot be altered without my permission. The price is also very reasonable considering the protection you get. i got the 2TB which might be overkill for most but it comes in 500GB and 1TB also. It has been worth the investment for me because I know that even if I misplace it, my intellectual property and personal items will still be protected since it will only open as a read-only drive without the password. To sum up, its sleek, fast and secure and also a must have for anyone with any digital information to protect.

Design: The T7 that I tested is the 2TB model. It is packed into a small metal body that is not much bigger than a standard USB flash drive in length and thickness. It has one USB-C port and feels very solidly built. It feels like it can take a lot of knocking around without suffering any ill effects. Ease of Use: The T7 is plug and play with my computer and PS4 console, just use the included cables for USB-C or USB 3.0 connection and you need do nothing more. No driver needed to be installed or downloaded for it to work on my Windows PC or PS4 console. It is very easy to use. PC Performance: I connected the T7 to my PC via the included USB-C cable and the drive was detected instantly on my Windows 10 computer. It came with a program on the drive that you can install to get firmware updates along with other management tools such as password protection and so on. I tested the speed by moving files of all sizes around and even GBs of files instantly from my internal SSD to this drive. It feels like you are working with an internal SSD or NVME which is amazing for an external drive. This is a great addition to any computer whether you need it to expand your storage, or maybe play games from it or to transfer files between machines as well. PS4 Performance: I connected the T7 to my PS4 via the included USB-C to USB-A cable and once I plugged it into the PS4 USB 3.0 port using this cable ti was detected immediately. The PS4 told me I had to format the hard drive in order to use it on there. It takes just pressing a a button on the controller and a few moments later it was now a part of the PS4 and called "extended storage." After that all new games you install will be installed on the T7 SSD and you can move games from your internal drive to the SSD as well. I tested one game by first loading it up from the internal PS4 hard drive and then moved the game over to the T& and loaded the game up and it booted up much quicker form the T7 SSD. So this is a great expansion to your console storage capacity and also boost performance of your games greatly when used in conjunction with a video game console. Speed: This device was on par with or faster than my computer's internal SATA SSD drives for the tests I did with it and much faster than my console's RPM drives. The only thing faster than this is an internal NVME drive and that is not portable or as convenient as this T7 is. It is a great addition to any device you plan to use it with. Conclusion: I see this SSD drive as the perfect expansion to any computer or gaming console. You get a huge boost in capacity with the 2TB version combined with speeds that feel like you are using an internal high speed SSD device. You cannot ask for more form an external hard drive right now. It is small in size, but big in capacity and performance.

Incredibly Tiny. The T7 is about the size of five credit cards stacked together. It will fit in that tiny jeans pocket, not that I would recommend that! Incredibly Fast. With the included USB-C to USB-C cable, this drive has amazing read and write speeds. It has market leading performance. A USB-A to USB C Cable is also included in the box for those with older computers. Incredibly Powerful. The included management software from Samsung will guide you when it comes to encrypting your data to keep it safe from local physical access from others. Incredibly Versatile. The 2TB option is enough for me to feel future proofed for several years of data, photo, video and audio backups locally as well as transporting files from location to location. I received this product at a discounted price in exchange for my honest feedback

For years I have been trying to find a solution of not having to carry around multiple or bulky memory devices. It's literally smaller than my wallet. It was a breeze to set up and now I feel so secure if I misplace. Aluminum case is sturdy and won't crack or damage from a small drop like some of my others I've purchased in the past. I was able to bring my workload home without having to lug the different devices I use there and still have my downloaded PS4 games loaded with tons more space still available. The speed loaded at the same rate from first file to file 247 I currently have loaded. I would definitely recommend and will be purchasing one for my son as well.   I received this item at a discounted price in exchange for my honest review.

Works perfectly. My first SSD and how fast it loads folders of pictures takes my breath away. One thing though - when the software is loaded, a message says that the drive can't be used. Don't panic. Go into the Mac utilities, then the Disk Utility app. Reformat the SSD as "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)". That's all.