Sandisk Desk Drive review

The Sandisk Desk Drive takes 8TB of storage and houses it in a compact enclosure that’s simple to use

Photography News|19.08.2025

test|2 min read

At a glance

Whether you choose the 4TB or 8TB version, the Sandisk Desk Drive is a quiet, fast and large SSD storage device that offers peace of mind, as it takes away the worry of a spinning HDD eventually failing.

PROS: Large capacity with fast plug-and-play setup

CONS: More expensive than portable drives, slower than NVMe-level speeds

What is the Sandisk Desk Drive and who is it for?

With such high-resolution files from today’s cameras, data adds up fast. This is where the £585 Sandisk Desk Drive comes in handy. It’s a desktop external SSD with a 8TB capacity, purpose-built for fast speeds and plug-and-play simplicity. Sandisk is known for rugged cards and portable drives, but the Desk Drive marks a shift into SSD desktop storage.

It’s ideal for anyone who might not want to invest in a full RAID system or NAS set-up. Of course, you should also have a separate, fully redundant backup system for long term storage…

What are the key features of the Sandisk Desk Drive?

Design and connectivity

The Desk Drive has a minimalist look and is compact. Plug it into mains with the included adapter, while the included USB-C cable can link it to your computer. It comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable too. On a Macbook Pro and Mac Studio, it was recognised instantly – no extra formatting needed.

Speed and capacity

It delivers read speeds up to 1000MB/s. While it might not match NVMe-level portable drives on Raw benchmarks, in practice it’s an excellent balance of performance and reliability. A 4TB version is also available, but 8TB hits the sweet spot between size and price.