The ASUS TUF Gaming is an interesting portable SSD lineup. For one, it comes in the Plus and A2 segments, with the former being ready-made drives and the latter being more of an enclosure that you’ll need to install your own NVMe SSD before it becomes a portable drive.
Secondly, the Plus family comes with capacity-showing model numbers, including AS1000 Plus (1TB) and AS2000 Plus (2TB). Other than the internal SSD, or the lack thereof, the principle of the TUF Gaming remains the same: it’s a rugged and fast portable storage solution.
For this review, I used the TUF Gaming AS1000 Plus, but your experience will remain the same regardless of what you decide to buy.
Here’s the bottom line: If you’re looking for a 20Gbps-USB portable SSD for your gaming rig, be it a computer or a console, that delivers on performance without digging a hole in your wallet, the ASUS TUF Gaming is an excellent option. Consider one today!
ASUS TUF Gaming Plus: A solid and versatile portable drive for gamers
The idea of the ASUS TUF Gaming Plus is not new—Western Digital had the similarly specced WD Black P50 over four years ago. However, with significantly faster real-world performance and a street price of less than half, the TUF Gaming Plus is a much better deal.
If the name rings a bell, the TUF notion means the portable SSD is part of ASUS’s TUF gaming family, which includes Wi-Fi routers, such as the TUF-AX5400.
I took the 1TB version, the AS1000 Plus, out for a spin, and out of the box, it looked the part. The drive comes with a full-metal casing that houses an NVMe SSD on the inside. The whole package is IP68-rated, meaning the portable SSD can handle the elements and can survive a bit of roughhousing.
A rugged NVMe enclosure
What’s really interesting about the TUF Gaming Plus is that you can easily open the casing with four hex screws on the underside—the bottom two are covered by the specs label, which can be removed (and put back) easily.
Inside, you’ll find a 2280 NVMe SSD, a 1TB in my case, attached to an M.2 slot with a convenient built-in Q-latch—you can remove or replace the drive without any tools. The slot can handle any standard NVMe SSD with a 2280 form factor or smaller, such as the 2230 Crucial P310. In other words, the TUF Gaming Plus is a rugged NVMe M.2 enclosure.
Asus’s warranty applies only to the included SSD.
In most cases, though, you’ll use the drive as is. In this case, the ASUS Gaming Plus, like most game drives, is frill-free. It has no hardware encryption, and it only comes with a USB-C cable. You’ll need a converter or a USB-A-to-USB-C cable to use it with a USB-A port.
Out of the box, my AS1000 Plus is formatted in the exFAT file system to work with any hosts. Additionally, it includes a license for the NTI Backup Now EZ desktop application for Windows users. Then, there’s a little TUF SSD Dashboard software that shows the internal drive’s status and condition. Neither is consequential nor even interesting, considering the free alternatives.
Overall, aside from the IP68 rating and ease of serviceability, ASUS’s TUFF Gaming Plus lineup is very similar to the WD Black P50. The table below shows their hardware specs.
ASUS TUF Gaming Plus vs. WD Black P50: Hardware specifications
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| ASUS TUF Gaming Plus/A2 Portable SSD | Western Digital WD Black P50 | |
| Capacity | 1TB (AS1000 Plus) 2TB (AS2000 Plus) | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Internal Storage | PCIe Gen 4 4×4 NVMe SSD | |
| Product Color | Black | |
| Dimensions | 116.22 x 55.65 x 15.3 mm | 118. x 61.9 x 13.9 mm |
| Weight | 155 gram | 119 gram |
| Ruggedness | IP68 | No IP rating |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) USB Type-C | |
| Compatibility (peripheral standards) | Thunderbolt 3 (and later) USB4 (all) USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 USB 2.0 | |
| Hardware Encryption | None | |
| Power Usage | USB bus-powered via a USB-C or USB-A port | |
| Package Content | Portable SSD USB-C cable | Portable SSD USB-C cable USB-A to USB-C cable |
| OS Support | Windows: Windows 7 or later, macOS: 10.6.x or later, Xbox and PlayStation Game Consoles with USB-C | |
| Mobile Device Support | No | |
| Warranty | 5-year | |
| Costs | Current pricing on Amazon | |
As noted in the table, the two drives are very similar and can work interchangeably. By the way, you can also open the WD Black to change its internal drive, but, like the ASUS TUF Gaming Plus, the process is much harder since that wasn’t the intended use case.
ASUS AS1000 TUF Gaming Plus: Excellent performance
I tested and used the ASUS AS1000 TUF Gaming Plus for a couple of days, with the included internal NVMe SSD, and was happy with it. The drive performed well—it’s the fastest USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 to date—and never became hot, even during extended operation.
It also proved to be tough. I left it in a sink full of water overnight—it sank—then tossed it around on our hardwood floors quite a bit, and it survived intact.
It’s also worth noting that after I opened the case, replaced the internal drive, and put everything back together, the package still worked without issues. Still, this is only an option for savvy users. Replacing the internal SSD will void the drive’s included warranty.
Conclusion
The ASUS TUF Gaming Plus lineup, powered by the AS1000, is a straightforward, super-fast portable SSD. Its friendly pricing, the fact that you can quickly service the internal SSD, and its straightforward design make it one of the best 20Gbps-USB external storage devices for general storage or gaming needs.
Alternatively, if you already have a good NVMe SSD, pick the TUF Gaming A2 enclosure instead. Consider one today!
Well, this info is useful anyway to consider your options. TUF Gaming A2 can ship to my location in a month, but I can pick the NVMe of my choice. AS2000 Plus can be delivered in a day, but I don’t know how Chinese the drive is.
I tried to google up the blurry numbers on your picture and I failed…
Binary Eye can’t help with the barcodes either, due to blur.
At least I tried.
ASUS is not a Chinese company. It’s Taiwanese.
wish you google what the m2 was inside it . It’s the reason I m here. I wanted to know if it was controller based or one without .
I opened the drive and knew exactly what drive it was, but that info wasn’t supposed to be public as the SSD may vary over time. That won’t change the performance, though.