Seagate-owned brand, LaCie, is showing its dedication to its creative professional consumer base with the release of new portable storage drives. The company has recently introduced the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD, which boasts a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface.
The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ecosystem has been gaining popularity with the rise of low-cost portable SSDs that utilize native controllers. LaCie is jumping on this trend with the release of their Rugged Mini SSD, which is available in four different capacities – 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB.
A recent review of the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD focuses on its performance profile and value proposition when compared to other portable SSDs that use the same combination of NAND and UFD controllers. The drive is marketed as environment-friendly, with recyclable packaging.
The design of the Rugged Mini SSD includes an orange-colored rubber bumper, a metal enclosure with plastic end-caps, and an IP54 rating for ruggedness. Inside, it features a Silicon Motion SM2320 controller and Micron B47R 176L 3D TLC NAND.
When comparing the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD to other drives, a comparison table highlights the similarities in specifications between the LaCie Rugged Mini and the Crucial X10 Pro. However, the review also notes the differences in firmware and thermal solutions, which can affect performance.
To evaluate the performance of the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD, a testbed setup and evaluation methodology were explained. This included the use of a Quartz Canyon NUC with PCIe slots and a SilverStone SST-ECU06 add-in card for USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 testing. Multiple workloads were evaluated, including synthetic benchmarks, real-world access traces, custom robocopy workloads, and a sequential write stress test.
The review goes into detail about the performance, power consumption, and effectiveness of the thermal solution of the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD. Overall, the drive proves to be a reliable and high-performing option for creative professionals in need of portable storage.
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