If you’re looking for an external portable solid-state drive with 500GB of storage space, you’ve come to the right place. Although external SSD is more expensive than external hard drives, SSD has a much faster transfer rate and it’s more compact.
Depending on your application, 500 Gigabytes of storage should be enough space for your needs. Unfortunately, not all solid-state drives were made equal. Some can be slower than others, some are buggy, and some have a tougher build quality.
However, after extensive research, testing, and reviews; We formulated a list of the 8 best portable external SSD 500GB. Each one of these is very reliable and provides excellent durability!
In Short, Here Are The Best External Solid State Drive With 500 Gigabytes Of Storage
- Seagate (STJE500400)
- WDBMCG5000ABT-WESN
- LaCie STHK500800
- Samsung (MU-PA500B/AM)
- RAVPower USB-C
- SanDisk SDSSDE60-500G-G25
- G-Technology
- Seagate (Solid State)
1. Seagate (STJE500400)
First up, the Seagate (STJE500400) is a relatively popular 500GB solid-state drive with great customer reviews. Coming with the purchase is peace of mind with a 1-year limited warranty. On top of that, it also comes with a 60-day complimentary membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan and a 1-year free subscription to Mylio Create.
With a 2.95 length and 2.19 width, it’s easy to travel with. You’ll also appreciate its sturdy build and shock-resistant capabilities. Overall, it’s a great external SSD and we highly recommend it. Be sure to check out the reviews below!
Users Say: “All five stars, exactly as described and works perfectly. My console isn’t making noise anymore when it loads Netflix, it used to turn into a little jet engine when loading Netflix. It comes with 465 free space due to operating systems. I’m using this one a release Xbox One, it’s an old system that is acting brand new again because of this SSD. I couldn’t be happier with this. It loads and plays games very well, Apex is running better than ever now because of this SSD.”
Tech Specs & Details
- 3-year limited warranty
- Shockproof
- Compatible with Windows and Mac
- USB 3.0
- Portable external solid-state drive
- 1-Year Mylio Create
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- 2 months Adobe CC
2. WDBMCG5000ABT-WESN
Next up, the WDBMCG5000ABT-WESN is a remarkable SSD with 500 Gigabytes of storage space. There are a plethora of reasons why we love it. For one, it’s currently on a hefty 34% discount. Along with its fantastic value, you’ll also love its compact design, 6.5 feet drop resistance, 3-year manufacturer’s limited warranty, and shock-resistant capabilities. The primary downside with this SSD is its slower transfer rate of 300MB/s. Aside from that, it’s an excellent bang for the buck!
Users Say: “This thing is amazing! Bought it for a computer upgrade to transfer files from my bloated old machine with thousands of work and personal files and this couldn’t be easier to work with. It’s not super fast but when you are transferring 500 GB what is?”
Tech Specs & Details
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- Transfer rate: 400MB/s
- USB 3.0
- Shock-resistant
- Able to withstand falls up to 6.5 feet
- 3-year manufacturer’s warranty
- Portable external solid-state drive
3. LaCie STHK500800
The LaCie STHK500800 is an exceptional external solid-state drive providing 500 Gigabytes of space. Along with its minor 8% reduction in price, you’ll also enjoy peace of mind with its 3-year rescue data recovery service. It’s compatible with USB-C, USB 3.0, PC, Macintosh, and Thunderbolt 3.
This SSD offers a quick 540MB/s high-performance transfer speed. On top of that, it’s resistant to shock, as well. Its portable design at 3.7 inches long and 3.1 inches wide makes it fantastic for travel. Overall, it’s a dependable option!
Users Say: “This external SSD is great! I love how compact it is and it has a great transfer speed for data. It’s an excellent option for a quality, quick, compact SSD with a lot of storage space. The USB-C connection makes it the perfect choice for with everything changing over to USB-C. I got tired of having to use a dongle/dock with my MacBook Pro for my older externals so this has been a perfect fit for my workflow.”
Tech Specs & Details
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- Transfer Rate: 540MB/s
- Shock-resistant
- Solid-state
- Compatible with Mac, PC, USB 3. 0, and Thunderbolt 3,
- Portable SSD
4. Samsung (MU-PA500B/AM)
Amazingly, the Samsung (MU-PA500B/AM) had a significant price cut. Although we’re unsure if this discount is permanent or temporary, we believe it’s either way, a great choice. Along with its wild popularity, this portable SSD has the highest customer reviews on the market by far. It also comes with an extensive 3-year limited warranty.
This SSD provides AES 256-bit hardware encryption which keeps your data secure. Providing a 540MB/s transfer rate, you’ll be very satisfied with its speed. Along with its longevity, most user’s favorite attribute about this SSD is its V-NAND technology which renders large-sized 4-K videos!
Users Say: “I was actually surprised at how small and light the drive was when I got it. I’m using it on a 2017 13” MacBook Pro and have it formatted with APFS (Encrypted). While I’m not seeing the quoted average “up to” speeds of 500+ MB/s, they are still impressive (see screenshot). I use this drive for my video editing (scratch disk and saving). It works great for Final Cut Pro and ScreenFlow Pro.”
Tech Specs & Details
- Transfer Rate: 540MB/S
- 3-year limited warranty
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- Portable external SSD
- Aes 256-Bit encryption
5. RAVPower USB-C
With near-flawless user reviews, the RAVPower USB-C is an exceptional 500GB solid-state drive. It’s brilliantly compact and easy to travel within your pocket. Offering a 540MB/s transfer rate, you’ll be very satisfied with the speed. Another fantastic attribute is its AES 256 bit hardware encryption which keeps your data secure. With tough build quality, shockproof capabilities, quick speed, and universal compatibility; It’s an incredible choice for just about any application!
Users Say: “Used for storing photos off of main computer hard drive. Had been looking for a place to be able to host my Mac Photo library and after several tries where the portable drive was too slow, I think this is finally the product to do it for me. Data transfer is super fast and capacity is more than enough!”
Tech Specs & Details
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 Interface
- AES 256 bit hardware encryption
- Zinc-aluminum alloy casing
- Portable external solid-state drive
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- Transfer rate: 540MB/s
6. SanDisk SDSSDE60-500G-G25
For good reasons, the SanDisk SDSSDE60-500G-G25 is the most famous external 500GB SSD on the market. It’s compatible with both Macintosh and PC. Along with its fast transfer rate of 550MB/s, you’ll also love sturdy but portable construction. This solid-state drive is shock resistant, able to withstand vibration, repels dust, and IP55-rated water-resistant.
On top of its excellent build quality, you might appreciate its ability to lock on a keychain or backpack, as well. With the purchase, you get 3 years of peace of mind with its warranty. It’s a superb choice with phenomenal reviews and we absolutely recommend it!
Users Say: “I cannot believe you can get such a perfect drive with so much memory packed into such a tiny package that works so well for such a low price. Sorry for the run-on sentence, but this little hard drive blows me away. Using it with a Macbook Pro. For Apple users only: when you get it, get rid of the pre-loaded software. This is very easy to do even if you are a complete novice. Go to Disk Utility and Erase. Name it whatever you want. Format as Mac OS Extended (Journaled), Scheme GUID Partition Map. That’s it! You now have the most versatile solid-state portable external drive out there. One note: it does get quite warm if you transfer a lot of data over extended periods, but that hasn’t affected its performance for me in the slightest. Lightning fast, even with USB 2.0.”
Tech Specs & Details
- Transfer Rate: 550MB/s
- Portable SSD
- Dust-resistant
- Solid-state
- Shock-resistant
- Automatic backup
- USB-C, USB 3.1
- 3-year limited manufacturer warranty
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- IP55-rated Waterproof
7. G-Technology
Not only does the G-Technology have near-flawless ratings and customer reviews, but it’s on a massive 39% discount, as well. There are a plethora of reasons why we love this 500GB SSD. For one, it provides a very fast transfer rate of 560MB/s. Not only is it IP67 water-resistant, but it’s also shockproof and able to withstand 1000 pounds of crush resistance.
You get a 5-year limited warranty with the purchase. We primarily recommend this SSD for anyone who wants the perfect combination between easy portability, fast transfer speed, and durable build. It’s a fantastic bang for the buck and we highly recommend it. Be sure to check out the reviews below!
Users Say: “This is one of several SSD’s that will work right out of the box with an iPad or Mac without needing to reformat. Given that my 2017 iPad Pro uses a Lightning connection, which can’t provide power, I hooked it up with the enclosed USB-3 to USB-C cable as shown, using the Apple camera connector. The drive then showed up in the iPad Files App. Transferring various files and photos was very fast. Newer iPads with the USB-C connections can connect directly to the drive with the enclosed USB-C to USB-C cable. The drive is small enough to carry with my iPad and assorted bits in my bag. I like that I don’t always need to be looking for an outlet. My only concern is that it’s so small I might lose it!”
Tech Specs & Details
- Portable SSD
- Crush resistant of 1000 pounds
- Shock-resistant
- Vibration-resistant
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
- Transfer Rate: 560MB/s
- IP67 Water-resistant
8. Seagate Barracuda
The Seagate Barracuda is an excellent SSD providing 500 Gigabytes of storage space. It’s compatible with Macintosh, PC, PS4, and Xbox. Along with its sleek stylish design, you’ll love its fast 540MB/s transfer rate, as well. For gaming, you can effortlessly save 50+ titles. It has outstanding user reviews and ratings across the board!
Users Say: “This external SSD is great! I love how compact it is and it has a great transfer speed for data. It’s an excellent option for a quality, quick, compact SSD with a lot of storage space. The USB-C connection makes it the perfect choice with everything changing over to USB-C. I got tired of having to use a dongle/dock with my MacBook Pro for my older externals so this has been a perfect fit for my workflow. I bought both this and a LaCie SSD in the same dimensions. I bought each because they have different color strips around the drives (and obviously the brand names on them) so I can easily determine which drive I need to grab depending on the work that I am doing.”
Tech Specs & Details
- Compatible Xbox, PS4, PC, and Mac
- Transfer rate: 540MB/s
- Stores store 50+ titles for gaming console
- Portable external solid-state drive
- 500 Gigabytes of storage space
Quick Recap
Here Are The Best External SSD 500GB
- Seagate (STJE500400)
- WDBMCG5000ABT-WESN
- LaCie STHK500800
- Samsung (MU-PA500B/AM)
- RAVPower USB-C
- SanDisk SDSSDE60-500G-G25
- G-Technology
- Seagate (Solid State)
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