After we already tested the new Crucial X10 Pro (review) a few days ago, the second new model, the X9 Pro, now follows. There are many similarities between the two models, such as the capacity of up to 4 TB and the compact aluminum case, which is protected against dust and jet water according to IP55 and is shock-resistant from a drop height of up to 2 meters. On the other hand, there are differences in the transfer speeds. While the top model X10 Pro achieves up to 2,100 MB/s, it is only up to 1,050 MB/s for the X9 Pro. However, this is sufficient for many applications and leads to a significantly lower price. How the cheaper Crucial X9 Pro performs in practice, we will clarify with the 2 TB version in the test.
Technical data of the Crucial X9 Pro
| Capacity | 2 TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×1 (10 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) | 1,050/1,050 |
| 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 | 38 g |
| Guarantee | 5 years |
| Price | € 129.99 * |
The Crucial X9 Pro achieves read and write transfer speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s. As with the faster X10 Pro, Crucial relies on the native USB controller Silicon Motion SM2320 without DRAM cache, which is also used in Kingston’s similarly fast XS1000 (review), among others, as well as a 3D TLC with 176 layers from its own production (Micron). The interface, as usual for these speeds, relies on USB-C in version 3.2 Gen 2×1 with up to 10 Gbit/s.
Scope of delivery
The Crucial X9 Pro comes in a compact and predominantly gray box, with a design similar to the X10 Pro. On the front, the gray X9 Pro is pictured. Furthermore, Crucial mentions the capacity, the maximum transfer speeds and refers to the 5-year warranty as well as special features like the water, dust, and password protection.
The scope of delivery is minimalistic as usual for external SSDs. Besides the X9 Pro, this only includes a 0.24 m USB-C to USB-C cable and a short guide.
Design and workmanship of the Crucial X9 Pro
The case of the Crucial X9 Pro is the same as that of the X10 Pro, but here it is gray instead of black. It has a footprint of 50 x 65 mm and is 10 mm high, the weight is just 38 g. The external SSD is thus very compact and light and is only surpassed by a few SSDs in this respect. These include the Corsair EX100U (review) and the Kingston XS1000 (review). The exterior of the X9 Pro’s case is mostly gray aluminum, with the bottom also gray but rubberized. While you can only find a white Crucial logo on the top, you can find information about the product name and capacity on the bottom.
The Crucial X9 Pro is also protected according to the IP55 standard. This means it is well protected against dust in damaging amounts, fully protected against contact and against water jets from any angle, but should not be submerged. The casing also has an eyelet, thanks to which the external SSD can be attached to a keychain, for example. On the inside of the eyelet is a white status LED.
The workmanship of the Crucial X9 Pro can convince all around, just like the X10 Pro in the test. The external SSD leaves a high-quality impression and does not have any flaws in terms of workmanship. Furthermore, the aluminum case including the 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
Performancetest-of-the-Crucial X9 Pro
As with internal SSDs, we use the benchmarks and programs AS SSD, CrystalDiskMark, ATTO Disk and HD Tune Pro for our performance test.
Results of the performance test
Crucial claims a maximum read and write speed of up to 1,050 MB/s for the X9 Pro. While we can easily beat these specifications in CrystalDiskMark reading with 1,063.55 MB/s, we fall short of them writing with 939.11 MB/s. In the 4K test, the X9 Pro achieves 24.14 MB/s in read mode and a very good 73.95 MB/s in write mode. Thus, it is almost on the same performance level as the X10 Pro in the 4K test.
The Crucial X9 Pro also achieves a good result in the AS SSD benchmark with 954.40 MB/s in sequential read and 843.75 MB/s in sequential write. The benchmark’s 4K test again shows a similar picture. The SSD is again in the midfield in read and in the top group of the SSDs we have tested so far in write, and the results are again similar to those of the X10 Pro. The X9 Pro achieves 780 points in the benchmark score and thus ranks directly behind the Kingston XS1000 (791 points). The results of the copy benchmark are consistently good.
In the ATTO benchmark, we achieved up to 980,544 IOPS in read and 912,992 IOPS in write, which again puts the external SSD in the midfield. In HD Tune, the X9 Pro is only beaten by the Kingston XS1000 and the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 models with a very good 511.80 MB/s.
| 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, the Crucial X9 Pro offers good performance that is very similar to the Kingston XS1000. Both SSDs show almost the same transfer rates, strengths and weaknesses across all tests, whereby the Kingston XS1000 often wins the duel very narrowly. Since both rely on the Silicon Motion SM2320 for the controller and on Micron 3D TLC (with 176 and 96 layers, respectively) for the flash memory, a very similar result was also to be expected. Furthermore, the Crucial X9 Pro remained pleasantly cool throughout the entire test; we reached temperatures of 45 °C at most.
Crucial X9 Pro Test: Conclusion
Crucial offers an attractive overall package at a reasonable price with the new X9 Pro. The external SSD offers fast transfer speeds of up to 1,050 MB/s and also shows a good performance in the benchmarks. Furthermore, it convinces with very compact dimensions, a low weight and a good build quality. The case also has a practical eyelet and protects against dust and water according to the IP55 standard. The warranty of 5 years is also rather long.
Despite the low price of ~€130 (as of 09/15/2023), the X9 Pro has strong competition. The Kingston XS1000 also uses the Silicon Motion SM2320 controller, offers a very similar performance and is currently available for ~€110. If you want more performance, you can also take a look at the significantly faster but also slightly more expensive Kingston XS2000, which is similar to the X10 Pro in this respect and is available for ~150 €.
Crucial X9 Pro 2 TB
Access times
Transfer rate (read)
Transfer rate (write)
Value for money
82/100
Very compact and lightweight external SSD that is a good and much cheaper alternative to the X10 Pro, as long as you can do without some speed.
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