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The ADATA DashDrive Elite SE720 128GB external SSD is certainly a competent product, although we wish they would use compact naming conventions across their portfolio. In a world dominated by products like the iMac, iPhone and S4, this retail-targeted product needs to be called an SE720 and no more.
From packaging to your initial contact with the drive itself, it has an attractive look and feel, although the ironically named stainless steel enclosure stains remarkably quickly – so perhaps aluminium/magnesium/rubber would be a better choice for an upcoming revision.
In terms of performance it is easily faster than traditional, external mechanical drives. Sure, it's way slower than an internal SSD connected directly to the SATA ports, but it leaves mechanical drive options (internal or external) in the dust.
That said, we need to keep in mind the usage model for this kind of product.
Sure, it can be used with ‘Windows To Go‘ (which is part of 8.1 Enterprise), to allow you to boot to your own desktop (complete with data and apps) almost anywhere. As such, it is a glimpse into a much more mobile future for workers.
Looking at its size (physical and data), performance and pricing (around £100 in the UK), it seems to be a perfect choice for people with jobs that require a dash of style and huge data transfers. A good example would be a video editor who needs to regularly travel to a client with project updates etc.
Lastly, if you're the kind of person that wants to work at A and B, but not necessarily between A and B, then this is a great way to carry around your full desktop PC, but you would need the right set-up at home and work for it to function correctly.
Taking all of those things into account, Pros and Cons, it is not a ‘Must Have' for everyone, but it is certainly ‘Worth Buying' if you need fast access to large amounts of data – without weighing yourself down with mechanical drives.
Expected to retail in the UK for £99, it is pretty good value. We did a quick check around high street stores and found a 128GB PNY USB pen drive in Staples for £99, but that only offers 15MB/sec write and 25MB/sec read.
Pros
- Looks good straight out of the box
- Easy to install and get up and running
- Very fast data transfer for an external device
- One Touch back-up system
Cons
- Chassis marks easily
- 128GB is not going to back up an entire system
KitGuru says: Perfect drive for fast moving media types, but if you need a full backup solution then it will be too small.
