Articles by Jon L. Jacobi
The best PCIe 4.0 SSDs for blistering storage speeds
Our list has picks for best PCIe 4.0 SSD overall, best on a budget, best for a game consoles, and more. Plus what you need to know about ultra-fast PCIe 4.0 drives in general.
PNY Pro Elite V3 review: This SSD looks like a USB drive—and it’s fast
The PNY Pro Elite V3’s clever physical design makes it one of my favorite 10Gbps USB sticks. It’s only the third fastest I’ve tested, but the superlative form factor makes up for it.
Addlink P21 review: This affordable, portable SSD looks great
Good 20Gbps performance and a striking design are Addlink’s formula for this external SSD.
Best Windows backup software 2025: Protect your data!
The best free and paid backup software for your Windows system, disks, and data.
Best SSDs of 2025: Reviews and buying advice
The best solid-state drives can supercharge your PC. Here are our picks for the best SSDs, and what you should know before a purchase.
Addlink G55H review: This PCIe 5.0 SSD belongs on your short list
Addlink's DRAM-less G55H NVMe SSD hauls the freight and is quite affordable for PCIe 5.0 HMB.
Is USB or Thunderbolt better for portable SSDs? The key differences, explained
A look at the various external storage options: Which is fastest, which is most compatible, which is the most affordable and… which one you should buy?
Samsung 9100 PCIe 5.0 SSD review: Mighty once more!
Once consistently top of the leader board, but recently an also-ran, Samsung storms back to the top with its latest NVMe SSD — the 9100 Pro.
Addlink S93/A93 SSD review: Good value if you opt out of the heatsink
The same drive with and without a heat sink, Addlink's A93 and S93 deliver decent PCIe 4.0/host memory buffer performance for a small outlay
PNY CS2150 SSD review: This is the PCIe 5.0 value buy to beat
The PNY CS2140 is affordable for PCIe 5.0, and excelled(for a host memory buffer design) in both synthetic benchmark and real-world testing.
Seagate Ultra Compact SSD review: Not your parents' flash drive
Seagate’s Ultra Compact SSD 10Gbps USB thumb drive delivers far better performance than generic 5Gbps or 400Mbps types.
Lexar Go SSD with Hub review: Tiny, rugged storage for your phone
Lexar’s astoundingly tiny Go SSD and hub are designed to seamlessly marry with your Type-C phone and provide extra storage for video and photos. The SSD is also IP-rated.
Corsair EX400U review: A compact, fast, and affordable external SSD
While Corsair's EX400U is on the slow side for a USB4 SSD, it’s also less expensive. It’s faster and more compatible across platforms than 20Gbps USB 3.2x2 SSDs as well.
Handy Backup 8.5 Professional review: Full-featured backup with cloud support
Given a glitch-free performance, Handy Backup might’ve garnered an Editors' Choice award. We still say take a look, but small bugs and interface foibles lessened our initial enthusiasm.
Ugreen CM642 SSD enclosure review: Fast, roll-your-own USB4 storage
With 40Gbps USB4 connectivity, this affordable enclosure lets you leverage any NVMe SSD as super-fast external storage.
WD Black SN7100 review: This record-breaking SSD is a new gaming champion
The WD Black SN7100 blazed through our benchmarks like no PCIe 4.0/HMB SSD to date. Enough to forgive some slowdowns during very long writes.
Teamgroup GE Pro NVMe SSD review: Fast but not fastest, PCIe 5.0 performance
Fast but not the fastest, Teamgroup’s GE Pro 5.0 SSD is a small step backward performance-wise from the Teamgroup Z540.
MiniTool ShadowMaker Pro 4.6 review: Fast image backup with remote control
Imaging, disaster recovery, and remote control highlight ShadowMaker Pro 4.6 — an easy-to-use, full-featured backup program. There’s also a scaled-down free version.