USB Type-C M.2 SSDs are readily available in the market, but USB 3.1 Gen2 bandwidth of up to 10Gbps does not allow for the true speed of NVMe SSDs, so there have been calls for Thunderbolt 3 interface NVMe SSDs. Earlier Dell launched its Portable Thunderbolt 3 SSD product, and WAVLINK followed suit with the THUNDERDRIVE, which is the most powerful Thunderbolt 3 SSD on the market.
Powered by Samsung High Performance NVMe SSD
The best of the best! There are already Dell products in the market, so what makes WAVLINK stand out in the market? According to the manufacturer, THUNDERDRIVE is positioned in the performance market and uses high-performance NVMe SSDs. The first two models, 500GB and 1TB, use the Samsung 960 EVO 500GB and 970 EVO 1TB NVMe SSDs, which are recognized for their high performance. The maximum read speed is 3,200MB/s and 3,400MB/s respectively, and the maximum write speed is 1,800MB/s and 2,500MB/s, both of which are among the best in the market.
1TB model with Samsung 970 EVO
The 500GB model features the next highest performance Samsung 960 EVO
Heat sink for Samsung NVMe SSD's heat generation.
Designed for Apple users
Thunderbolt 3 is limited to high-end Desktop and Notebook applications, and is not as popular as Apple MacBooks, so THUNDERDRIVE is designed in Apple's Space Gray color and is pre-formatted in exFAT to support macOS, Windows 10 and above. The one-piece aluminum enclosure and unique cooling design prevent NVMe SSDs from overheating and provide a longer lifespan. The THUNDERDRIVE also comes with a beautifully crafted leather case to provide full protection for the metal chassis.
One-piece aluminum design with 50cm long wire.
Gift box packaging
There are small holes on both sides of the machine to help dissipate heat
1TB outperforms internal NVMe SSDs
Since the THUNDERDRIVE is targeted at the Apple market, the MacBook Pro 15" 2016 model was used as the test platform to compare the read and write performance of the MacBook Pro's internal NVMe SSD 256GB, THUNDERDRIVE 500GB and 1TB in 4GB files. The results show that while the Thunderbolt 3 interface does not necessarily deliver the full performance of Samsung's NVMe SSD PCI-E 3.0 x4, the read and write performance is still extremely high, with the THUNDERDRIVE 500GB scoring similarly in the read and write tests, and almost doubling the write performance for the 1TB model (1,921MB s vs. 897MB/s). This performance not only saves time for users who are constantly transferring large amounts of video and audio files, but because the performance is even higher than the internal storage solution, you may want to consider using it as a storage program to bring a new experience.
PCB design is more complex than expected, including Thunderbolt 3 chips and more
Equipped with TI TPS65983 USB Type-C and USB PD controller chip.
Test Results
MacBook Pro 15″ 2016 Internal NVMe SSD 256GB
THUNDERDRIVE 500GB
THUNDERDRIVE 1TB
Conclusion
High-performance external storage solution
Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are not only a high-performance expansion solution for Notebooks, but they also surpass the performance of internal NVMe SSDs and are a great medium for storing programs.
Specification
Model: MZ-V6E500 ( 500GB ) / MZ-V7E1T0BW ( 1TB )
Capacity: 500GB / 1TB
Maximum reading speed: 3,200MB / s(500GB) / 3,400MB / s ( 1TB )
Maximum writing speed: 1,800MB / s(500GB) / 2,500MB / s( 1TB )
MTBF: 1.5 Million hours
Interface: Thunderbolt 3 40Gbit/s
Function: < 7W
Weight: 150G
Size: 142mm ( L ) x 34mm ( W ) x 15mm ( H )
Support operating system macOS, Windows 10 or above
Referenced to:Thunderbolt 3 Meets PCIe SSD WAVLINK THUNDERDRIVE External NVMe SSD