An external SSD can connect to the computer through the USB and transport large quantities of data more quickly than a traditional HDD. As a high-performance plug-and-play storage device, it can be accessed by plugging into any computer. Then what is the external SSD for gaming? Does it enhance the performance of gaming? By going through this guide, you will make sense of all information you need to know about an external SSD for gaming, including the definition, whether it is better than an HDD in gaming, and the recommendation of suitable external SSDs.
Can I Use External SSD for Gaming?
The answer is yes. You can use an external SSD for gaming. When it comes to high data transfer speed, no external storage device can compare with the excellent performance of external solid-state drives. With flash-based memory, it can write incredibly fast, as well as the speed of reading information. So they are particularly suitable for large games and high-definition screens. It is important to note that the speed of your external SSD is restricted by the USB interface you use to connect it to your PC. To play the best performance, it is recommended to use a USB 3.2 interface, which can provide transfer speeds of up to 20 Gbps. Keep in mind that some games may not support being installed on an external drive. In this case, you may need to manually install the game on your internal storage and move the game files to the external SSD.
Is an External SSD Better Than HDD for Gaming?
Undoubtedly, different storage devices will bring different gaming experiences for you. Then, is the external SSD better than HDD for gaming? It depends on what you value while weighing the choice of HDD vs. SSD for gaming: external SSD is faster, more durable and portable, and consume less energy. On the other hand, HDD is less pricy and may be easier for data recovery. To help you choose the right storage drive for your needs and budget, we will discuss their performance for gaming as follows:
External SSD for gaming: All SSDs use flash-based memory to store data, and they have no moving parts, which allows them to have faster read-write speeds and less latency than HDDs.
HDD for gaming: A HDD usually stores data using spinning magnetic media, which has slower read/write speeds and much more access times but a lower cost per gigabyte of storage than an SSD.
However, choosing an external SSD for gaming is still a dizzying problem, and making a wrong choice can leave you with a poor experience. Don't worry. We will provide some tested recommendations that are sure to help in the next section.
Best External SSD for Gaming [Top 5]
Before looking at the recommendations for external SSD for gaming, let's check what features should be considered while choosing an external one.
Common Features Need to Be Considered
- Drive Capacity: external SSD for gaming has a variety of models, from 500MB to 2TB. This factor decides how much data you can store on it.
- Read and Write Speeds: no matter whether SSD or HDD, speed is an essential factor that must be considered, especially when choosing hard drives for games. Fast read and write speeds can substantially reduce the loading times during gaming sessions, make video playing blazing-fast, and speed up other intensive tasks.
- Price: needless to say, everyone wants to buy an excellent external SSD for gaming at a reasonable price. Generally, the price is closely related to the capacity of the SSD. The bigger the drive size is, the more expensive it is.
- Data Security: adequate data security of external SSD for gaming can prevent its data from exposing to reputational damage, such as viruses and malware, which can protect the data from corruption or unauthorized access.
- Durability: as we know, external SSDs charge higher than HDDs, and they are usually portable, which makes them fragile and prone to physical damage. Thus, you'd better select an SSD that is dustproof and water-resistant.
However, which of them is more important? Let's hear what the EaseUS editor says about the essential factors to consider when choosing an external SSD for gaming:
- EaseUS Editor's Review
- Actually, it is best to give priority to these three factors: drive capacity, price, and speed. For example, if you need to store many large-sized modern games, 1 TB and 2 TB drives may suit you more, and their prices get lower with the development of SSD technology. And the reasonable price for an external SSD is between $100 and $150. Furthermore, under the condition of meeting the two factors of price and drive size, the faster, the better for the read and write speeds.
There are too many options for users, which usually overwhelms them. Therefore, in order to save time and help users select a suitable external SSD for gaming, I will provide the top 5 best external SSD for gaming according to professional testing. Let's preview them in the list below.
- 1. WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD (1 TB)
- 2. Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (1 TB)
- 3. Crucial X8 Portable SSD (2 TB)
- 4. Samsung T7 Shield (4TB)
- 5. Adata Elite SE880 SSD (1 TB)
1. WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD (1 TB)
WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD is outstanding in every way: first, it is widely compatible with various devices, including PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Mac. Second, it uses the fastest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps interface, which supports read and write speeds up to 2,000MB/s. Finally, as an advanced SSD that the WD company designed for gaming, the WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD will provide speeds that can keep you playing your game on your PC or console without lagging or slowdown.
Specifications
- Connectivity: USB 3.2
- Capacity: 500GB
- Price: $199.99
- Speed: up to 2000Mb/s
- Warranty: 5 years
Pros
- It is capable of 2GB/s in both directions with the proper interface.
- Its metal case can help radiate the heat inside this external SSD.
- If your PC doesn't have a USB 3.2 SuperSpeed 10Gbps interface, you can use a USB 3.2 SuperSpeed 10Gbps as an alternative.
Cons
- Sustained performance is not well: read and write speeds drop to about 375MB/s after transferring 30GB of data on it.
- It has a much steeper price tag among SuperSpeed 10Gbps drives.
Reason to choose it: As a professional company that has generated advanced SSDs, Western Digital developed this best overall external SSD for gaming. WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD makes this choice easier: it is one of the fastest external SSD at a very fair price. And it enjoys a 5-year warranty, so you can seek their help to rescue your SSD.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3OEfSZ6
2. Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (1 TB)
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD is a worthy alternative, with way less price tag for similar performance to the WD Black P50. Moreover, since it's compatible with a SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps port, it can improve transfer speed of up to 2GBps. This product promises to make you experience high-speed, no-lag computer gaming with an external portable USB-C drive harnessing fierce.
Specifications
- Connectivity: USB 2.0, USB Type C, USB 3.2
- Capacity: 1 TB
- Price: $134.99
- Speed: up to 2000Mb/s
- Warranty: 3 years
Pros
- It has the most fabulous looking as an external SSD.
- It uses a plug-and-play USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface for quick function and less clutter.
Cons
- Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD isn't compatible with PS5.
Reason to choose it: With the same fast read and write speed, Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD can store twice the data as WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD and is cheaper than it. Furthermore, it has an attractive design for the outlooking.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3MW8mHE
3. Crucial X8 Portable SSD (2 TB)
Crucial X8 Portable SSD, a solid-looking metal case, makes sense to compromise. Indeed, it's neither the fastest external nor the most spacious SSD on Earth. But it is relatively quick and can hold high capacity. Most importantly, it's attractively priced. Crucial X8 Portable SSD 2 TB is available at Amazon for $119.99, while WD Black P50 Game Drive in 2TB trim costs about $380.
Specifications
- Connectivity: USB 3.2
- Capacity: 2TB
- Price: $119.99
- Speed: up to 1050Mb/s
- Warranty: 3 years
Pros
- It is compatible with Windows, Mac, iPad Pro, Android, Linux, PS4, PS5, and Xbox.
- Economic to an external SSD for gaming and rounded-edge makes it easy to carry around.
- It has a 2GB DRAM cache.
Cons
- The performance tanks when the cache runs out.
Reason to choose it: Crucial X8 Portable SSD can meet your high demands for read/write speed and drive size, and at the same time, it costs 119 dollars and is the dream SSD for users with a limited budget.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3OCW8Vy
4. Samsung T7 Shield (4TB)
It's the largest SSD in today's recommendations. As the most popular external SSD, T7 Shield has upgraded to a 4TB option. In addition, Samsung T7 Shield has a silicone protective sleeve and an IP65 rating that is rugged with water-resistant and dust-resistant features. For the raw performance, it provides a sequential read speed of 1021MB/s and a write speed of 896MB/s, tested by the benchmark tool.
Specifications
- Connectivity: USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
- Capacity: 4TB
- Price: $219.99
- Speed: 1,021MB/s
- Warranty: 3 years
Pros
- High capacity of up to 4TB that builds the ultimate gaming library.
- It has the fastest 10Gbps transfer speed.
Cons
- A small 4K performance error exists under CrystalDiskMark 8 writing 4K files.
Reason to choose it: Samsung T7 Shield will be your best high-capacity option since it has a storage capacity that up to 4 TB, which allows you to store photos, videos, and games as you want.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Wxn7DW
5. Adata Elite SE880 SSD (1 TB)
Adata Elite SE880 SSD earns its name for being extremely small and portable: it is only 2.55 inches long, 1.38 inches wide, and 0.48 inches thick, which makes it seems like a tiny USB drive instead of an external SSD for gaming. It is no exaggeration to say that it's easy to forget it in your bag since it only weighs a featherlight - 1.1 ounces.
Specifications
- Connectivity: USB 3.2 Type-C and Type-A
- Capacity: 1 TB
- Price: $131.72
- Speed: up to 2000Mb/s
- Warranty: 5 years
Pros
- Extremely tiny and light form factor and dust-resistant and waterproof rates IP68.
- High transfer speed over 10Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2 interface.
Cons
- Drops considerably during more extended contiguous write tests.
Reason to choose it: As small as a soda cookie, the Adata Elite SE880 SSD may not be the fastest SSD you can buy, but it is definitely the most portable external SSD for gaming, which enables you to take it anywhere without burden.
Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3BSVr2L
After checking the specifications, pros, and cons of the five external SSD for gaming, the following EaseUS editor's review will make a conclusion that may help you decide which external SSD for gaming fits your demand.
- EaseUS Editor's Review
- Knowing what you want and need is vital when picking which SSD suits you most. For example, the Crucial X8 Portable SSD will be your perfect choice if you take the price as the determining factor. If you value the vast storage capacity, Samsung T7 Shield 4 TB won't disappoint you. Speed is a point that is hard to overlook, so you can consider WD Black P50 Game Drive SSD, Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD, and Adata Elite SE880 SSD. Since external SSDs are costly, many users want a durable, rugged SSD to protect their investment. Based on durability and warranty year, we recommend you try Samsung T7 Shield and Crucial X8 Portable SSD.
Conclusion
This article covers some basic information about external SSD for gaming, and now you know what is an external SSD for gaming. Besides, we have also offered five sold recommendations of external SSD for you to choose from. A better external SSD for gaming allows you to keep many games to hand without taking up the precious storage space on your computer. Moreover, it can work as an external storage device for storing huge files that free up space on your PC. Therefore, we hope this article will make you aware of this kind of SSD and help you learn how to choose a suitable external SSD for yourself.
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Daisy is the Senior editor of the writing team for EaseUS. She has been working at EaseUS for over ten years, starting as a technical writer and moving on to being a team leader of the content group. As a professional author for over ten years, she writes a lot to help people overcome their tech troubles.
Roxanne is one of the main contributors to EaseUS and has created over 200 posts that help users solve multiple issues and failures on digital devices like PCs, Mobile phones, tablets, and Macs. She loves to share ideas with people of the same interests.
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