Sabrent has unveiled a glimpse of the world's first Thunderbolt 5 external SSD, offering a tantalising preview of the future of portable storage. This comes just under a year after the official launch of the Thunderbolt 5 standard, which promised a maximum bidirectional throughput of 80 Gigabits per second (approximately 10 GB/s theoretical maximum for read and write).
The prototype drive, benchmarked by Sabrent, demonstrates speeds comparable to internal NVMe Gen 4 drives, reaching an impressive 6 GB/s read and 5 GB/s write. While this performance is undoubtedly impressive, Sabrent acknowledges that further optimisation is possible, highlighting their commitment to maximising the potential of this groundbreaking technology.
The video showcasing the drive also emphasises its compact form factor and efficient thermal management. The development of NVMe Gen 4 drives, particularly those operating at Gen 5 speeds, has highlighted the importance of efficient cooling, as these drives can generate significant heat. Therefore, Sabrent's focus on thermals in a portable device is a notable achievement.
It is possible that the current performance gap between the prototype's speed and the theoretical maximum of Thunderbolt 5 is not solely due to bandwidth limitations. Instead, achieving these high speeds while maintaining optimal temperatures in a compact, portable form factor presents a significant engineering challenge.
Nevertheless, the early success of this first Thunderbolt 5 SSD is a testament to the potential of this technology. The ability to achieve speeds comparable to mid-range NVMe Gen 4 drives in a portable design, without sacrificing thermal performance, is a significant step forward for the future of gaming and productivity tasks using external storage.
This demonstration suggests that the future of portable storage is bright, with Thunderbolt 5 poised to usher in a new era of speed and versatility.
