The new Crucial X6 is an affordable external USB-C SSD designed for high capacity and maximum portability. This drive is affordable for those who need fast, reliable and large storage capacity beyond what they can get with a portable hard drive, making it a contender for our list of the best external SSDs. Its rated performance is nothing to write home about. Homeabout and comes with minimal frills and extras.
Crucial’s original X6 used a DRAM-less SATA controller with a similar type of flash, but limited sequential read throughput to 540MBps. The new model, tested at a massive 4 TB, is rated at up to 800 MBps. This makes it a good choice for on-the-go storage or if you want to back up your data relatively quickly. Performance expectations should be tempered. Content creators may want to look at something like the Samsung T7 Shield instead.
This drive is lightweight and small enough to easily slip into your laptop bag or backpack. It’s also designed to withstand drops and runs pretty cool. However, it doesn’t come with a Type-A cable, which can make it less attractive.
specification
| product | 500GB | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| price | $59.99 | $79.99 | $169.99 | $359.99 |
| Capacity (User / Raw) | 500GB/512GB | 1000GB/1024GB | 2000GB/2048GB | 4000GB/4096GB |
| form factor | ||||
| interface/protocol | USB-C / USB Gen3 2×1 | USB-C / USB Gen3 2×1 | USB-C / USB Gen3 2×1 | USB-C / USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 |
| include | USB Type-C to Type-C cable | USB Type-C to Type-C cable | USB Type-C to Type-C cable | USB Type-C to Type-C cable |
| controller | Phison U17 | Phison U17 | Phison U17 | Phison U17 |
| DRAM | No | No | No | No |
| memory | Micron 176L QLC (N48R) | Micron 176L QLC (N48R) | Micron 176L QLC (N48R) | Micron 176L QLC (N48R) |
| Sequential read | 540MBps | 800MBps | 800MBps | 800MBps |
| Sequential write | none | none | none | none |
| random read | none | none | none | none |
| random write | none | none | none | none |
| safety | none | none | none | none |
| Power | bus power | bus power | bus power | bus power |
| Endurance | Drop resistance (2m) | Drop resistance (2m) | Drop resistance (2m) | Drop resistance (2m) |
| Endurance (TBW) | none | none | none | none |
| size | 11 x 69 x 64mm (length x width x height) | 11 x 69 x 64mm (length x width x height) | 11 x 69 x 64mm (length x width x height) | 11 x 69 x 64mm (length x width x height) |
| weight | <40g | <40g | <40g | <40g |
| part number | CT500X6SSD9 | CT1000X6SSD9 | CT2000X6SSD9 | CT4000X6SSD9 |
| guarantee | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years | 3 years |
The Crucial X6 is available in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. The 500GB SKU is still limited to its original peak read throughput of 540MBps. However, the larger models are currently rated at up to 800MBps for sequential reads. The drive can withstand drops of up to 2 meters (approximately 6.5 feet). The drive is small and lightweight, specified at less than 1.5 ounces, and fits easily in your pocket. Crucial backs this drive with his 3-year warranty.
Pricing is best with capacities of 1 TB and above. Anyway, if you buy a drive like this, you should consider it. The cost per gigabyte may be lower, but still reasonable against the competition. Best to buy this for basic storage expansion. The Crucial X6 is not intended to be a high-end product.
Software and accessories
The Crucial X6 comes with a Type-C to Type-C cable, but you can purchase a Type-C to Type-A cable separately. Crucial’s free downloadable Storage Executive software works with the X6 and allows firmware updates, drive function management, and drive health monitoring. Crucial’s Momentum cache feature provides the ability to dedicate system memory (RAM) to act as cache for the drive, but due to concerns about data integrity in the event of an unexpected power outage or power loss, this feature is not recommended. Not recommended.
look carefully
The Crucial X6 comes in a relatively small rounded black case, but Crucial claims it can survive a 2-meter drop. One side has a USB-C connector for connecting the included Type-C to Type-C cable, and the back has basic information about the drive, such as capacity and serial number. There’s nothing fancy here, but the drive’s small, lightweight nature makes it very portable.
Internally, we see EMI shielding, tape, and thermal padding. The latter can keep the drive relatively cool during extended use. Beneath all of this is his PCB, which includes the DRAM-less controller and his two NAND packages on each side (4 total) for the 4TB SKU.
A closer look at the controller reveals various power circuits centered around the Phison PS6103 PMIC. The lack of a bridge chip indicates that this controller is an embedded hybrid design that manages both interface and flash.
The original Phison PS2251-17 controller was used for USB flash drives with USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 interface and Type-A connector. When used in that application, it is often limited in speed and capacity. Phison recently developed his U17 based on this. It has the same interface with a Type-C connector. The controller can also manage up to 4 TB of flash and reach faster. The U17 is a native UFD controller in the same vein as Silicon Motion’s SM2320 used in the Kingston XS2000.
In this case, it has a USB-C connector and delivers speeds of up to 800 MBps. That’s less than the 10 Gbps interface and 1 GBps U17 can handle, and can be combined with up to 4 TB of QLC. This 2-channel controller typically manages up to 16 dies, so this capacity pushes the controller a bit. We previously reviewed an Inland Platinum external SSD that uses the same controller and QLC flash, but it’s just faster and smaller in capacity.
The flash module is labeled NY165. These are 8Tb (1TB) modules for a total of 4TB. Each of the four modules has eight 1Tb (128GB) QLC dies in an 8DP/ODP configuration. This is a new QLC flash based on the same architecture as the 176L TLC (B47R), specifically Micron’s 176-layer QLC (N48R). After suspecting this during testing, I confirmed with Crucial, who said the updated drive with the U17 may come with new flash, although he booted with a 96-layer QLC. .
This differs from the floating gate (FG) QLC that Micron has created in partnership with Intel with 64 and 96 layers. Micron previously used his 96L QLC in the original X6, pairing it with Silicon Motion’s DRAM-less SM2259XT SATA controller with a 5Gbps ASMedia ASM235CM bridge chip. This new QLC is in some of his OEM drives from Micron and should be in the P3 and P3 Plus. The latter review covers the deeper technical aspects of Flash.
The SSD market should see more 176-layer or equivalent QLC from multiple manufacturers in the coming months. This is relevant as it suggests that QLC may eventually gain a decent market share while performing well enough to replace TLC in many cases. This also means getting a higher capacity drive with a lower cost per gigabyte, especially as the price of his NAND continues to plummet. Products like the 4TB X6 are becoming more common, especially with newer UFD controllers, so use this review as a baseline.
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