Kingston A400 480GB
Score: 54/100
SanDisk Extreme 500GB
Score: 35/100Rankings
The Kingston A400 480 GB SATA SSD delivers budget-friendly performance improvements over mechanical drives, offering up to 500 MB/s reads and 450 MB/s writes with low power draw. It is ideal for older desktops and laptops that need a simple, cost-effective upgrade.
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD 500 GB offers near-top-tier NVMe speeds in a rugged, IP55-rated case with built-in hardware encryption, making it ideal for creators on the move. Some users note a flimsy USB-A adapter, occasional early failures, and thermal warm-up under heavy use.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
480 GB | 500 GBbest | |
500 MB/s | 1,050 MB/sbest | |
450 MB/s | 1,000 MB/sbest | |
160 TBWbest | — | |
3 years | 5 yearsbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 0.279 Wbest | — |
| ↓ lower better | 0.195 Wbest | — |
1,000,000 hoursbest | — |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Performance(3) | ||
Sequential Read Speed (MB/s) | 500 MB/s | 1050 MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 450 MB/s | 1000 MB/s |
Interface | SATA III | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
Storage(2) | ||
Capacity (GB) | 480 GB | 500 GB |
Warranty Period (years) | 3 years | 5 years |
Design & Build(2) | ||
Weight (g) | 41 g | 52 g |
Thickness (mm) | 7 mm | 9.6 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers position the A400 as a budget-friendly, value-driven SSD that revitalises older PCs. They praise its durability, low power draw and ease of installation, while noting the 2-channel controller limits peak performance and that it falls short of premium SATA or NVMe drives in speed and endurance.
Everyday users overwhelmingly appreciate the noticeable speed uplift and simple upgrade path, calling it a "no-brainer" for aging laptops. Common complaints revolve around occasional performance slowdown over time, missing mounting screws, and the drive's unsuitability for heavy-duty tasks.
“No-brainer upgrade for aging laptops.”
“Great value for a simple SSD swap.”
“Performance slowed after months of heavy use.”
Professional reviewers commend the Extreme Portable SSD for delivering near-top tier performance (1050 MB/s) in a rugged, IP55-rated package, emphasizing its suitability for 4K video editing and secure data handling. They note the absence of a metal heatsink as the main drawback, but conclude that passive cooling is adequate for typical use cases.
Everyday users love the SSD's tiny footprint, durability, and speed for photo/video backups, often highlighting the handy carabiner loop. Complaints focus on occasional early failures, a flimsy USB-A adapter, the default exFAT format, and the device warming under heavy use.
