External storage has evolved from bulky hard drives to faster and more portable options. Traditional hard drives risked damage and offered slow speeds, while flash drives were limited in speed despite their size. External SSDs nowadays might not run as fast as the latest PCIe Gen5 SSDs, but the majority of them are still capable of achieving speeds over 10Gbps via USB 3.1 Gen 2.
The SK Hynix Tube T31 we have here are some of the newer external SSDs you’ll find in the market. It might have the appearance of a flash drive we used to have in the early days but specs-wise, it offers significantly faster read/write capabilities of up to 1000MB/s.
The SK Hynix Tube T31
The SK Hynix Tube T31 comes in two different capacities: 512GB and 1TB. While the Tube T31’s size is comparable to a large USB flash drive, it’s slightly bulkier due to the internal components – a standard M.2 2242 SSD and its controller board.
Unlike most modern external SSDs that come with the USB-C connection that’s becoming increasingly common, the Tube T31 features a standard USB-A connector instead. This choice suggests SK Hynix is targeting users who haven’t yet upgraded to USB-C ports.
Inside the enclosure is the SK Hynix BC711 M.2 2242 NVMe SSD with a rated sequential read and write speed of 2850MB/s and 2350MB/s, paired with the JMicron JMS583 controller that is capable of read and write speed of 1000MB/s+.
Benchmarks
For the benchmark, we tested the Tube T31 using the following specifications to eliminate any potential bottlenecks:
| CPU | Intel Core i9-14900K |
| Motherboard | ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 APEX ENCORE |
| Memory | Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5 RGB@7200MHz CL32 (24GB x2) |
| Graphics Card | Galax GeForce RTX 1660 SUPER 1-Click OC |
| Power Supply | Cooler Master M2000 Platinum |
| Primary Storage | Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD 2TB |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler MasterLiquid PL360 Flux |
| Chassis | Streacom Open Benchtable BC1 V2 |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64-bit 22H2 |
We’ve gathered the performance data using commonly used tools like CrystalDiskMark, ATTO Disk Benchmark, and AS SSD Benchmark for the base performance numbers as shown below:
From the benchmark results, the Tube T31 performs just as advertised. The 1000MB/s worth of read and write speed is very common for external SSDs nowadays and is plenty enough for many use cases.
Moving on to the linear write test with the AID64 disk benchmark, the Tube T31 exhibited noteworthy sustained write performance during testing. Despite the lower write speed observed, it maintained a consistent write speed throughout the test, averaging at about 800 MB/s range. Additionally, the enclosure remained cool to the touch even during the test, which is great for situations where the user needs to quickly transfer data from one PC to another.
Final Thoughts
With its impressive speed and compact design, the SK Hynix Tube T31 can easily improve your workflow. Whether you’re a gamer, content creator, movie buff, or IT professional, the Tube T31 offers the performance and portability you need to handle demanding tasks with ease.
For the price of $79.99 for the 512GB and $99.99 for the 1TB model, I think it’s a fair price for what it has to offer. If you’re seeking a high-performance external storage solution without breaking the bank, the Tube T31 is worth considering.
Where to buy (affiliate links):
- Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3RULJFF
- Lazada: https://invol.co/cllcsqe
- Shopee: https://invl.io/cllcsqj
