How is a "portable" SSD a great thing?

SSDs are now cheaper than USB sticks for comparable storage size and speed, also more durable. As I'm switching to larger SSDs, I get to reuse them as portables.

essenbe said:

TC, I have one of these which works for USB 3.1 or USB 3.0
Amazon.com: Sabrent USB 3.1 (Type-A) to SSD / 2.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Adapter [Optimized for SSD, Support UASP SATA III] (EC-SS31): Computers Accessories

I also have one of these, which also works 3.1 and 3.0
Amazon.com: Sabrent 2.5-Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool-free External Hard Drive Enclosure [Optimized For SSD, Support UASP SATA III] Black (EC-UASP): Computers Accessories

Steve, pardon the dumb question....

Do either of these allow for a real TRIM operation on the SSD? I currently have a Thermaltake BlacX 5G hook into usb 3.1, and it does not allow a TRIM, shows up as a HDD, and attempts to "optimize" get flaky, and can easily roach the drive, requiring a reformat. It's a Samsung EVO 860 500GB.

orlando1974 said:

Some Amazon reviewers complained that it cannot. However, I personally don't know what TRIM is.

Simplified answer for TRIM....

https://www.howtogeek.com/257196/how...it-if-it-isnt/

f14tomcat said:

Steve, pardon the dumb question....

Do either of these allow for a real TRIM operation on the SSD? I currently have a Thermaltake BlacX 5G hook into usb 3.1, and it does not allow a TRIM, shows up as a HDD, and attempts to "optimize" get flaky, and can easily roach the drive, requiring a reformat. It's a Samsung EVO 860 500GB.

TC, the honest answer is I have no idea. Never even thought about it. I've been using both of those for about a year and have never had a problem with them. I have an 860 EVO 550 GB on them too.

I just checked and it s listed as a hard drive and not as an SSD.

essenbe said:

TC, the honest answer is I have no idea. Never even thought about it. I've been using both of those for about a year and have never had a problem with them. I have an 860 EVO 550 GB on them too.

Feel brave? If it does do a TRIM, I'll probably get one. Don't have to if you think it will cause a meltdown.

essenbe said:

TC, the honest answer is I have no idea. Never even thought about it. I've been using both of those for about a year and have never had a problem with them. I have an 860 EVO 550 GB on them too.

I just checked and it s listed as a hard drive and not as an SSD.

Just saw the added comment here. If it shows as a HDD, like it does on mine in Defrag and Optimize, it will probably try a defrag, then try to TRIM, then hang and oh well....... That's what it does here.

@orlando1974

I use 2.5" SSDs in an enclosure with support for USB3.0 and UASP. This gives me 640MB/s theoretical read and write speeds. That is more than any 2.5" SSD currently support. Being able to read and write over USB at 450-550MB/s is very useful.

The USB protocol is always backwards compatible, meaning that a USB3.1 device should work well in a USB 2.0 port, but of course the speed will be limited to about 50MB/s with UASP and only 25MB/s without UASP.