PD 400 Portable SSD is a brand new entry-level SSD by TEAMGROUP and we got a chance to get our hands on one. TEAMGROUP is based in Taiwan and is the creator of many new and innovative gaming products specializing in memory and storage products. Their latest portable SSD range includes the PD 400 which is targeted at the entry-level market and this is our review of the TEAMGROUP PD 400.
Let’s start with what comes right out of the box. When you open the minimalistic pack, you will get the PD 400 SSD along with a normal USB cable which has a Type-C on the SSD side and a USB Type-C cable. It also comes with a small plug which makes the SSD waterproof. The pack is really small and I’ve seen bigger packs for USBs. When you remove the small plug from the connector, make sure you keep it safe because the SSD is only waterproof when this plug is inserted in the connector.
The PD 400 SSD is also dustproof and crushproof however I am sure that for dust proofing, you will need the small plug as well. Other than that the SSD is extremely lightweight and weighs only around 100 grams which means you will often forget that it is sitting in your pocket. Physically, it is 83 x 66 x 13 mm which is quite small and convenient. The outer shell is made of navy blue aluminum which means it will also dissipate heat quite quickly and look good at your shelf at the same time.
After opening up the SSD, we used it for a few days simply to transfer heavy videos and ISO images here and there between our systems. We’ve been using normal HDDs for this purpose most of the time so PD 400 was a major improvement over the time. Despite coming with USB 3.1 Gen1, it is still much better than all the mechanical HDDs in the market. It certainly sits confidently in the SSD category despite being on the entry-level.
On the paper, it has USB 3.1 Gen 1 which allows 5Gbps bandwidth and it is rated to hit 430MB/S read and 420MB/S write speed. This is not much when compared with its competition which are well equipped with Gen 2 which doubles this bandwidth to nearly 10GB. It has been delivering exceptionally low loading speeds. The most impact was with Forza Horizon 4 as normally it takes us around 2 and a half minutes to start the game and get to the in-game screen where we can start driving. With the PD 400, it took us a little less than a minute.
We are not too rough with our equipment so the SSD has no sign of office abuse as of yet but still the aluminum shell is prone to scratches if you are not careful with it. After arriving at our office, the main use of the PD 400 has been our main external storage for our Xbox One which is an absolute workhorse. We use this as our main console for all the reviews and previews which means that data was always going in and out of the SSD.
We have downloaded loads of games ever since it was installed on the Xbox One and so far, it is working fine. However, an important thing to notice is that after long uses, it was really hot however we did not notice any drop in the performance when it came to game loading and installing stuff. I even brought some old Xbox One titles such as GTA V and Halo Collection just to test out the load times and it did an extremely fair job in installation and loading the games.
We know that PD 400 lacks when it comes to the current competition which offers more features right out of the box such as auto-backup options, file encryptions and more however we must remember that most of the SSDs cost a fair amount of money as well. When you normally plug in an external drive, be that SSD or a normal HDD, you expect to see software and features for data protection and backup generation. None of that is here. With the PD 400, you get a barebones SSD which is excellent at what it is aimed at.
The main advantage of TEAMGROUP PD 400 is its price. The 480GB variant that we received costs only $69.99 in the USA which is a bargain. It costs less than most video game editions these days and 480GB is quite a decent size for general file transfers or simply keeping some documents safe at aside. However, it can also serve as a backup drive but even if you plan to use it every day as we did with our Xbox One, it still works pretty well for that. The USB 3.1 Gen 1 is sure to keep it well behind the competition however for what it is, it is not going to disappoint you in any way.
Final Verdict
TEAMGROUP PD 400 Portable SSD is a cheap and reliable SSD and especially considering the price, it is a bargain for anyone looking for a cheap and entry-level SSD. It is also quite reliable and it good for using for general use such as transferring some quick files around using USB 3.1. The small dimensions also help with ease of moving the SSD around. However, the lack of any sort of encryption and the fact that it is just a barebones SSD, it does not quite stack up to its competition. The only real advantage it has is its low price which is going to be a big reason why many people will buy it. For us, it is staying with our Xbox One for the time being.
