Western Digital is expanding its portfolio of SanDisk devices today with the new 8 TB SanDisk Desk Drive, a new external desktop SSD that is said to offer the highest amount of storage yet for products in its category. The new drive, which is also available in 4 TB capacity and features read speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, is expected to be followed by an even bigger, 16 TB model by next year, Western Digital added.
Product links:
Key features include:
- “Capacity – 4TB and 8TB capacities for photo and video collections, CAD files or 3D renders, large AI-generated files, music libraries, important documents, and more.”
- “Performance – Faster content access, for even the heaviest files like 8K videos, with read speeds up to 1,000 MB/s – up to 4x faster than a desktop HDD.”
- “Backup – Quickly back up photos, videos, and files with SSD speeds using Apple Time Machine or make backups automatic with the included downloadable Acronis True Image for Western Digital backup software.”
- “Design – The compact, modern style, recognized as a 2024 Red Dot Design Award recipient, maximizes desk space and feels natural in any professional or home setting.”
- “Compatibility – Works with Windows or macOS out of the box with exFAT formatting, using the included USB Type-CTM cable.”
A promo and walkthrough vid:
Western Digital on its new drive:
Featuring the speed and reliability of an SSD, this new class of drives gives content creators and business professionals an easy way to back up and access their high-resolution photos, videos and files quickly in a single, convenient location. From photo and video pros to tech enthusiasts, there are a growing number of digital creators generating massive amounts of content who need flexible high-capacity storage solutions to do more, faster.


Discussion (4 replies)
Join Discussion →1GB/s is pretty slow for a modern SSD...
It's external - that's not bad for an external drive.
Not sure if this is authoritative or not, but looks like most externals are clocking in well under 1GB read speeds. There is one listed that's faster, but it's Thunderbolt, not just USB C
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.techradar.com/pro/fastest-external-ssds-of-year[/URL]
USB 3.0 goes quite a bit faster, and then there's Thunderbolt - the SSDs themselves have eclipsed 1GB/s for a decade.
The interfaces might, and an SSD can - but you actually have to have drives in enclosures that can do that, and I don't see too many.