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0 ADATA have been providing the PC market with components for quite some time now. However, recently they have been breaking into the console market. With the release of the ADATA Legend 960 and now the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD. Their product line-up for console gamers is getting stronger and stronger.
ULTRA-FAST
When the next-gen consoles were released, both internal and external storage became a talking point. For the first time, I will be putting an external SSD to the test. Keep reading to find out how I get on.
Design
I am not going to lie, when I first opened the packaging I wasn’t quite ready for the size of the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD. With it packing a punch, I thought it would be the size of the picture on the box (at minimum). However, with its compact size, it is borderline the size of a keyring. The external SSD measures 64.8 x 35 x 12.25mm. So if you aren’t storing it in its box when it’s not in use. You better make sure you find a safe place or it could be easily misplaced.
In the box, you get the External SSD with instructions, a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A. Available as a free download you can also grab yourself a copy of the Backup Software available.
The chassis is mainly black plastic to protect the SSD with a thin metal sheath for added protection. The colourway of this particular external drive is Titanium Grey. As mentioned previously the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD is quite a small drive, even with the metal trim it only comes in at a weight of 31g.
A Closer Look
This compact external SSD has a USB-C port and can transfer up to speeds of 2,000 Mb/s. Not only that it is also backwards compatible across all USB versions to USB 2.0 so it can be used across multiple devices with no issues. It also has extended compatibility in terms of operating systems. Obviously, it has compatibility present for next-gen consoles. However, it’s also compatible across most OS including Windows, macOS X, Linux and Android. However, please check the versioning.
The ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD comes in two variations, a 1TB version and the one we are currently looking at which is the 500GB version. Obviously depending on your needs would depend on the size required. If you are heavily into video editing for example the 1TB would be much more useful.
My son and I love an evening cosying up in front of the Xbox Series S and playing through a number of games. It can be quite hard to keep his attention on solely one title. Due to this, I always ensure there is a great range of games installed. However, the Xbox Series S has limited storage. Putting the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD to the test we grabbed some new titles. I should probably start by saying that these are titles not optimised for the Series S|X and there were no issues at all. We also tried moving games from each storage type (internal to external, and vice versa) for Series S|X optimised titles. Although this took time it was a lot faster than having to redownload the title every time we wanted to play.
Final Thoughts
Despite the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD being compact and light, it feels extremely good quality. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t a rugged hard drive that you should be taking on hikes. However for creators of any kind from home and gamers then this is a fantastic option to give yourself some extra space. Due to its size and speed, it’s potentially a great candidate for photographers who want to quickly back up photos on the go.
I have always been a bit dubious when it comes to using external storage for consoles. Deep down I always think it will affect gameplay somehow. Not to mention worrying about transfer speeds and compatibility. However, I had no issues with either when testing it out on the Xbox Series S. Overall I am amazed at just what this portable device can provide, I award the ADATA Elite SE880 External SSD a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Disclaimer: A sample was received in order to write this review.
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