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Picture: Western Digital
Perhaps your gaming laptop computer doesn’t have sufficient storage. Otherwise you merely need a simple option to make your recreation library transportable. An exterior SSD can repair each of those points (and extra) by offering a simple option to increase storage that you may tackle the go.
However selecting an exterior SSD means sorting by way of a dizzying array of choices, and making a poor selection can depart you feeling onerous carried out by. Fortunate for you, we’ve carried out the testing and may supply some sure-fire suggestions which can be assured to assist, and never hinder, your gaming setup.
Why you must belief us: We’re PCWorld. Our reviewers have been placing pc {hardware} by way of its paces for many years. Our exterior drive evaluations are thorough and rigorous, testing the boundaries of each product — from efficiency benchmarks to the practicalities of normal use. As customers ourselves, we all know what makes a product distinctive. For extra about our testing course of, scroll to the underside of this text.
Up to date July 2, 2024: See our new decide for the very best sturdy exterior drive. Along with that includes quick 20Gbps efficiency, the PNY RP60 can also be able to withstanding the weather, so you possibly can take your video games on the go together with complete confidence.
Lexar SL600 Blaze – Finest 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Good 20Gbps performer
- High bang for the buck
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- 4TB mannequin not but accessible
Value When Reviewed:
1TB: $129.99
The competitors could be very shut within the high tier of 20Gbps exterior drives, with the big-name contenders buying and selling wins up and down the benchmark charts. However a winner is a winner, and ultimately, the Lexar overtook our earlier champ, Crucial’s X10 Pro, even when solely by a hair.
The upshot is that you may anticipate wonderful efficiency from the Lexar SL600. It additionally is available in a uniquely formed kind issue, full with a gap to accommodate a lanyard, for straightforward toting. Avid gamers would possibly admire that you may even add some bling by choosing the SL660 variant, which options RGB lighting inside its miniature deal with. The drive comes with the usual 5 12 months guarantee.
When efficiency is that this intently matched amongst merchandise, the figuring out issue must be worth. And right here, too, the SL600 is neck-and-neck with the Essential X10 Professional, and priced barely to considerably cheaper than a few of its rivals, a minimum of as of this writing — notably on the 2TB degree.
Learn our full
Lexar SL600 Blaze 20Gbps USB SSD review
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (1TB) – Finest premium 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Drop-dead attractive
- 2GBps transfers through SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps
Cons
- Dear
- Superspeed USB 20Gbps ports are few and much between
Value When Reviewed:
$110.92
Seagate’s FireCuda Gaming SSD is a worthy various, nevertheless it has a a lot steeper price ticket for comparable efficiency. Nevertheless, the FireCuda is a fully beautiful exterior SSD and is worthy of a spot on any desktop. It’s not only a fairly façade although—it’s appropriate with a SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps port, that means it might attain switch charges of as much as 2GBps. It’s definitely the coolest-looking exterior SSD on this listing.
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Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD review
Teamgroup M200 – Finest finances 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Quick on a regular basis efficiency
- Out there in as much as 8TB (ultimately) capability
- Attractively styled
Cons
- No TBW ranking
- Firm will change elements if shortages demand
- Writes gradual to 200MBps off cache
Value When Reviewed:
$40 for 256GB | $58 for 512GB | $260 for 2TB | $300 for 4TB
The Teamgroup M200 offers wonderful bang on your buck with 20Gbps switch charges and as much as 4TB of storage for a really cheap worth. It has nice on a regular basis efficiency, too.
Its slick military-style design relies on the CheyTac M200 sniper rifle—an ideal match for these late night time frag periods. Sadly, Teamgroup doesn’t present a TBW ranking or official IP ranking for the M200 so it’s harder to match it as an entire to its rivals. Nevertheless the M200 is a quick, extraordinarily properly priced exterior SSD with a gamer-friendly design that may look good and carry out properly in nearly any setup.
Learn our full
Teamgroup T-Force M200 20Gbps USB SSD review
PNY RP60 20Gbps USB SSD – Finest rugged 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Good-looking, IP65-rated design (dust-proof, water resistant)
- Good 20Gbps efficiency
- Good flat Sort-C USB ribbon cable
Cons
- USB port plug tether is troublesome to reinsert.
Value When Reviewed:
1TB: $100 I 2TB: $180
For those who are likely to take your gaming drive in every single place, and/otherwise you’re not essentially the most cautious particular person with {hardware}, a ruggedized exterior SSD is a sensible reply.
The PNY RP60 presents greater than only a rugged IP65-rated exterior that protects in opposition to mud and water droplets; and whereas very good-looking and light-weight in addition; the drive can also be an admirable performer, even besting one of many quickest 20Gbps drives we’ve examined — the Crucial X10 Pro — in a few our checks.
The RP60 can also be competitively priced at $100 and $180 for 1TB and 2TB, respectively.
Learn our full
PNY RP60 20Gbps USB SSD review
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 – Most transportable 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Extraordinarily small profile
- Shock-absorbing silicone jacket
- High-flight packaging
- Good general efficiency
Cons
- A tad behind the 20Gbps curve performance-wise
Value When Reviewed:
1TB: $120 I 2TB: $200 I 4TB: $450
For those who’re after a really small SSD that you may simply match right into a pocket, the Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 is that. This USB 3.2×2 20Gbps drive measures a petite 2.73 inches lengthy, 1.16-inches large, and 0.44-inches thick. It weighs a dainty 1.7 ounces.
In fact, you’ll in all probability need to slide on its included shock-absorbing silicone jacket (proven in image), which is able to add .06 inches to all its dimensions, whereas giving it a badass look.
However appears to be like apart, the Nano V2 is a stable performer. It wasn’t fairly on the identical degree as our high picks in all the pieces, nevertheless it traded wins and losses inside the pack. As an example it was second solely to the Essential X10 Professional in our 450GB write check. And it took the highest spot in CrystalDiskMark 8’s random writes, and was very aggressive in random reads.
This wee drive additionally is available in as much as 4TB capacities, making it an all-around good selection in the event you’re trying to get quite a lot of storage and efficiency in a tiny bundle. We’re additionally keen on its five-year guarantee and the nifty metallic field it is available in, which could be repurposed for different makes use of.
Learn our full
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 review
Adata SE920 EX – Finest USB 4 exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Quickest exterior storage we’ve examined (at 40Gbps)
- Reasonably priced for the ilk
- Fashionable enclosure
- Out there as much as 4TB
- Additionally quick on the Mac
Cons
- Pricier than USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps)
Value When Reviewed:
1TB: $140 I 2TB: $200 I 4TB: $380
A USB 4 exterior SSD isn’t for everybody. Not solely does your PC must help the spec so as to benefit from the 40Gbps transfers, however you’ll additionally should be prepared to pay a premium for the privilege.
For those who’re able to enter the membership, nonetheless, the Adata SE920 EX will reward you with the quickest USB 4 efficiency that we’ve skilled, and at a way more inexpensive worth than our earlier decide for USB 4, the OWC Express 1M2 — we’re speaking $140 for a 1TB Adata SE920 versus $250 for the OWC drive. And if you would like quite a lot of capability, the Adata SE920 EX comes with as much as 4TB, for an inexpensive $380.
In nearly each benchmark, the SE920 EX beat the OWC Specific 1M2 at 40Gbps efficiency, albeit by small margins. It additionally comes with a nifty built-in fan, which is activated by sliding open the enclosure. This stored our drive noticeably free of warmth throughout our benchmark checks.
The SE920 EX can also be fairly transportable at 4.13 inches lengthy by 2.52-inches large by 0.62-inches thick, and weighing 7 ounces — one other benefit it has over the bulkier OWC Specific 1M2.
In the long run, the selection for a USB 4 exterior SSD is obvious.
Learn our full
Adata SE920 EX USB4 SSD review
How we check exterior SSD recreation efficiency
The most important query you need to know is, how a lot does utilizing an exterior drive damage recreation efficiency. To offer us an concept of how a lot it issues, we used UL’s new 3DMark Storage Benchmark. To create the benchmark, UL basically information the drive entry patterns throughout a number of frequent gaming duties to make “traces.” These drive-access traces are then run on the examined storage gadget a number of instances to duplicate the patterns with out having to truly load the sport.
For its check, 3DMark reproduces what occurs loading to the beginning menus of Battlefield V, Name of Responsibility: Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. 3DMark Storage additionally checks utilizing OBS, or Open Broadcast System, to file Overwatch being performed at 1080p decision at 60fps, putting in The Outer Worlds from the Epic launcher, and saving a recreation in The Outer Worlds. For the ultimate check, 3DMark Storage checks copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike: International Offensive from an exterior SSD to the goal drive.
We used a Twelfth-gen Intel Core i9-12900K operating Home windows 11 on an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard. The board options native Thunderbolt 4 and USB 3.2 10Gbps ports. We added a Silverstone ECU06 for USB 3.2 SuperSpeed 20Gbps help. We then used a Vantec M.2 NVMe SSD to USB 3.2 Gen2x2 20G Type C enclosure with a Western Digital SN700 NVMe SSD to check USB 3.2 20Gbps and 10Gbps efficiency. We additionally put in the identical SN700 right into a PCIe 3.0 riser card to check its native efficiency. This provides you an concept of how a lot you lose going from being put in contained in the laptop computer or PC in comparison with utilizing a USB port. For added distinction, we additionally ran 3DMark Storage on an older Plextor PX-512M7VG SATA SSD inside a Silverstone MS09 SATA enclosure that was plugged right into a USB 3.2 10Gbps port. And since you need to understand how gradual a tough drive can be, we additionally ran the identical check on a Western Digital 14TB EasyStore onerous drive plugged right into a USB 3.2 10Gbps port. The EasyStore is definitely restricted to USB 3.2 SuperSpeed 5Gbps.
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What do you have to make of the above outcomes? Properly, clearly in the event you can set up an SSD inside your PC, you’ll get essentially the most efficiency out of it. However you must take into account a few of the context. For those who’re solely trying on the huge lengthy purple bar on the high of the chart, take into account that the actual check is measuring what would occur in the event you copied a big folder of recordsdata to the SSD. For most individuals, that’s solely carried out occasionally.
The extra frequent situation is ready for a recreation to launch. Operating an inner NVMe drive will nonetheless be sooner, however the hole closes a bit of. Between the three in style USB interfaces: USB 20Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and SATA on USB 10Gbps, the quickest is USB 3.2 20Gbps. With a USB 3.2 20Gbps SSD, you would possibly see Battlefield V shave 25 p.c of the load time versus a USB 3.2 10Gbps drive. In fact, efficiency can also be recreation dependent. As an example, each Name of Responsibility and Battlefield see 45 p.c or so higher bandwidth on the inner SSD, however with the much less graphically intense Overwatch, it’s nearer to 30 p.c.
The opposite shock is the efficiency of the SATA SSD versus the NVMe SSD when the NVMe SSD is in a USB 3.2 10Gbps port. In recreation hundreds, saves, and set up eventualities, they’re pretty shut. The NVMe exterior SSD does speak in confidence to big lead over the slower SATA as soon as you progress to a activity the place you’re copying an enormous quantity of recordsdata—such because the CS:GO outcomes. However once more, how usually do you try this?
In fact we are able to’t depart this with out declaring simply horrible onerous drives are. Wouldn’t it be extra improved with a sooner onerous drive? Unlikely. The very minimal you must use if storing video games on an exterior drive is a SATA SSD, so don’t run a recreation out of your exterior onerous drive except you want to attend for all the pieces.
