ADATA SC660 240GB Portable SSD Review

TweakTown's Rating: 88%

The Bottom Line

In the current market, the ADATA SC660 in its higher 480GB capacity is the better option, but for those on a tight budget, the 240GB solution at $89.99 is nothing to scoff at.

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With this review, we look at the last of three new portable SSDs to come from ADATA. With the SE730 being ultra-portable and the SV620 carrying higher capacities, what does the SC660 hold for its potential buyers? Let's find out.

Like the SV620, reviewed earlier, the SC660 comes from the premier lineup. Both drives share much of the same internal hardware with a large difference coming in the design of the enclosure. The SV620 had a raised edge flat enclosure design, whereas the SC660 has a mostly flat exterior with recessed lines and a speckled sandblasted look throughout. Performance is said to touch 440 MB/s read and write with capacity options in both 240 and 480GB. Compatibility, on the other hand, gives us Windows XP and up, OS X 10.6+ and Linux Kernel 2.6+ support with no drivers needed.

The MSRP of the ADATA SC660 in the 240GB capacity comes in at 89.99 with a three-year warranty.

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As far as packaging is concerned, the SC660 is identical to the SV620 we spoke of previously. On the front, we have model and capacity at the bottom right.

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On the back, we have a more detailed specification list and a QR code to the right for free data management software from ADATA.

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The scope of delivery includes a quick start guide, USB 3.0 Type-C to Micro-B cable, and the drive itself.

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Up close, we have both the USB 3.0 port and activity LED. We also get a look at the titanium metal flake exterior of the enclosure.

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To get things started, I opened CDI to see if this a custom-built solution or an internal SSD in an external shell. As you can see above, the SC660 uses a SP550 SATA SSD internally.

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Our first run through testing was with Flash Benchmark, which runs through performance with file sizes, like ATTO. Peak read and write topped out at 410 MB/s for this solution but did stay consistent through the 1M file size.

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Sequential performance reached 419 MB/s read and 423 MB/s write in CDM, while the same test at QD32 resulted in 393 MB/s read and 374 MB/s write.

Admittedly, I didn't spend as much time with the SC660, as I did the SV620, since a few days into me using it for backups I had a family member come in need of a backup solution that was portable, the SC660 fit the bill perfectly. With that, in my few days with the device, I found it to be quite durable having dropped it on several occasions without any damage.

With the internal drive being a tested SP550 SSD, we have an idea of where this solution should perform and taking that into account, our results with this Premier SC660 were quite good. Sequential performance topped out at 419 MB/s read and 423 MB/s write whereas 4K random read came in at 25.5 MB/s or ~6500 IOPs and random write topped 65 MB/s or 16,700 IOPS ballpark.

Overall, the ADATA SC660 is focusing on the value segment of the market and with its current MSRP sitting at $89.99, you are looking at a 38 cent per GB solution. Higher capacities will achieve more bang for your buck with the 480GB model coming in around 29 cents per GB. Either way, the SC660 is a durable, mid-range performance drive for those wanting quick backups in the portable form factor.

Tyler's Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Z170 Premium - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i7 6700K - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4x8) DDR4 2400 - Read our review
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 - Read our review
• OS Storage: Intel 730 480GB SSD - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Secondary Storage: Intel 750 400GB U.2 SSD - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Case: NZXT S340 - Buy from Amazon / Read our review
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower Grand 1200 - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 - Buy from Amazon