Thursday 20 August 2015

Transcend ESD400 256GB Portable SSD

Transcend ESD400 256GB Portable SSD

Ultimate portable storage speed in a pocket-sized device

It's not uncommon now to hole hundreds of gigabytes in your pocket, but there are often limitations to large USB sticks and the like. However, Transcend may have a solution. The ESD400 is a portable Solid State Drive with capacities ranging from 128GB up to 1TB, with our review model being the 256GB version; all of which support superfast USB3.0 to UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) with the potential to hit read speeds up to 410MB per second, and write speeds of 380MB per second.


It's an SSD in an enclosure, thus devoid of moving parts and extremely light, weighing just 56g, and is a pocket sized 92 x 62 x 10.5mm. The enclosure is a toughened matt black plastic, with a polished and decorated front panel emblazoned with the Transcend logo and a small activity LED located in the upper left. The top of the ESD400 houses the UASP connection and a single one-touch backup button, which when used in conjunction with the Transcend Elite Data Management Software will initiate an instant auto-copy and synchronisation.

The drive and case are capable of withstanding more than their fair share of knocks and exposure to environmental elements, far more than most off the shelf USB sticks can. In the box you get the drive itself, a 450mm USB3.0 to UASP cable, a stylish soft Transcend logo printed carry case, and the warranty card. It may not sound like much, but since this is a preformatted FAT32 OS independent device there's little need to clutter the packaging with unnecessary waste. Plus, it's only got a single connection so there's little need for requiring instructions or a quick start guide.

In terms of performance, the ESD400 is fairly quick. The ATTO benchmark we ran scored a decent 353MB per second on the read test, and 216MB per second on the write test - both with the 8192KB transfer size. The 4096KB transfer test yielded a better result, with 443MB per second read, and 250MB per second write. All numbers that are good for a portable drive.

The Transcend Elite Data Management Software, for both Windows and Mac, adds backup and restore functionality, along with encryption, bookmark syncing and file/folder syncing as configured through the UI. It's an effective set of tools, but you don't need them to get the best out of the device.

This is an impressive, quick, convenient storage device. Its uses are many and varied, especially where fast access is essential, but it's also a real contender for rapid backups. David Hayward

Blistering performance in a compact and stylish portable device.