Sean Webster

Sean is a lifelong gamer and tech-lover who inevitably became an authority on storage. Gaming in the late 90s and early 2000s at a competitive level, he realized that you needed to embrace every edge. Flash storage had potential. Long load times became a thing of the past, and it was clear over the next decade that only a discerning eye could identify the best consumer and enterprise SSDs. That eye of his is also forward-looking and outward-seeking, finding the next mountain to climb - often, literally.

Articles by: Sean Webster

Best External SSDs and Hard Drives of 2022

By Matt Safford, Sean Webster published 25 May 22

We've tested dozens of external hard drives and SSDs to pick out those that offer the best balance of performance, features and price.

Best SSDs 2022: From Budget SATA to Blazing-Fast NVMe

By Sean Webster, Shane Downing published 25 May 22

We recommend the best SSDs for every need and budget based on our extensive lab tests.

Team Group T-Create Expert SSD Review: Ultimate Endurance for Chia Crypto Plotting

By Sean Webster published 13 July 21

Team Group T-Create Expert is an expensive and enduring NVMe SSD for content creators and Chia farmers looking for lasting performance.

Cigent K2 Secure Portable SSD Review: Stop Ransomware in Its Tracks

By Sean Webster published 22 June 21

Cigent pairs secure software with heavily encrypted storage, for those who need to meet data compliance standards.

Corsair MP600 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Faster Speed, Less Endurance

By Sean Webster published 23 March 21

Corsair’s MP600 Pro is a fast and secure M.2 NVMe SSD that keeps cool with innovative cooling solutions.

Seagate FireCuda 120 SATA SSD Review: Fast, Expensive, and Enduring

By Sean Webster published 18 January 21

Powered by Phison’s S12 SATA controller and Kioxia’s BiCS4 TLC flash, the Seagate FireCuda 120 delivers responsive performance and reliability in high capacities.

Silicon Power US70 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: The Ultra-Value M.2 Stick

By Sean Webster published 18 December 20

Silicon Power’s US70 is a low-cost PCIe 4.0 X4 NVMe SSD rocking Phison’s PS5016-E16 controller and Kioxia’s 96L TLC flash.

Not-So-Solid State: SSD Makers Swap Parts Without Telling Us

By Sean Webster published 1 December 20

Adata’s recent change of controller and NAND on its best-selling SSD makes for a slower experience.

TechInsights Outlines the Future of 3D NAND Flash

By Sean Webster published 18 November 20

Joengdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow at TechInsights, Inc. outlines the future of 3D flash at FMS 2020.

Phison's New PCIe 4.0 Controller Tested: 7.4 GBps of Potential

By Sean Webster published 17 November 20

Phison’s PS5018-E18, the company’s fastest NVMe SSD controller yet, is still in development.

New X-NAND Tech Detailed: SLC Speed at QLC Capacity and Pricing

By Sean Webster published 13 November 20

NEO Semiconductor has plans to enable SLC performance on next-gen QLC through advanced X-NAND architecture.

Micron Now Shipping 176-Layer 3D TLC NAND Flash

By Sean Webster published 10 November 20

Micron is shipping 176 layer replacement gate TLC NAND flash for mobile, enterprise, and client storage.

Adata Switches to Slower Controller, NAND on SX8200 Pro

By Sean Webster published 30 October 20

Adata is now shipping the XPG SX8200 Pro SSD with lower-clocked hardware than the initial release model, without changing its specification sheets or retail listings.

Exclusive: Phison’s E18 NVMe SSD Controller Hits 1.2 Million IOPS

By Sean Webster published 23 October 20

Phison is refining its new E18 NVMe SSD controller and has reached up to 1.2 million random IOPS.

Icy Dock ToughArmor MB840M2P-B Review: Quick and Tool-less NVMe SSD Swaps

By Sean Webster published 15 October 20

Icy Dock’s ToughArmor MB840M2P-B incorporates fast hot-swap capability with a secure, tool-less M.2 drive installation.

Corsair Force MP400 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Speedy, Spacious QLC

By Sean Webster published 8 October 20

Corsair’s Force MP400 offers up high-performance, large capacity, and blacked-out looks, but lackluster endurance.

Phison's New E18 SSD Controller Rivals Samsung 980 Pro With 7 GBps of Throughput

By Sean Webster published 5 September 20

Phison’s hot new PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe SSD controller flashes some nasty digits on social media.

Samsung T7 Portable SSD Review: Colorful and Secure Storage

By Sean Webster published 17 August 20

Samsung’s Portable SSD T7 lacks touch-based security but provides a much better value proposition than its more expensive counterpart. Plus, it comes in three different color options.

Kingston KC2500 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Mature Flash Makes for Great Performance

By Sean Webster published 4 August 20

Kingston’s KC2500 boasts responsive performance, high reliability, and secure XTS-AES 256-bit encryption for professional use.

Adata Falcon M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Soaring above SATA

By Sean Webster published 20 July 20

Adata’s Falcon brings DRAMless performance to new heights with peak speeds of up to 3.2/1.5GBps read/write, plus it has flashy looks and competitive pricing to go along with it.

LaCie Rugged SSD Pro Portable SSD Review: Fast, Compact and Durable

By Sean Webster published 1 June 20

Potent performance at a high price

Seagate's IronWolf 510 is the World’s First Purpose-Built NVMe SSD for NAS

By Sean Webster published 18 March 20

Seagate’s IronWolf 510 M.2 NVMe SSD boasts strong endurance and multi-gigabyte performance for 24/7 NAS use.

Adata Launches the SE760: Simply a Fast External SSD

By Sean Webster published 20 February 20

Adata’s launches a sleek external SSD with a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 for high performance.

Kingston A2000 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Security, Endurance, and Low Pricing

By Sean Webster published 12 December 19

Kingston's A2000 may not be the fastest SSD on the market, but it offsets that with enhanced security and low pricing.

New PCMark 10 Storage Tests Debut

By Sean Webster published 11 December 19

PCMark 10's new storage tests place a heavy emphasis on new SSD testing methodology.