Just recently, Crucial introduced the new X9 Pro and X10 Pro external SSDs. Both SSDs offer up to 4 TB of storage and come in a compact aluminum case that is protected against dust and jets of water according to IP55 and is shock resistant from a drop of up to 2 meters. While the Crucial X9 Pro achieves transfer speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s, the X10 Pro even reaches up to 2,100 MB/s thanks to USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. How the top model, the Crucial X10 Pro, performs in practice, we will clarify with the 2 TB version in the test
Technical data of the Crucial X10 Pro
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbps, Type-C) |
| Flash type | Micron 176-layer 3D TLC |
| Cache | SLC cache, no DRAM cache |
| Controller | Silicon Motion SM2320 |
| Max. Read/write speed (MB/s) | 2.100/2.000 |
| Special features |
IP55 water and dust protection, shockproof from up to 2m drop, password protection and 256-bit AES hardware encryption |
| Scope of delivery | external SSD, USB-C to USB-C cable (0.24 m) |
| Dimensions | 50 x 65 x 10 mm (L x W x H) |
| Weight | 42 g |
| Warranty | 5 years |
| Price |
€ 195.98 * |
The Crucial X10 Pro achieves transfer speeds of up to 2,100 MB/s read and up to 2,000 MB/s write. In order for these speeds to be achieved, it relies on USB-C in version 3.2 Gen 2×2 with up to 20 Gbit/s in theory. In practice, ~2,000 MB/s are usually achieved minus the overhead, which makes the X10 Pro one of the fastest external SSDs with USB 3.x. Crucial uses the native USB controller Silicon Motion SM2320 for the controller, which is also used in Kingston’s XS2000 (review). The memory, a 3D TLC with 176 layers, is produced in-house (Micron), and we do not have a DRAM cache
Scope of delivery
The external SSD comes in a compact and predominantly gray cardboard box. The black X10 Pro is pictured on the front. Crucial also lists the capacity, the maximum transfer speeds and refers to the 5-year warranty as well as special features like water, dust and password protection
The scope of delivery is minimalistic as usual for external SSDs. Besides the X10 Pro, only a 0.24 m long USB-C to USB-C cable and a short guide are included
Design and workmanship of the Crucial X10 Pro
The case of the Crucial X10 Pro has a footprint of 50 x 65 mm and is 10 mm high. The weight is just 42 g. The external SSD is thus more compact and lighter than most of the competition’s products, among the few exceptions being the Corsair EX100U (review) and the Kingston XS2000 (review). The case of the X10 Pro is mainly made of black aluminum, the underside is dark gray and rubberized. While you only find a white Crucial logo on the top, you can find information about the product name and capacity on the bottom
The Crucial X10 Pro is also protected according to the IP55 standard. This means that it is well protected against dust in damaging amounts, completely protected against contact and against water jets from any angle. However, it should not be submerged. Furthermore, the external SSD can be attached to a keychain, for example, thanks to an eyelet. There is also a white status LED on the inside of the eyelet
The workmanship of the Crucial X10 Pro can convince all around in the test. The external SSD leaves a high-quality impression and doesn’t have any flaws. The aluminum case including eyelet looks very stable
Test system
- ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WiFi motherboard
- Intel Core i5-11400F processor
- 32GB G.Skill RipJaws V 3200 RAM
- INNO3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2 graphics card
- Kingston KC3000 1TB SSD
- Crucial P5 2TB SSD
- Crucial MX500 4TB SSD
- Seasonic Focus GX-550 power supply
Performance test of the Crucial X10 Pro
We determine the performance of the Crucial X10 Pro as usual with the benchmarks and programs AS SSD, CrystalDiskMark, ATTO Disk and HD Tune Pro
Results of the performance test
Crucial specifies a maximum read and write speed of up to 2100 and 2000 MB/s for the X10 Pro. While we almost reach these specifications in the CrystalDiskMark read with 2,047.79 MB/s, we fall a bit further behind these in the write with 1,729.13 MB/s. The external SSD only has to contend with this. The external SSD is only beaten by Kingston’s XS2000 Portable. In the 4K test, the X10 Pro only achieves 24.41 MB/s in read mode, but a very good 75.03 MB/s in write mode
The AS SSD benchmark shows a similar picture. The Crucial X10 Pro achieves a very good result with 1780.19 MB/s in sequential read and 1512.98 MB/s in sequential write. In the 4K test, the SSD is again in the midfield in read and in the top group of the SSDs we have tested so far in write. In the benchmark score, the X10 Pro falls short of our expectations with 995 points and only lands in the midfield, but the results of the copy benchmark are consistently good to very good
In the ATTO benchmark, we achieved up to 1,487,714 IOPS in read and up to 1,661,110 IOPS in write. The very good performance of the Crucial X10 Pro is only slightly surpassed by the Kingston XS2000 Portable. In HD Tune, the X10 Pro is just at the top with 598.80 MB/s. The access times are good, but not very good
| wdt_ID | SSD | Seq (lesen, MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K (lesen, MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (lesen, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (schreiben, MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adata SD600Q | 429,62 | 398,29 | 16,53 | 36,12 | 94,23 | 125,54 |
| 7 | Adata SC685 | 502,95 | 465,97 | 14,98 | 36,89 | 83,77 | 59,54 |
| 8 | Orico GV100 | 694,64 | 586,27 | 21,19 | 20,06 | 22,58 | 19,98 |
| 9 | Orico CN300 | 515,73 | 313,82 | 13,73 | 5,71 | 14,53 | 5,60 |
| 10 | HP P700 | 953,34 | 905,55 | 36,14 | 53,01 | 229,64 | 1.155,05 |
| 11 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 912,88 | 868,61 | 25,11 | 38,42 | 199,82 | 206,96 |
| 12 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 970,22 | 892,72 | 15,22 | 37,26 | 202,43 | 820,72 |
| 14 | ADATA SE770G | 953,14 | 909,55 | 22,11 | 73,58 | 360,31 | 350,51 |
| 15 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 1.820,61 | 1.585,46 | 14,92 | 48,09 | 166,27 | 813,47 |
| 16 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 1.411,21 | 1.405,40 | 25,28 | 64,10 | 209,08 | 355,01 |
| SSD | Seq (lesen, MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K (lesen, MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (lesen, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (schreiben, MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Lesen | Schreiben | Gesamt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adata SD600Q | 154 | 201 | 439 |
| 7 | Adata SC685 | 149 | 143 | 372 |
| 8 | Orico GV100 | 113 | 99 | 274 |
| 9 | Orico CN300 | 80 | 43 | 159 |
| 10 | HP P700 | 361 | 1.299 | 1.856 |
| 11 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 316 | 332 | 817 |
| 12 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 315 | 947 | 1.423 |
| 14 | ADATA SE770G | 478 | 515 | 1.241 |
| 15 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 363 | 1.020 | 1.561 |
| 16 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 375 | 560 | 1.135 |
| SSD | Lesen | Schreiben | Gesamt |
| wdt_ID | SSD | ISO (in MB/s) | Programm (in MB/s) | Spiel (in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adata SD600Q | 176,46 | 93,52 | 123,44 |
| 7 | Adata SC685 | 202,95 | 77,41 | 179,99 |
| 8 | Orico GV100 | 667,54 | 345,75 | 568,98 |
| 9 | Orico CN300 | 429,70 | 263,09 | 436,04 |
| 10 | HP P700 | 382,92 | 152,12 | 293,34 |
| 11 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 635,84 | 321,20 | 570,59 |
| 12 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 362,07 | 183,39 | 307,66 |
| 13 | ADATA SE770G | 391,67 | 267,24 | 328,17 |
| 14 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 622,89 | 159,19 | 391,50 |
| 15 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 370,79 | 252,65 | 332,82 |
| SSD | ISO (in MB/s) | Programm (in MB/s) | Spiel (in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Seq Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | Seq (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Adata SD600Q | 301,04 | 411,00 | 166,00 | 138,90 | 434,30 | 420,30 | 16,74 | 37,25 |
| 6 | Adata SC685 | 508,10 | 456,80 | 98,22 | 78,75 | 477,00 | 448,60 | 20,90 | 39,28 |
| 7 | Orico GV100 | 471,80 | 301,60 | 29,29 | 20,01 | 29,55 | 20,11 | 26,95 | 20,46 |
| 8 | Orico CN300 | 466,80 | 419,60 | 20,01 | 10,84 | 543,00 | 499,40 | 19,18 | 10,28 |
| 9 | HP P700 | 963,10 | 968,70 | 189,80 | 179,20 | 862,60 | 857,70 | 39,71 | 50,18 |
| 10 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 959,60 | 903,00 | 203,90 | 187,50 | 876,70 | 816,10 | 31,18 | 64,96 |
| 11 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 975,10 | 926,00 | 211,60 | 237,90 | 751,10 | 899,90 | 37,65 | 62,90 |
| 12 | ADATA SE770G | 996,40 | 920,80 | 302,30 | 294,90 | 912,40 | 827,10 | 37,37 | 76,93 |
| 13 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 2.064,43 | 1.775,36 | 176,80 | 225,50 | 1.764,02 | 1.513,77 | 21,77 | 77,06 |
| 14 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 1.674,86 | 1.549,60 | 214,06 | 230,03 | 854,22 | 1.466,82 | 27,21 | 72,38 |
| SSD | Seq Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | Seq (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Adata SD600Q | 7.132 | 11.659 | 21.961 | 40.756 | 80.908 | 149.680 | 189.046 | 273.737 | 331.446 | 382.691 | 412.825 | 424.524 | 434.192 | 307.725 | 302.728 | 301.170 | 300.021 | 299.272 | 298.819 | 298.588 | 179.621 |
| 10 | Adata SC685 | 4.745 | 9.309 | 19.027 | 37.512 | 69.285 | 101.135 | 198.834 | 281.538 | 352.516 | 390.288 | 409.600 | 443.372 | 466.033 | 484.759 | 491.415 | 487.795 | 489.176 | 491.040 | 490.293 | 490.470 | 493.674 |
| 11 | Orico GV100 | 10.725 | 21.248 | 41.163 | 76.324 | 136.944 | 213.081 | 299.704 | 376.231 | 431.110 | 542.708 | 611.470 | 624.268 | 624.268 | 625.723 | 624.268 | 623.477 | 621.378 | 622.076 | 624.268 | 623.373 | 622.951 |
| 12 | Orico CN300 | 9.703 | 20.480 | 39.325 | 73.252 | 122.099 | 179.774 | 287.266 | 369.013 | 407.888 | 455.658 | 479.349 | 489.176 | 483.667 | 479.349 | 480.421 | 477.282 | 490.293 | 484.593 | 477.218 | 488.205 | 482.580 |
| 13 | HP P700 | 8.704 | 17.830 | 30.415 | 52.461 | 84.484 | 161.276 | 293.857 | 408.816 | 462.409 | 612.829 | 738.197 | 842.913 | 905.565 | 945.195 | 963.285 | 966.468 | 974.947 | 974.732 | 977.313 | 974.160 | 977.313 |
| 14 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 13.755 | 28.672 | 58.733 | 116.260 | 216.627 | 386.858 | 614.221 | 821.690 | 894.008 | 919.560 | 934.849 | 930.221 | 934.849 | 932.530 | 932.530 | 931.619 | 934.230 | 933.864 | 932.067 | 930.300 | 934.230 |
| 15 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 5.069 | 10.088 | 19.819 | 38.912 | 76.583 | 158.003 | 222.564 | 369.900 | 491.471 | 608.650 | 720.192 | 824.978 | 884.257 | 909.950 | 934.849 | 940.664 | 937.181 | 945.252 | 945.195 | 941.455 | 947.419 |
| 16 | ADATA SE770G | 18.849 | 37.027 | 63.681 | 150.601 | 234.967 | 409.820 | 632.007 | 813.554 | 887.434 | 912.847 | 925.639 | 952.639 | 952.639 | 927.925 | 925.639 | 931.619 | 925.639 | 929.385 | 932.067 | 932.510 | 923.067 |
| 17 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 4.967 | 10.189 | 20.681 | 45.850 | 87.153 | 158.003 | 304.074 | 583.107 | 609.328 | 895.418 | 1.161.499 | 1.391.887 | 1.606.596 | 1.673.537 | 1.689.908 | 1.696.225 | 1.723.289 | 1.730.150 | 1.731.841 | 1.736.441 | 1.736.419 |
| 18 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 8.639 | 17.152 | 32.175 | 65.536 | 133.218 | 232.351 | 302.587 | 599.409 | 1.051.146 | 1.276.766 | 1.332.185 | 1.368.238 | 1.402.274 | 1.454.576 | 1.480.579 | 1.485.397 | 1.491.308 | 1.500.031 | 1.513.239 | 1.517.174 | 1.505.857 |
| SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
| wdt_ID | SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Adata SD600Q | 9.576 | 16.811 | 32.095 | 44.720 | 81.920 | 159.843 | 197.874 | 271.073 | 336.082 | 382.691 | 410.401 | 416.928 | 421.114 | 421.962 | 423.239 | 424.238 | 424.309 | 424.954 | 425.116 | 425.294 | 427.147 |
| 10 | Adata SC685 | 4.484 | 9.170 | 18.481 | 36.772 | 65.775 | 91.910 | 151.114 | 231.303 | 302.706 | 332.529 | 379.918 | 423.667 | 446.202 | 461.824 | 473.014 | 474.943 | 476.160 | 479.645 | 481.498 | 481.532 | 485.856 |
| 11 | Orico GV100 | 11.392 | 22.216 | 42.794 | 78.610 | 136.944 | 209.518 | 296.023 | 372.587 | 475.205 | 603.979 | 678.802 | 725.501 | 723.723 | 729.083 | 732.096 | 730.231 | 732.096 | 733.750 | 735.439 | 733.308 | 735.439 |
| 12 | Orico CN300 | 10.189 | 21.142 | 41.265 | 76.773 | 136.265 | 215.022 | 309.841 | 393.216 | 462.409 | 509.807 | 532.874 | 532.874 | 539.267 | 544.125 | 534.495 | 529.806 | 545.354 | 534.925 | 546.588 | 530.974 | 533.315 |
| 13 | HP P700 | 8.003 | 14.664 | 27.950 | 42.794 | 81.039 | 161.276 | 206.931 | 293.857 | 421.715 | 546.400 | 653.127 | 752.622 | 809.666 | 830.871 | 857.410 | 865.075 | 865.920 | 867.159 | 870.239 | 866.956 | 868.074 |
| 14 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 13.151 | 26.491 | 53.115 | 111.885 | 241.081 | 429.179 | 628.555 | 902.925 | 953.227 | 975.786 | 991.756 | 989.319 | 989.319 | 991.756 | 994.205 | 993.384 | 994.205 | 993.387 | 994.205 | 994.790 | 994.205 |
| 15 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 1.568 | 8.720 | 17.920 | 38.718 | 79.847 | 148.011 | 190.608 | 282.699 | 396.128 | 603.979 | 718.440 | 664.444 | 842.913 | 863.777 | 882.182 | 884.204 | 873.975 | 873.473 | 863.777 | 875.333 | 896.920 |
| 16 | ADATA SE770G | 22.288 | 42.496 | 81.039 | 159.419 | 246.581 | 458.850 | 671.088 | 926.371 | 972.292 | 1.002.553 | 1.015.358 | 1.015.358 | 1.017.764 | 1.015.358 | 1.015.358 | 1.015.247 | 1.015.358 | 1.015.247 | 1.015.358 | 1.016.312 | 1.015.358 |
| 17 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 6.209 | 12.512 | 25.221 | 48.425 | 90.329 | 160.482 | 302.587 | 549.136 | 557.104 | 961.779 | 1.012.963 | 1.129.555 | 1.315.860 | 1.436.880 | 1.491.308 | 1.518.735 | 1.524.448 | 1.549.137 | 1.552.397 | 1.558.178 | 1.559.915 |
| 18 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 3.270 | 6.477 | 12.924 | 26.557 | 38.526 | 73.643 | 124.452 | 195.358 | 332.309 | 482.250 | 709.805 | 736.356 | 821.096 | 1.096.971 | 1.147.705 | 1.176.502 | 1.214.350 | 1.258.291 | 1.259.326 | 1.283.457 | 1.284.380 |
| SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Minimum (in MB/s) | Maximum (in MB/s) | Average (in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adata SD600Q | 274,30 | 293,20 | 279,20 |
| 7 | Adata SC685 | 194,30 | 240,60 | 216,90 |
| 8 | Orico GV100 | 330,60 | 342,50 | 341,00 |
| 9 | Orico CN300 | 352,50 | 375,70 | 370,60 |
| 10 | HP P700 | 290,30 | 335,80 | 303,70 |
| 11 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 368,80 | 372,60 | 371,70 |
| 12 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 190,00 | 305,70 | 271,30 |
| 13 | ADATA SE770G | 400,50 | 437,10 | 419,90 |
| 14 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 589,50 | 601,80 | 597,70 |
| 15 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 218,60 | 581,30 | 563,10 |
| SSD | Minimum (in MB/s) | Maximum (in MB/s) | Average (in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | AS SSD (schreiben) | HD Tune Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adata SD600Q | 1,465 | 0,073 |
| 7 | Adata SC685 | 1,806 | 0,181 |
| 8 | Orico GV100 | 0,117 | 0,063 |
| 9 | Orico CN300 | 0,662 | 0,059 |
| 10 | HP P700 | 0,055 | 0,085 |
| 11 | Teamgroup PD1000 (10 Gbps) | 0,108 | 0,072 |
| 12 | SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD V2 | 0,098 | 0,083 |
| 14 | ADATA SE770G | 0,122 | 0,074 |
| 15 | Kingston XS2000 2 TB | 0,134 | 0,079 |
| 16 | Corsair EX100U 2 TB | 0,057 | 0,125 |
| SSD | AS SSD (schreiben) | HD Tune Pro |
Overall, we see often very good performance and slight weaknesses in 4K reading that are very similar to the Kingston XS2000 Portable. Since both rely on the Silicon Motion SM2320 for the controller and Micron 3D TLC (with 176 and 96 layers, respectively) for the flash memory, a similar result was also to be expected. The Crucial X10 Pro remained pleasantly cool throughout the entire test, we reached temperatures of 48 °C maximum
Crucial X10 Pro test: Conclusion
The Crucial X10 Pro can convince throughout the test. The external SSD has very compact dimensions, a low weight and is also very well manufactured. The case also has a practical eyelet and protects against dust and water according to the IP55 standard. This impression is also continued in the performance. The X10 Pro achieves very high read and write rates and scores mostly good to very good in the various tests. Exceptions here are the 4K tests, where the X10 Pro falls a bit short of our expectations when reading. This is probably due to the Silicon Motion SM2320 controller, as this also applies to the Kingston XS2000 Portable
The 2 TB version we tested is currently available for ~190 € (as of 26/08/2023). Besides the Crucial X10 Pro, interested buyers should keep an eye on the already mentioned Kingston XS2000 Portable, which is very similar in terms of technology and performance. It is currently available for ~150 €. Since the X10 Pro has only been available for a short time, it can be assumed that the price will drop further and that both SSDs will converge here as well
Crucial X10 Pro 2 TB
Access times
Transfer rate (read)
Transfer rate (write)
Value for money
89/100
Very compact and lightweight external SSD that offers IP55 standard protection in addition to high transfer speeds.
