USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 State of the Ecosystem Review: Where Does 20Gbps USB Stand in 2020?

Device Features and Characteristics

A quick overview of the internal capabilities of the storage devices is given by CrystalDiskInfo. The drive information doesn't change based on the host. This also serves to verify that S.M.A.R.T access (and despite not being mentioned explicitly, TRIM support also) is available irrespective of the port that the drives connect to.

Drive Information

SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 2TB [ASM3242]Western Digital WD_BLACK P50 1TB [ASM3242]SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 2TB [ASM3242 via JHL6540]SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 2TB [JHL6540]SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 1TB [ASM3242 Skylake]SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 1TB [ASM3242 via JHL6540]SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 1TB [ASM3242]SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD v2 1TB [JHL6540]Western Digital WD_BLACK P50 1TB [ASM3242 via JHL6540]Western Digital WD_BLACK P50 1TB [JHL6540]Expand All

CrystalDiskInfo confirms the internal SSDs being used in the WD_BLACK P50 and the SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD v2 to be the SN750E and SN730E respectively. Prior to looking at the usage characteristics of the various drives, it is helpful to compare their specifications and also take a look at the internals.

The key difference is that our review samples have a SN750-class NVMe SSD equipped with 64L 3D TLC in the WD_BLACK P50, and 96L 3D TLC in the SanDisk Extreme PRO v2. The former doesn't have hardware encryption enabled (and even software encryption with the WD Security app is not available). The latter uses the SanDisk SecureAccess App to activate the hardware encryption.

The teardown galleries above shows the significant amount of thermal design in both drives. The presence of the ASMedia ASM2364 bridge chip in both drives is also confirmed. The SanDisk Extreme PRO has a significant chunk of aluminum directly in touch with the thermal pad / covering for the heat-generating components of the internal boards. A clasp is also seen on the Type-C port to help achieve the IP55 rating. In contrast, the WD_BLACK P50 appears over-engineered with a large number of thermal pads, a separate aluminum heat-sink, and a thermal pad on top of that heat sink. Since the underside of the P50 is plastic, a metal flap is also placed between it and the internal SSD assembly. Overall, the thermal design appears fairly effective, and its evaluation report is provided in a subsequent section.