While Lexar is known for storage products such as professional SD cards, and microSD for smartphones, they also offer higher-end products such as USB drives, external SSDs, DDR5, and more. We got a chance to review the Lexar SL660 BLAZE portable gaming SSD, and here are our thoughts about it.
Design
As external SSDs are considered portable, the Lexar SL660 BLAZE Gaming SSD features a stylish premium aluminum enclosure, along with a sandblasted finish that helps to protect against shock and vibration. The dimensions are 57.4 x 112.6 x 10.6mm and weigh only 80g. There is also a large keychain holder, so users can easily carry it around.
The color of the enclosure is Graphite Grey, along with the Lexar branding on the sides. Since this is a gaming-focused product, the drive comes with a detachable stand, so gamers can place the drive next to their gaming PCs, and consoles such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X for added style. The base of the SSD is partially glossy.
The drive also features an RGB LED lighting system, located on the inner side of the holder section. The inclusion of RGB LEDs adds some vibrance when placed next to your gaming PC setup or console desk. The USB-C port is located on the opposite side.
For added versatility and convenience, the SSD comes packaged with a soft pouch that can easily hold the SSD, along with more room for a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and a USB Type-C to standard USB Type-A cable.
Features
The Lexar SL660 BLAZE Gaming SSD features impressive read and write speeds up to 2000 MB/s. To achieve those transfer speeds, the drive also uses a USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 interface for maximum performance. We tested the Lexaer SL660 BLAZE SSD using our testbed, which features the AMD Ryzen 7700X processor, Lexar 6000 MHz DDR5 memory, ASUS ROG Crosshair X670E Hero motherboard, XFX 1000W PSW, the XFX Radeon 5700XT GPU, and more.
The ROG Crosshair X670E Hero that we use here features several USB-C and USB-A ports, including one USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 interface. We used CrystalDiskMark to check the speeds and achieved a sequential Q8T1 read speed of 2099.2 MB/s and a write speed of 1807.02 MB/s. While the read speeds are slightly better than what Lexar claimed, the write speeds slightly fall a bit shorter by 200 MB/s. This isn’t a concern because there are several other factors involved that determine the overall performance.
It should also be noted that we tried other USB-C 3.2 Gen2 interfaces that didn’t have the (2×2) capability, and the speeds badly dropped to about 1000 MB/s for read and write performance on average. This shows the importance of using the USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 interface for maximum performance, supporting speeds up to 20 GB/s.
Lexar mentions that the SL660 BLAZE is compatible with Apple systems running Mac OSX 10.6+, Windows 11/10/8/7, and Android devices with Android 4.4+ versions (obviously with OTP support). We are surprised that Lexar does not mention details regarding console compatibility on the SL660 BLAZE product page.
For those who want to protect their data, Lexar also provides advanced security software that helps protect sensitive files with 256-bit AES encryption. Users can create a password-protected safe that automatically encrypts the stored data. You can also securely erase the files that are stored in the safe, so others will not be able to recover them.
Verdict
The Lexar SL660 BLAZE is a good recommendation for those looking for an external gaming SSD to connect to gaming PCs, laptops, and consoles. The drive features a lightweight, premium aluminum enclosure that weighs only 80g. The device also has its own RGB lighting system and can be mounted on a detachable stand. The drive also comes with several USB cables and a soft carry pouch.
The SL660 BLAZE SSD is designed to offer transfer speeds up to 2000 MB/s (read and write operations), thanks to the USB-C 3.2 Gen2x2 interface. The drive also comes preloaded with advanced security software that lets users protect their important files with 256-bit AES encryption. Lexar also provides a 5-year limited warranty for the SL660 BLAZE Gaming SSD.