The rising costs of SSDs haven't stopped SanDisk from launching a brand new portable SSD line

The best SSDs for gaming are still seeing significant price increases, and yet that hasn't stopped Sandisk from launching its next-generation portable range. The major storage brand unveiled its new line of portable SSDs, including the new SanDisk Portable SSD, SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD, and the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD this week.

These new external SSDs aren't aimed at gamers like you or me. Instead, the new range was released with "everyday users, creators, and professionals" in mind, as they can support larger file sizes, AI content, and digital workflows. However, there's nothing stopping you from grabbing any one of these new SSDs to store your favorite PC games or game clips. If you do, your secret will be safe with me - I track all the best SSD prices across the web, I know the struggle is real.

SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD (V3) - 1TB | $259.99 at SanDisk
This 1TB capacity portable SSD features sequential read speeds up to 2000MB/s, and is designed with creatives in mind. However, if you're after speedy portable storage to store your digital game files, the lightning-fast transfer speeds will still get the job done.

UK: £220.99 at SanDisk

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Only the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is available now, starting from $259.99 (SanDisk), with the full line-up planned to drop later this year. The drive boasts of read speeds of up to 2,000MB/s and the ability to transfer up to 1,000 high-resolution photos in under 60 seconds, according to the brand. The WD Black P40 is the best PS5 external hard drive our team has tested, and it also provides read speeds up to 2,000MB/s, so SanDisk's SSD is more than adequate for gaming too.

The Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD is available from 1TB up to 4TB, but if you want its 500GB variant or slightly faster speeds, you'll have to wait for the rest of the line to drop.

The Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD will be available in models from 2TB up to 8TB and is expected to deliver transfer speeds of up to 4,000MB/s. Additionally, Sandisk states that it will also be able to "move 10 minutes of 12K video in just under a minute," which will make it handy for those after the best streaming gear where dealing with clips and highlight videos is commonplace.

The Sandisk Portable SSD is the last of the trio to make up this new line. It's designed for "students, office workers, and family archivists," according to the brand, and it delivers read speeds of up to 1,000MB/s. It's also the most compact of the set, making it ideal for storing in a backpack, whether you need to take your homework or backups of your favorite games on the go. Both are entirely valid reasons in my eyes.

Much like the previous generation portable Sandisk SSDs, these new drives feature a durable chassis to make them robust and long-lasting. The Sandisk Portable SSD features drop protection of up to two metres, while both the Sandisk Extreme and Sandisk Extreme PRO have resistance up to three metres and are equipped with password protection tech.

While external hard drive and SSD pricing have remained mostly unaffected by the knock-on effects of the RAM shortages, I'd definitely recommend grabbing any one of these drives as close to launch as possible to avoid future inflated prices. Sure, they aren't aimed with games in mind, but having a portable SSD in your setup is handy for backing up saves and screenshots, and game clips.

• View all SanDisk SSDs at Amazon
• View all external SSDs for gaming at Amazon

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