Exascend
Exascend 4-in-1 CFexpress Type B/SD/SD Express/microSD Card Reader
Regular price $78.00Unit price
Storage That Keeps Up with Your Workflow
Modern video and photo workflows generate enormous amounts of data. A single day of shooting 6K RAW on a cinema camera can produce 2–4TB of footage. Choosing the right drives — fast enough for editing, reliable enough for backup, and portable enough for the field — is as important as any other part of your kit. At IMPULSE, we carry SSDs, HDDs, NVMe drives, portable desktop storage, and RAID arrays from Samsung, WD, SanDisk, LaCie, and more.
Buying Guide: Drives & Storage
SSD vs. HDD for Video Editing
Solid-state drives (SSDs) are the standard for editing drives: faster read/write speeds, no moving parts to fail during transport, and near-silent operation. Hard disk drives (HDDs) are significantly cheaper per terabyte and remain the go-to for long-term archival storage where access speed matters less. For an editing workflow, use an SSD for your scratch and active project drive, and move finished projects to a high-capacity HDD archive.
NVMe vs. SATA — Speed When It Matters
NVMe drives connect via PCIe and deliver sequential read speeds of 3,500–7,400 MB/s — essential for editing 8K ProRes RAW or multi-stream 4K without proxy files. SATA SSDs top out around 550 MB/s, which is sufficient for single-stream 4K H.264/H.265 but will bottleneck demanding RAW workflows. If you're editing on a desktop or laptop with an NVMe slot, invest in an NVMe drive for your primary editing volume.
Portable SSDs for Field Work
Bus-powered portable SSDs like the Samsung T9, SanDisk Extreme Pro V2, and WD My Passport SSD are the workhorse drives for location video. They're rugged, compact, and fast enough (1,000–2,000 MB/s over USB 3.2) to offload camera media and even edit directly from the drive. For cinema camera workflows offloading ProRes or BRAW, look for drives that exceed 1,000 MB/s write speeds and carry a rugged IP rating for dust and moisture resistance.
Desktop Storage and RAID for the Studio
Desktop drives offer better value per terabyte and higher capacities for studio-based workflows. A RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) system protects your data by mirroring or striping across multiple drives. RAID 1 mirrors two drives — if one fails, your data is safe. RAID 5 and RAID 6 balance speed, capacity, and redundancy across three or more drives. For any professional production, a RAID array is considered the minimum baseline for protecting master files — though RAID is not a backup; always maintain an offsite copy.
Speed Requirements by Format
Know what speeds your workflow actually demands: H.264/H.265 1080p requires 50–100 MB/s; 4K H.264 requires 100–200 MB/s; Apple ProRes 4444 4K requires 500–800 MB/s; ARRI ARRIRAW 4K can exceed 1,000 MB/s. Match your drive's sustained write speed — not its peak burst speed — to your recording or editing format to avoid dropped frames and corrupted files.
What is the fastest portable SSD for video editing?
As of 2026, the Samsung T9 (up to 2,000 MB/s), SanDisk Extreme Pro V2 (up to 2,000 MB/s), and WD Black P40 Game Drive (up to 2,000 MB/s) lead the portable SSD category over USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. For Thunderbolt 3/4 connectivity, the OWC Envoy Pro Elektron and LaCie Rugged Pro reach 2,800+ MB/s — ideal for uncompressed 4K and 6K workflows directly from a portable drive.
How much storage do I need for video production?
A rough guide: 1 hour of 1080p H.264 footage ≈ 8–15 GB; 1 hour of 4K H.264 ≈ 45–80 GB; 1 hour of 4K ProRes 422 ≈ 200–400 GB; 1 hour of 6K BRAW (Blackmagic RAW) ≈ 400–800 GB depending on Q ratio. For an active project drive, plan for at least 2–4x the size of a single shoot. For archive storage, estimate total project size and add 25% headroom.
Is RAID the same as a backup?
No — and this is a critical distinction. RAID protects against drive failure, but if a file is accidentally deleted, corrupted by software, or the RAID array is stolen or flooded, RAID offers no protection. A true backup follows the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of your data, on 2 different media types, with 1 copy offsite (or in cloud storage). RAID is a redundancy strategy, not a backup strategy.
Can I edit 4K directly off a portable SSD?
Yes — modern portable SSDs like the Samsung T9 or SanDisk Extreme Pro V2 sustain read speeds above 1,000 MB/s, which is sufficient for 4K ProRes 422 HQ editing in Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, or Premiere Pro. For 6K RAW or 8K workflows, you'll want either a Thunderbolt SSD or NVMe drive to ensure you never drop below your required sustained read speed during playback.
What's the difference between a drive's peak speed and sustained speed?
Peak (burst) speed is the maximum speed a drive achieves in short bursts — often what manufacturers advertise on the box. Sustained speed is what the drive maintains over longer file transfers or continuous recording. For video work, sustained speed is the number that matters. SSDs with large SLC caches perform at peak speeds briefly, then drop significantly once the cache fills — check independent reviews for real-world sustained write speeds before buying.
Should I use a USB or Thunderbolt drive for my Mac?
If your Mac has Thunderbolt 3 or 4 ports, a Thunderbolt SSD (like the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt or OWC Envoy Pro) gives you 2,500–2,800 MB/s — ideal for demanding RAW workflows. For most 4K H.264 or ProRes 422 editing, USB 3.2 Gen 2 at 1,000–2,000 MB/s is sufficient and more affordable. Only step up to Thunderbolt if your formats genuinely require it.
Visit Us in Milwaukee — Not sure which drive is right for your editing setup or camera workflow? Stop by at 7965 S Main Street, Oak Creek, WI or email sales@impulsemke.com. We'll help you match drives to your camera's recording format and your computer's connection speeds.
