Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
It ’s not the loyal SSD around , but the compact and portable design of the T5 EVO makes it a very affordable raise for mass who are still using sure-enough hard drive for their Time Machine back - ups .
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Samsung makes a wide reach of in high spirits - performance self-coloured - commonwealth drives , including the seriously broken T7 Shield , which has been on our list ofbest SSDs for Macfor the last couple of twelvemonth .
Its Modern T5 EVO is n’t as fast as some of its SSD rivals , but rather than vie with more expensive , high - remnant drives , Samsung is really advertize the low-priced T5 EVO as a general - aim backup gadget that allow for a degraded and more portable alternative to a ceremonious toilsome drive . And , unlike many substantial - country driving force , it provides up to 8 TB of storage , making it a good option for people who need a lot of storage blank space for their workplace file cabinet , picture and television . It ’s competitively price too , starting at $ 189.99/£146 with 2 TB of storage , while the 8 TB model cost $ 479/£493 .
It might not have the armor - plated protection of the T7 Shield , but the hardy little T5 EVO does n’t cut corners on chassis quality . The private road is very compact , measuring just 17 millimetre thick , 40 millimetre wide and 95 mm long – although that 95 mm also includes a stumpy metallic element ring on one end that can be used to bind the effort to a back pack or belt ammunition when you ’re travelling . It only weighs 102 g as well , so it ’s no difficulty to bear it around when you ’re out and about .
The drive is very solidly built , though , despite its lightweight designing , as the body of the ride is also made out of metal , and then wrap in a arctic sleeve to furnish extra tribute . Samsung tell that the T5 EVO can resist being dropped from a acme of 2 m , although it ’s a little disappointing that it does n’t cite an IP rating for opposition to H2O and dust . If you ’re disquieted about dropping the parkway in a pool or exposing it to leaden rainfall then you might want to prefer for the T7 Shield with its evaluation of IP65 , or challenger such as the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 , which also allow support for mellow - speed Thunderbolt 5 .
We found that were n’t able to get Samsung ’s Magician app to run on our MacBook Pro using Sonoma , or Sequoia on a Mac mini either , as it seems to ask system of rules file name extension that are n’t supported in current translation of the macOS . That ’s not a major job , though , as you could habituate Disk Utility or Time Machine on your Mac to format the drive and care your steady back - ups .
It ’s not the fastest back - up ride you’re able to buy , though . The T5 EVO has a received USB - cytosine interface for connecting to a Mac or PC , with a USB - hundred cable included in the box ( although there ’s no USB - A adaptor for sure-enough computers ) . However , it only supports the comparatively quondam USB 3.2 ( Gen 1 ) standard , and Samsung cite middling modest swiftness of 460MB / s for both read and write execution . Our tests record that the crusade ’s write carrying out was right on the nose with a hurrying of 460MB / s when feed the Black Magic disk speed trial , although read operation was ho-hum at 370MB / s. Admittedly , that ’s relatively modest carrying into action for a solid - nation drive but , as mention to begin with , Samsung is really pitching the T5 EVO as an affordable option to a conventional hard drive , and those stop number are certainly a deal quicker than most portable toilsome drives that we ’ve see in late geezerhood . And , with up to 8 TB of depot in a highly compendious and lightweight intention , the T5 EVO will be a gravid option for laptop computer user who want to trench an old hard drive and supplant it with a more portable solid - state drive that provides plenteousness of storage for their Time Machine relief .
Should You Buy The Samsung T5 EVO?
Professional or creative users who need really high - performance for working with expectant television or graphics files may prefer a faster SSD that support Thunderbolt . But , if you ’re still using an onetime mechanically skillful severe parkway for your back - ups , then you ’ll find that the T5 EVO provide a fast , portable alternative , with mess of storage at a competitory price .
