Using an external hard drive for gaming can provide some key benefits compared to relying solely on internal storage. With games becoming increasingly large and elaborate, extra storage space is often needed. External hard drives offer a flexible way to expand capacity without having to open up your PC or console.
Quick Answer
Yes, external hard drives can absolutely be used for gaming purposes. They provide additional storage space for large game files, allow gamers to bring games to different devices, and enable the creation of game backups. With the right connections and specifications, external hard drives are a very viable solution for expanding game storage.
Expanding Storage Capacity
One of the biggest reasons gamers use external hard drives is simply for more storage room. Downloaded games, patches, downloadable content (DLC) and expansions can quickly eat up the storage that comes built into most gaming PCs, laptops and consoles. For example:
- Many modern game installs require anywhere from 25GB to over 100GB of storage space.
- Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 support external storage.
- PC games purchased through services like Steam often take up significant storage real estate.
Rather than deleting old games or juggling space as new expansions are released, an external hard drive allows gamers to simply add more storage as needed. 1TB and 2TB portable external drives are fairly inexpensive but provide plenty of extra capacity.
Portability of Games
Another advantage of using external drives for games is they make your game libraries more portable. You can bring an external drive with your installed games to a friend’s house and play them on another PC easily. External storage also allows you to play your games on multiple devices like PC, Xbox One or PS4 by connecting the drive to each platform.
Game save data can usually be saved directly on external drives as well. So you can play on one system at home, bring your game saves on the go, and pick up right where you left off on a different computer.
Game Backups
Having an external drive provides a great way to backup your game library. You can manually copy installed games from their default install locations over to an external drive. Or use built-in backup features like Steam’s backup tool to automate the process.
Backing up to external storage protects game files and saves in case the internal drive on a PC or console fails or becomes corrupted. It also allows you to uninstall and reinstall games without having to re-download or re-install from discs or game clients.
Faster Load Times
Using an external solid state drive (SSD) for games can provide faster load times than internal storage in some cases. SSDs have faster read/write speeds than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs). So loading screens can be shorter and games can start up faster.
Not all external enclosures support the fastest transfer speeds though. Make sure to verify requirements and specifications before buying an external SSD strictly for loading improvements.
Requirements for External Game Storage
There are some requirements to keep in mind when selecting and setting up an external drive for gaming purposes:
- Connection interface – PCs will use USB, Thunderbolt or eSATA ports. Consoles rely on USB.
- Drive speed – Faster HDDs (7200RPM) and SSDs provide better performance.
- Drive format – PC drives should be NTFS formatted. Consoles require special formatting.
Fortunately most external storage is very plug-and-play for basic gaming uses. But double check console requirements and port specifications when evaluating external drive options.
Top External Drives for Gaming
Here are some top external drive recommendations specifically for gaming purposes:
| Hard Drive | Capacity | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| WD_Black P10 Game Drive | Up to 5 TB | Designed for gaming consoles and PCs. Offers speeds up to 140 MB/s. |
| Samsung T5 Portable SSD | Up to 2 TB | SSD with fast read/write speeds up to 540 MB/s. Compact and portable. |
| Seagate Game Drive Hub | Up to 8 TB | Massive capacity designed for Xbox. Also works with PCs. |
Tips For Using An External Drive for Games
If you decide to use an external hard drive for your game storage needs, keep these tips in mind:
- Choose a drive with enough capacity to hold your current and future games.
- Make sure the drive’s interface and transfer speeds meet minimum requirements.
- Check that the drive properly formats for your operating system or gaming console.
- Use the external drive only for gaming to avoid performance bottlenecks.
- Keep external drives securely powered down when not in use.
- Back up your game data and saves in more than one location.
Potential Drawbacks of External Game Storage
While using an external hard drive for games has some clear benefits, there are also some potential downsides:
- External drives can add clutter and wires to your gaming setup.
- Game load times may be slower compared to internal SSD storage.
- External connectors can sometimes fail or disconnect during gameplay.
- Portable drives might not provide enough power for desktop PC gaming setups.
- You’ll need to store and carry an external drive if taking games on the go.
Conclusions
Using an external hard drive is generally a smart option for expanding your gaming storage capacity. The convenience and flexibility of external storage makes it easy to install large game libraries across multiple platforms. Just be sure to choose the right drive specifications for your specific gaming setup.
Ideally you should use internal SSD storage for your primary gaming drive when possible. Then leverage large external HDD solutions for affordable secondary storage and backups. This provides the best performance and capacity so you never have to struggle with managing your game collection.