For some users, portable storage doesn’t need to be fast, just spacious and convenient. But many others will take all the speed that they can get. For just one example: when you plug in your portable drive to your primary editing PC to access high-resolution camera assets, the transfer speed from your external storage can be the primary bottleneck in your workflow.
If you’re a PC enthusiast with a use case that’s similarly limited by the transfer speeds from your external storage devices, you’ve probably been watching the portable SSD enclosure market closely in recent years. Advances in both SSD technology and the emergence of high-bandwidth connectivity through tech like USB4® have brought us closer to a world where data transfer speeds from portable external storage is no longer your primary bottleneck.
But one limiting factor has stuck around stubbornly even as the field has advanced, and it’s one that PC users know quite well. We’re talking about heat. The latest high-end SSDs get warm quickly when tasked with sustained workloads. To avoid slowdowns caused by thermal throttling, you need substantial cooling. That’s why motherboards like the ROG Crosshair X870E Dark Hero feature powerful dedicated cooling for the drive in the primary M.2 slot.
Back in the labs, we’ve been working on a new approach for portable SSD enclosures that would help enthusiasts access more of the jaw-dropping speeds possible with today’s NVMe SSDs. The result of our efforts is the ProArt PA40SU USB4 portable SSD enclosure. Let’s take a closer look.
A fast, upgradeable approach to external storage
When many folks think about ways to transfer data from one device to another, flash drives come to mind. These thumb-sized drives are small, readily available, and convenient. Increasingly, you can find options that offer high transfer speeds and spacious storage, too.
But M.2 drives typically offer even faster speeds, making them a better choice for scenarios that call for speed above all else. The question is how to use an M.2 drive for external storage.
The answer is a portable SSD enclosure. Simply put, a portable SSD enclosure is a small device that has two primary jobs. First, it connects an SSD to another device, typically a laptop or desktop PC, though game consoles, gaming handhelds, smartphones, and tablets are other possibilities. Second, it encloses and protects the SSD so that you can safely take it with you. A good portable SSD enclosure allows for easy installation and replacement of the M.2 drive, fast transfer speeds, effective cooling, and rugged protection against wear and tear.
Your best choice for premium cooling and high-end data transfers
The ASUS portable SSD enclosure family gives you plenty of options. Whether you just need a handy entry-level option to pair with an older drive or a ruggedized model ready to take a beating and keep on ticking, we’ve got you covered.
The new ProArt PA40SU stands out in two ways. First, it leverages USB4 to deliver up to 40Gbps transfer speeds, making it the fastest model in our lineup. This extra gear makes the PA40SU your premium pick for storage-intensive tasks like 4K video editing, large asset transfers, and speedy backups.
Enabling these high-end speeds required us to innovate a new approach for cooling. Most portable SSD enclosures rely on passive cooling, but the ProArt PA40SU ups the ante with an active cooling design. It features a built-in four-level smart cooling fan and a thermal pad to efficiently manage heat during demanding creative workflows. Despite the advanced cooling hardware, we were able to maintain a sleek profile for the PA40SU. Featuring a slim 3.4mm profile, it’s an easy addition to your travel kit.
It’s fair to ask how effective an active cooling solution can be in such a slim enclosure — and how quietly it’s able to do its work when the heat is on. In our tests, the PA40SU transferred up to 2960GB of data continuously over a 30-minute period. And that’s without making distracting noise. Even during heavy data transfers, this portable SSD enclosure maintains an ultraquiet acoustic profile of just 19.2dB(A). With operation that quiet, even a librarian wouldn’t feel the need to shush you.
Perhaps you’d feel better about the long-term health of your M.2 drive if you could keep an eye on its vitals. The ProArt SSD Dashboard offers real-time visibility into your drive’s status, health, and performance through an intuitive monitoring interface.
Installing your drive is a breeze, too. The PA40SU features a tool-free installation design with a convenient push-to open mechanism. Getting in, installing your drive, and closing things up couldn’t be easier.
Premium storage performance at your fingertips
Today’s high-end SSDs are pushing all limits when it comes to performance, but your options for accessing these speeds in an external device have been limited — until today. The ProArt PA40SU wields USB4 and powerful cooling to give you a premium connection to your data. This portable SSD enclosure will be available very soon. For U.S. customers, pricing will be $19.99 (USD). Click here to be notified as soon as stock is available.