Possibly your gaming laptop computer doesn’t have sufficient storage. Otherwise you merely need a simple approach to make your recreation library transportable. An exterior SSD can repair each of those points (and extra) by offering a simple approach to develop storage you can tackle the go.
However selecting an exterior SSD means sorting via a dizzying array of choices, and making a poor selection can go away you feeling onerous performed by. Fortunate for you, we’ve performed the testing and may provide some sure-fire suggestions which are assured to assist, and never hinder, your gaming setup.
Why you must belief us: We’re PCWorld. Our reviewers have been placing pc {hardware} via 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 standard 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.
One of the best exterior SSDs for gaming
Lexar SL600 Blaze – Greatest 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Good 20Gbps performer
- High bang for the buck
- 5-year guarantee
Cons
- 4TB mannequin not but obtainable
The competitors may 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, Essential’s X10 Professional, even when solely by a hair.
The upshot is you can anticipate glorious efficiency from the Lexar SL600. It additionally is available in a uniquely formed kind issue, full with a gap to accommodate a lanyard, for simple toting. Players would possibly respect you can 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 ought to 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, not less than as of this writing — significantly on the 2TB degree.
Learn our full
Lexar SL600 Blaze 20Gbps USB SSD assessment
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (1TB) – Greatest premium 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Drop-dead beautiful
- 2GBps transfers through SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps
Cons
- Dear
- Superspeed USB 20Gbps ports are few and much between
Seagate’s FireCuda Gaming SSD is a worthy various, but it surely has a a lot steeper price ticket for related efficiency. Nonetheless, the FireCuda is a fully gorgeous exterior SSD and is worthy of a spot on any desktop. It’s not only a fairly façade although—it’s suitable with a SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps port, that means it will probably attain switch charges of as much as 2GBps. It’s actually the coolest-looking exterior SSD on this checklist.
Learn our full
Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD (1TB) assessment
Teamgroup M200 – Greatest finances 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Quick on a regular basis efficiency
- Obtainable in as much as 8TB (ultimately) capability
- Attractively styled
Cons
- No TBW score
- Firm will change parts if shortages demand
- Writes sluggish to 200MBps off cache
The Teamgroup M200 supplies glorious bang in your buck with 20Gbps switch charges and as much as 4TB of storage for a really affordable worth. It has nice on a regular basis efficiency, too.
Its slick military-style design is predicated on the CheyTac M200 sniper rifle—an ideal match for these late night time frag periods. Sadly, Teamgroup doesn’t present a TBW score or official IP score for the M200 so it’s tougher to match it as a complete to its rivals. Nonetheless the M200 is a quick, extraordinarily effectively priced exterior SSD with a gamer-friendly design that may look good and carry out effectively in virtually any setup.
Learn our full
Teamgroup T-Pressure M200 20Gbps USB SSD assessment
PNY RP60 20Gbps USB SSD – Greatest rugged 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Good-looking, IP65-rated design (dust-proof, waterproof)
- Good 20Gbps efficiency
- Good flat Kind-C USB ribbon cable
Cons
- USB port plug tether is troublesome to reinsert.
In case you are inclined 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 towards mud and water droplets; and whereas very good-looking and light-weight besides; the drive can be an admirable performer, even besting one of many quickest 20Gbps drives we’ve examined — the Essential X10 Professional — in a few our exams.
The RP60 can be competitively priced at $100 and $180 for 1TB and 2TB, respectively.
Learn our full
PNY RP60 20Gbps USB SSD assessment
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 – Most transportable 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Extraordinarily small profile
- Shock-absorbing silicone jacket
- High-flight packaging
- Good total efficiency
Cons
- A tad behind the 20Gbps curve performance-wise
In case you’re after a really small SSD you can 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 huge, and 0.44-inches thick. It weighs a dainty 1.7 ounces.
In fact, you’ll most likely wish to slide on its included shock-absorbing silicone jacket (proven in image), which can add .06 inches to all its dimensions, whereas giving it a badass look.
However appears apart, the Nano V2 is a stable performer. It wasn’t fairly on the identical degree as our high picks in the whole lot, but it surely traded wins and losses inside the pack. As an illustration it was second solely to the Essential X10 Professional in our 450GB write take a look at. 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 seeking to get a variety 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 may be repurposed for different makes use of.
Learn our full
Sabrent Rocket Nano V2 assessment
Adata SE920 EX – Greatest USB 4 exterior SSD for gaming
Execs
- Quickest exterior storage we’ve examined (at 40Gbps)
- Reasonably priced for the ilk
- Fashionable enclosure
- Obtainable as much as 4TB
- Additionally quick on the Mac
Cons
- Pricier than USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps)
A USB 4 exterior SSD isn’t for everybody. Not solely does your PC have to assist the spec with a purpose to make the most of the 40Gbps transfers, however you’ll additionally have to be keen to pay a premium for the privilege.
In case you’re able to enter the membership, nevertheless, the Adata SE920 EX will reward you with the quickest USB 4 efficiency that we’ve skilled, and at a way more reasonably priced worth than our earlier choose for USB 4, the OWC Specific 1M2 — we’re speaking $140 for a 1TB Adata SE920 versus $250 for the OWC drive. And in order for you a variety of capability, the Adata SE920 EX comes with as much as 4TB, for an inexpensive $380.
In virtually 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 exams.
The SE920 EX can be fairly transportable at 4.13 inches lengthy by 2.52-inches huge by 0.62-inches thick, and weighing 7 ounces — one other benefit it has over the bulkier OWC Specific 1M2.
Ultimately, the selection for a USB 4 exterior SSD is evident.
Learn our full
Adata SE920 EX USB4 SSD assessment
Different exterior drive opinions:
- Lexar Armor 700: Just like the PNY RP60 above, the Lexar Armor 700 is a 20Gbps drive that may stand up to some abuse — good for the gamer on the go, or the accident-prone. Its IP66 weatherized physique is engaging, its efficiency is aggressive. It’s additionally a bit dear.
- Teamgroup PD20M: This little 20Gbps drive comes with a helpful journey case and is among the lightest transportable drives we’ve examined. The one downside is, its efficiency slows significantly as soon as its 20GB of cache has been tapped. Greatest for light-duty chores.
- Adata SD810: It is a stable 20Gbps drive, so long as you aren’t within the behavior of writing very giant quantities of knowledge to it regularly, as a result of in our exams, the drive slowed down significantly in that state of affairs. That being mentioned, the 4TB capability is a very good worth at simply $300.
- Lexar SL500: A stablemate of the Lexar SL600 — our choose for finest 20Gbps exterior drive — the SL500 stands out for its very slim and engaging kind issue. It has virtually similar efficiency to the SL600, except performing slower than its sibling in our 48GB file writes.
How we take a look at exterior SSD recreation efficiency
The largest query you wish to know is, how a lot does utilizing an exterior drive damage recreation efficiency. To offer us an thought of how a lot it issues, we used UL’s new 3DMark Storage Benchmark. To create the benchmark, UL primarily data the drive entry patterns throughout a number of widespread gaming duties to make “traces.” These drive-access traces are then run on the examined storage gadget a number of occasions to duplicate the patterns with out having to really load the sport.
For its take a look at, 3DMark reproduces what occurs loading to the beginning menus of Battlefield V, Name of Responsibility: Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. 3DMark Storage additionally exams utilizing OBS, or Open Broadcast System, to report 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 take a look at, 3DMark Storage exams 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 working 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 assist. We then used a Vantec M.2 NVMe SSD to USB 3.2 Gen2x2 20G Kind 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 offers you an thought 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 within a Silverstone MS09 SATA enclosure that was plugged right into a USB 3.2 10Gbps port. And since you wish to understand how sluggish a tough drive can be, we additionally ran the identical take a look at 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.
IDG
IDG
IDG
What do you have to make of the above outcomes? Effectively, clearly in the event you can set up an SSD within your PC, you’ll get essentially the most efficiency out of it. However you must contemplate a few of the context. In case you’re solely wanting on the large lengthy crimson bar on the high of the chart, contemplate that the actual take a look at is measuring what would occur in the event you copied a big folder of recordsdata to the SSD. For most individuals, that’s solely performed infrequently.
The extra widespread state of affairs is ready for a recreation to launch. Working an inner NVMe drive will nonetheless be quicker, however the hole closes a little bit. 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 % of the load time versus a USB 3.2 10Gbps drive. In fact, efficiency can be recreation dependent. As an illustration, each Name of Responsibility and Battlefield see 45 % or so better bandwidth on the interior SSD, however with the much less graphically intense Overwatch, it’s nearer to 30 %.
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 divulge heart’s contents to large lead over the slower SATA as soon as you progress to a job the place you’re copying an enormous quantity of recordsdata—such because the CS:GO outcomes. However once more, how usually do you do this?
In fact we are able to’t go away this with out stating simply horrible onerous drives are. Would it not be extra improved with a quicker 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 until you want to attend for the whole lot.
