Last updated at 21/07/2026 00:39:41
Samsung MU-PT500B-AM 500GB USB Solid State Drive
Samsung T3 Portable SSD 500GB
Delivery $41.44
originally posted on bhphotovideo.com
I've gone through so many external drives over the years and these are hands down the best. Small, light, no moving parts, they don't make a sound and need no external power. I've never had so much as a problem with them ever. I use them for a lot of video editing and such and they are ideal, never lagging or giving me the slightest headache.
originally posted on bhphotovideo.com
I made the switch to SSD's because I had two spin drives fail at the same time. These Samsung 2TB T7 Portable SSD units are solid, small and easy to travel with. They are no bigger than if you stacked three credit cards together and they fit in the smallest of places. I use them attached to a laptop with the very handy Slipdrive portable hard drive sleeve which hold them snug so they don't dangle from the computer.
originally posted on newegg.com
The USB port on the drive itself is the new USB Type C connection. It is nice to see these starting to be used, but since only the newest computers (motherboards, specifically) have any USB Type C connectors at all, the cord adapts to a USB 3.1 port to fit the "old" style of USB ports. It will be a while yet before technology migrates to the new Type C connectors, as they are not backwards compatible like previous USB connections have been, but not having to flip the cord over when it doesn't fit the first time is a thing that I look forward to. In case you were wondering what's tucked away inside, it appears to be an mSATA Samsung 850 Evo. I can't say that it is easily removed from the case to use as an internal drive, however. In fact, I never completely got it ... MoreThe USB port on the drive itself is the new USB Type C connection. It is nice to see these starting to be used, but since only the newest computers (motherboards, specifically) have any USB Type C connectors at all, the cord adapts to a USB 3.1 port to fit the "old" style of USB ports. It will be a while yet before technology migrates to the new Type C connectors, as they are not backwards compatible like previous USB connections have been, but not having to flip the cord over when it doesn't fit the first time is a thing that I look forward to. In case you were wondering what's tucked away inside, it appears to be an mSATA Samsung 850 Evo. I can't say that it is easily removed from the case to use as an internal drive, however. In fact, I never completely got it out, though there are reviews on various sites showing the T3's opened up for the world to see what's inside. If for some reason that was your plan, you better stick with buying an internal drive. I performed a couple of tests on this SSD, both benchmarking it with CrystalDiskMark as well as testing and timing a real-world data transfer, writing to the SSD on both USB 2.0 and 3.1. My average results are as follows: ---------- USB 2.0 (results are in MB/s) Seq Read: 41.70 - Write: 44.48 512K Read: 41.15 - Write: 44.13 4K Read: 12.87 - Write: 15.07 4K QD32 Read: 27.69 - Write: 27.85 A real-world transfer was a little slower, but not far off from the average speeds of the benchmark at exactly 40 MB/s. ---------- USB 3.1 (results are in MB/s) Seq Read: 435.1 - Write: 395.5 512K Read: 402.8 - Write: 385.6 4K Read: 25.83 - Write: 40.93 4K QD32 Read: 143.6 - Write: 159.5 As you can see, there is a world of difference between USB 2.0 and 3.1 in the benchmarks. A real-world transfer averaged out at about 263.16 MB/s on USB 3.1, showing us once again that it is slower than the benchmarks, but it was still several times faster than USB 2.0, which is still a win in my book. ---------- I think this is a nice external SSD for the price and would recommend it, but I would also suggest adding a longer USB 3.1 to USB Type C connector to your order if you plan on using this with anything other than a laptop.
| General | |
| Device Type | Solid state drive - external (portable) |
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Hardware Encryption | Yes |
| Encryption Algorithm | 256-bit AES |
Samsung MU-PT500B-AM 500GB USB Solid State Drive
Samsung T3 Portable SSD 500GB
Delivery $41.44
I've gone through so many external drives over the years and these are hands down the best. Small, light, no moving parts, they don't make a sound and need no external power. I've never had so much as a problem with them ever. I use them for a lot of video editing and such and they are ideal, never lagging or giving me the slightest headache.
I made the switch to SSD's because I had two spin drives fail at the same time. These Samsung 2TB T7 Portable SSD units are solid, small and easy to travel with. They are no bigger than if you stacked three credit cards together and they fit in the smallest of places. I use them attached to a laptop with the very handy Slipdrive portable hard drive sleeve which hold them snug so they don't dangle from the computer.
The USB port on the drive itself is the new USB Type C connection. It is nice to see these starting to be used, but since only the newest computers (motherboards, specifically) have any USB Type C connectors at all, the cord adapts to a USB 3.1 port to fit the "old" style of USB ports. It will be a while yet before technology migrates to the new Type C connectors, as they are not backwards compatible like previous USB connections have been, but not having to flip the cord over when it doesn't fit the first time is a thing that I look forward to. In case you were wondering what's tucked away inside, it appears to be an mSATA Samsung 850 Evo. I can't say that it is easily removed from the case to use as an internal drive, however. In fact, I never completely got it ... MoreThe USB port on the drive itself is the new USB Type C connection. It is nice to see these starting to be used, but since only the newest computers (motherboards, specifically) have any USB Type C connectors at all, the cord adapts to a USB 3.1 port to fit the "old" style of USB ports. It will be a while yet before technology migrates to the new Type C connectors, as they are not backwards compatible like previous USB connections have been, but not having to flip the cord over when it doesn't fit the first time is a thing that I look forward to. In case you were wondering what's tucked away inside, it appears to be an mSATA Samsung 850 Evo. I can't say that it is easily removed from the case to use as an internal drive, however. In fact, I never completely got it out, though there are reviews on various sites showing the T3's opened up for the world to see what's inside. If for some reason that was your plan, you better stick with buying an internal drive. I performed a couple of tests on this SSD, both benchmarking it with CrystalDiskMark as well as testing and timing a real-world data transfer, writing to the SSD on both USB 2.0 and 3.1. My average results are as follows: ---------- USB 2.0 (results are in MB/s) Seq Read: 41.70 - Write: 44.48 512K Read: 41.15 - Write: 44.13 4K Read: 12.87 - Write: 15.07 4K QD32 Read: 27.69 - Write: 27.85 A real-world transfer was a little slower, but not far off from the average speeds of the benchmark at exactly 40 MB/s. ---------- USB 3.1 (results are in MB/s) Seq Read: 435.1 - Write: 395.5 512K Read: 402.8 - Write: 385.6 4K Read: 25.83 - Write: 40.93 4K QD32 Read: 143.6 - Write: 159.5 As you can see, there is a world of difference between USB 2.0 and 3.1 in the benchmarks. A real-world transfer averaged out at about 263.16 MB/s on USB 3.1, showing us once again that it is slower than the benchmarks, but it was still several times faster than USB 2.0, which is still a win in my book. ---------- I think this is a nice external SSD for the price and would recommend it, but I would also suggest adding a longer USB 3.1 to USB Type C connector to your order if you plan on using this with anything other than a laptop.
One of the better price-to-performance SSDs. Transfer speeds are great, hasn't gotten too hot even under a long transfer which was a concern of mine (I always eject it when I'm not using it for the sake of heat), and it's much smaller than I thought - fits well within the palm of my hand.Overall a real easy option considering it's price compared to other 2TB SSDs, and it hasn't failed on me which is all that matters - can't say the same for other high-storage, high data rate SSDs, which were often more expensive. Given how many reviews this thing has and how well it's reviewed, it's a no-brainer.Comes pre-formatted as ExFAT, and includes both USB-C cable and USB-C to A cable (both USB 3.2 Gen2)
I have several of these Samsung T7 SSD's in varying sizes. I use them for storage and for the occasional direct edit on an M1 MacBook Pro. Software used is Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Media Encoder, Adobe After Effects, Apple Motion, Adobe Photoshop, & Affinity Designer. Speeds are excellent, size is perfect for each project, and rarely ever have issues. They are most certainly tough drives, as they are used for direct camera storage while filming. I have no complaints, and have been using them since their release, with no loss of data or failures to date. Definitely recommend Samsung SSD drives!
Since I started shooting birds in flight at 20 FPS with a Z9, I can easily come home with 7,000 images on my card. Far too much to offload to my editing computer's hard drive. So the system I arrived at was to download to a small, high capacity, fast SSD. Then I catalog the images with Photo-Mechanic right on the SSD. After selecting my keepers I copy only them to my hard drive. This is a fast and smooth system that keeps me from having to buy more and larger hard drives. I have 3 of the 2TB Samsung T7 drives and 1-1TB T5. They have been flawless.
Very nice, small, light and fast 2 TB SSD.Comes with two cables. USB C to USB C and USB C to USB 2.I am using it as extra storage for Mac Studio. Can be easily moved to a PC. Included PC and Mac encryption software works smoothly.Very good value.I purchased it with Ruggard Semi-Hard Case for Portable SSD which offers excellent protection when carrying the drive. The case is reasonable priced.
I've purchased 2 of these so far in addition to my T5s. I really like how strong and reliable the usb-c port connection is on these drives. It really feels like the cable locks in. I work on the go a lot, and even if I forget the drive is connected when I pick up my laptop, or the drive accidentally slides off the desk or my lap and hangs from my laptop, it won't unplug itself, which has saved me a few times. I heard that the "Shield" version doesn't have a very strong connection which is why I'm still opting for these. Plus you can get these Getgear silicon bumper cases that protect the T7s perfectly.
The SSD drive is being used as a back-up drive for a 2023 Apple M2 MacBook Pro 13 computer with 2TB memory. Prior to using the drive, it must be formatted for a Mac. Once formatted correctly, the drive works well with Time Machine, and the software recognizes the drive immediately. The SSD is very fast. Backups are completed in just a few minutes using the included USB-C cable. The drive is small, very portable, and is a joy to use.
I've lately been converting some of my slow HDD Time Machine volumes to Samsung T7 SSDs. Some big advantages to doing this: First, speed in creating the initial Time Machine, and in updating it. Second, speed in restoring data from them. Third is cost. With holiday sale specials, the 2TB T7s can now sometimes be purchased for less than the cost of high similar capacity HDD's several years ago. The time was just right for me, so I scooped up a few 2TB T7's to begin phasing out slower HDD Time Machines I've been using.
| General | |
| Device Type | Solid state drive - external (portable) |
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Hardware Encryption | Yes |
| Encryption Algorithm | 256-bit AES |
Samsung Portable 500GB SSD T3 (MU-PT500B)
Portability is the key element shared among all digital devices today where everything, including you, is constantly moving. When you are always on-the-go, your data should be, too. Born and bred with potent portability in its core, the Samsung Portable SSD T3 is built strong and light and is equipped with a built-in security feature. Most of all, it offers the blazing-fast data transfer speed of up to 450 MB/s. With compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 will take your data to another level of accessibility. Transfer fast, store safe. The fast and compact external storage. Small in size, big on memory The new Samsung Portable SSD T3 raises the bar for speed, capacity, durability and connectivity. Store data safely and access it wherever and whenever you need it. Quick on its feet Reduce downtime with blazing-fast read/write speeds of up to 450MB/s, up to 4x faster than traditional 2.5 portable hard drives (HDD). Small, compact and light The T3 is designed to store and access your data wherever life takes you. Weighing less than 2 ounces and roughly the size of a business card for perfectly potent portability. Holds its own With advanced Samsung V-NAND technology the T3 packs a punch - up to 2TB capacity means you can fit everything you need in the palm of your hand. Tough to crack The shock-resistant T3 has no moving parts, a strong exterior metal body that can withstand up to 1500G of force, equivalent of a drop of up to 6.5 feet., and together with AES 256-bit hardware encryption the T3 is prepared to meet the demands that life throws at it. Connects with ease The T3 is compatible across multiple operating systems, so you can conveniently connect it to Windows, Mac OS, and Android devices. With the included, USB 3.1 Type-C connection port and USB Type-C to Type A cable, users can conveniently manage and access content.
Portability is the key element shared among all digital devices today where everything, including you, is constantly moving. When you are always on-the-go, your data should be, too. Born and bred with potent portability in its core, the Samsung Portable SSD T3 is built strong and light and is equipped with a built-in security feature. Most of all, it offers the blazing-fast data transfer speed of up to 450 MB/s. With compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 will take your data to another level of accessibility. Transfer fast, store safe. The fast and compact external storage. Small in size, big on memory The new Samsung Portable SSD T3 raises the bar for speed, capacity, durability and connectivity. Store data safely and access it wherever and whenever you need it. Quick on its feet Reduce downtime with blazing-fast read/write speeds of up to 450MB/s, up to 4x faster than traditional 2.5 portable hard drives (HDD). Small, compact and light The T3 is designed to store and access your data wherever life takes you. Weighing less than 2 ounces and roughly the size of a business card for perfectly potent portability. Holds its own With advanced Samsung V-NAND technology the T3 packs a punch - up to 2TB capacity means you can fit everything you need in the palm of your hand. Tough to crack The shock-resistant T3 has no moving parts, a strong exterior metal body that can withstand up to 1500G of force, equivalent of a drop of up to 6.5 feet., and together with AES 256-bit hardware encryption the T3 is prepared to meet the demands that life throws at it. Connects with ease The T3 is compatible across multiple operating systems, so you can conveniently connect it to Windows, Mac OS, and Android devices. With the included, USB 3.1 Type-C connection port and USB Type-C to Type A cable, users can conveniently manage and access content.
Portability is the key element shared among all digital devices today where everything, including you, is constantly moving. When you are always on-the-go, your data should be, too. Born and bred with potent portability in its core, the Samsung Portable SSD T3 is built strong and light and is equipped with a built-in security feature. Most of all, it offers the blazing-fast data transfer speed of up to 450 MB/s. With compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 will take your data to another level of accessibility. Transfer fast, store safe. The fast and compact external storage. Small in size, big on memory The new Samsung Portable SSD T3 raises the bar for speed, capacity, durability and connectivity. Store data safely and access it wherever and whenever you need it. Quick on its feet Reduce downtime with blazing-fast read/write speeds of up to 450MB/s, up to 4x faster than traditional 2.5 portable hard drives (HDD). Small, compact and light The T3 is designed to store and access your data wherever life takes you. Weighing less than 2 ounces and roughly the size of a business card for perfectly potent portability. Holds its own With advanced Samsung V-NAND technology the T3 packs a punch - up to 2TB capacity means you can fit everything you need in the palm of your hand. Tough to crack The shock-resistant T3 has no moving parts, a strong exterior metal body that can withstand up to 1500G of force, equivalent of a drop of up to 6.5 feet., and together with AES 256-bit hardware encryption the T3 is prepared to meet the demands that life throws at it. Connects with ease The T3 is compatible across multiple operating systems, so you can conveniently connect it to Windows, Mac OS, and Android devices. With the included, USB 3.1 Type-C connection port and USB Type-C to Type A cable, users can conveniently manage and access content.
Portability is the key element shared among all digital devices today where everything, including you, is constantly moving. When you are always on-the-go, your data should be, too. Born and bred with potent portability in its core, the Samsung Portable SSD T3 is built strong and light and is equipped with a built-in security feature. Most of all, it offers the blazing-fast data transfer speed of up to 450 MB/s. With compatibility across multiple operating systems and devices, the T3 will take your data to another level of accessibility. Transfer fast, store safe. The fast and compact external storage. Small in size, big on memory The new Samsung Portable SSD T3 raises the bar for speed, capacity, durability and connectivity. Store data safely and access it wherever and whenever you need it. Quick on its feet Reduce downtime with blazing-fast read/write speeds of up to 450MB/s, up to 4x faster than traditional 2.5 portable hard drives (HDD). Small, compact and light The T3 is designed to store and access your data wherever life takes you. Weighing less than 2 ounces and roughly the size of a business card for perfectly potent portability. Holds its own With advanced Samsung V-NAND technology the T3 packs a punch - up to 2TB capacity means you can fit everything you need in the palm of your hand. Tough to crack The shock-resistant T3 has no moving parts, a strong exterior metal body that can withstand up to 1500G of force, equivalent of a drop of up to 6.5 feet., and together with AES 256-bit hardware encryption the T3 is prepared to meet the demands that life throws at it. Connects with ease The T3 is compatible across multiple operating systems, so you can conveniently connect it to Windows, Mac OS, and Android devices. With the included, USB 3.1 Type-C connection port and USB Type-C to Type A cable, users can conveniently manage and access content.
in 2 offers
The lowest price for Samsung Portable 500GB SSD T3 (MU-PT500B) right now is $312.93 at DiscTech.com, compared across 2 retailers.
The all-time low was $149.00 on 25 May 2026 — today's price is 110% above the lowest ever. It has been notably cheaper before — worth setting a price alert.
Prices last updated 21 July 2026.
