Adata SC735: A Solid SSD with USB Drive Design

The Adata SC735 is a uniquely designed solid-state drive that mimics the form factor of a thumb drive, making it a portable and convenient storage solution. According to PC World, this SSD features a retractable captive Type-C connector and is available in capacities of one terabyte for approximately eighty dollars and two terabytes for about one hundred fifty dollars.

Weighing just half an ounce, the SC735 is compact, measuring about 0.4 inches thick and 2.25 inches long, making it a lightweight option for users seeking mobile storage. The design includes a sturdy retractable connector that operates smoothly, which is a notable improvement over many similar devices that often struggle with their sliding mechanisms.

However, users should be aware that while the drive performs adequately for light-duty tasks, it faces significant slowdowns when its secondary cache is exhausted. The SC735 employs a Silicon Motion SM2322 controller and layered QLC NAND, which allows it to write data quickly up to a certain point, but once the secondary cache is filled, the writing speed drops drastically to around 130 megabytes per second, akin to the speed of traditional 2.5-inch USB hard drives.

Despite these limitations in sustained write performance, the SC735 remains competitive in read speeds and is suitable for everyday use, especially for users who do not frequently transfer large amounts of data at once.

The report states that for most users, the 250 terabytes written rating is more than sufficient for typical usage over the warranty period of five years. Overall, the SC735 is praised for its clever design, attractive aesthetics, and value pricing, making it a worthwhile option for those in need of a compact external SSD.

However, potential buyers should consider their usage patterns and be mindful of the performance drop during heavy write operations, especially if they opt for the one terabyte model, which will exhaust its secondary cache even quicker.

As the demand for efficient and versatile storage solutions continues to rise, products like the Adata SC735 highlight the growing trend of combining the speed of SSDs with the convenience of USB drives in the consumer market.