Best External Hard Drive Pc Gaming

• Best Ssd External Hard Drive
• Best External Hard Drives For Pc

Table of Contents

• Best External Hard Drive for Gaming PC
• What Are The Factors You Should Consider for the Best External Hard Drive for a Gaming PC?
• Final Words

If you just need a hard drive to get your PC working properly or to start with before upgrading in a few weeks, then the WD Blue 320GB is your best bet. Western Digital is one of the most reliable hard drive manufacturers out there, and their budget options are particularly good. WD Black D10 Game Drive; Best portable PS4 external hard drives (Image credit: Seagate) Seagate Game Drive for PS4. And the extra speed means the FireCuda will perform well with your gaming PC. Using an external hard drive with a gaming PC or a video game console can be a little tricky because games need fast access to a lot of data and it can be tough to find one that's up to the task. If you're buying an external hard drive specifically for video games, search for models that are explicitly compatible with your setup. FireCuda gaming dock is one of the Best External Hard Drive For Gaming Laptop available on the market today. It is true to say that Seagate is one of the pioneers when it comes to the Best External Hard Drive For Gaming Laptop as they specialize in this domain. My quick answer: Use an external hard drive for backup. Use a flash drive or an SSD if you want to move files from one computer to another and a network isn't practical.

Introduction

Everyone could do with more storage space on their gaming PC. For additional storage space for even more gaming, you should consider buying a quality external hard drive. Buying an external hard drive has numerous benefits like added flexibility with your storage options and freed up space.

While laptops come with SSDs for added space, you might need the convenience of an external hard dive if you are using your PC for gaming. All you need to do is plug it into your PC (USB port) and you are good to go. There is no installation process.

To make it easy to find the best buy, this guide has all the best options as well as the factors you need to consider to narrow down your choices. This article has both high-end and affordable options for all.

Best External Hard Drive for Gaming PC

Fantom Drives 2TB External Hard Drive – One of the best external hard drives for gaming

This is one of the best external hard drives for a gaming PC because of its available capacity and fast transfer speeds.

Specs

• Storage space: 2TB
• RPM: 7200 RPM
• NTFS buffer format
• Has interfaces for USB 3.0 and USB 3.1

For gamers, an external HDD like this is ideal for high performance and vast space. This particular product is also additionally quite fast because the USB connection bandwidth is high speed.

• Easy to install and use
• Does not unnecessarily slow down your browser or receiver
• Even after a power outage, your data remains protected

• It is quite bulky and takes up power to run
• The blue LED lighting might be quite annoying if you are not into flashy designs

Verdict

Fantom has its fair share of faults but it is still a good purchase for a gaming PC.

Seagate Expansion Desktop – 8TB external hard drive with mid – range transfer speeds

Enjoy long term convenience and peace of mind with this external hard drive that has vast capacity.

Specs

• USB 3.0 Connectivity
• Sequential read speed is 146MB/s and write speed is 168MB/s
• Package includes an 18 Watts power adapter and 18 inch USB cable
• Supported on Windows 7 and 8
• Easy set-up as it is automatically recognized

While you do not get mind-blowing speeds when transferring files, you get lots of space for all the games and storage data you could want. Seagate is also rather reliable so for the huge capacity, you get an efficient product that is bound to last.

It is also an advanced product compatible with USB 3.0. You can easily plug this external hard drive into your gaming PC and laptop if you want. This makes it particularly handy to expand on the limited space your device can have. It also makes back-up easy. A user just needs to drag and drop to move and save whatever you want.

The few defects it has include the relatively slow data transfer drive. It does 150 MB/s in both reading and writing.

• Affordable and reliable
• Set-up is easy as Windows recognizes it immediately without the need of an additional software
• Back-up is easy as well as all you need to do is drag and drop
• 1 year limited warranty

• Not the fastest HDD available

Verdict

This product is impressive because of its large storage capacity. However, it has a few defects like the Shingled Magnetic Recording is painfully slow. The 1 year warranty is also a bit wanting for some components that have iffy quality. It is still a worthy buy considering the available space at its price tag.

LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 2TB – Modern looking product with a rather fast rotational speed

This is an external hard drive with a generous storage capacity as well as USB connectivity.

Specs

• High storage total of 2 tetra bytes
• USB 3.0 connectivity system
• Build and design of this product is tough and durable
• Respectable writing speed

The LaCie Rugged 2TB has a tough build that is specifically designed to be dust, shock and water resistant. This feature makes it durable making its life span longer. Rugged Thunderbolt is even protected with a rubber cover round its edges to soften shocks from any impacts. This hard drive also has a large storage holding up to 2 tetra bytes which can hold numerous games.

LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt also has a respectably speed, it runs at 110 MB/s to both read and write. It is also compatible with USB 3.0, mini-USB, USB- C and many other input versions. Once you purchase this product you are offered a one month complimentary membership to Adobe creative cloud. This gives a user access to many different photo and video editing applications.

The only drawback is that while it has a reasonable price tag it is still more expensive than other hard drives.

• Comes with a 3 year warranty
• Has multiple connection types
• Build is very tough and durable
• Large storage space
• Designed to be dust, shock and water resistant

• It is more expensive than other similar powered hard drives
• Quite slow

Verdict

A rather tough external HDD, LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt is a good buy for a wide range of reasons. Its only con is that it is quite pricey.

WD Orange My Passport – 4TB storage space in a compact, slick design

WD Orange is a portable and highly trusted external hard drive with password protection features.

Specs

• Has backup protection
• Large memory space, up to 4TB
• Classy, eye catching design that comes in many colors
• Dual USB compatibility

The WD Orange My Passport is a high storage space product that can hold up to 4 tetra bytes worth of saved games. It also has back up protection that gives you peace of mind. WD Orange comes installed with Cloud software that is specifically designed to exceptionally secure data at all costs.

This hard drive has a dual USB compatibility being able to connect with either USB 3.0 or USB 2.0 cables. Its system compatibility is possible with windows 7, windows 8.1 and windows 10. The hard drive gas a classy design to it as it has a matte finish and is also available in multiple colours making it eye catching.

It has an option of password protection to protect data and also it uses hardware encryption. You need a USB cable to power it up as it does not require external power. It is as portable as a smartphone just a little bigger and chunkier. Diablo 2 free full game download pc. As a guarantee you are offered a 3 year warranty.

• Large storage space holding up to 4 tetra bytes of games
• Hard drive has back-up cloud storage software
• Does not demand for external power
• Reasonably priced
• Portable and easily fits your purse/pocket
• Comes with a 3year warranty

• It is relatively slow

Verdict

This hard drive can hold up to 4TB worth of games. This is more than enough for numerous games. It is also a very popular product highly rated on Amazon and other sites. WD Orange is a good buy.

Samsung T5 SSD – Compact product with fast data transfer speeds

Armed with Samsung V-Nand software, this product provides fast transfer speeds as well as vast space.

Specs

• Storage: 1TB
• Sequential read speed of 484MB/s and sequential write speed of 483MB/s
• Generation 2 3.1 USB interface
• Comes in blue, red, gold & black glossy metal
• Product Dimensions are 0.4 x 2.9 x 2.3 inches

With the connectivity of USB 3.1 Type-C, Samsung T5 SSD is a technologically advanced external hard drive that offers you 1TB storage on your gaming PC. It is therefore a complete product for incredibly large data storing.

• Easily portable and can fit in your pocket effortlessly
• Impressively fast
• Comes with a 3 year warranty

• Older versions than Windows 7 may not be supported

Verdict

Faster than an ordinary USB flash drive, Samsun T5 SSD is a worthy purchase for its speed and vast capacity. It has a few cons though. For example, it is compatible with only Windows 7, Android Kit Kat and Mac OS 10.9 or higher.

WD BLACK HDD – High performance drive ideal for serious gamers

If you are a pro gamer and you are intent on buying a product jammed with high-performing features, this is the product for you.

Specs

• Rotational speed of 7200RPM
• Reliable and guaranteed with a 5 year warranty
• Quite fast reading/writing speed that ranges from 180MB/s to 281.9MB/s
• Twin-core processor that is good value for money

Equipped with the latest technology that is FIT tested, WD Black is a 3.5 inches product that is sturdy and reliable. Simply put, it will not abandon you when you most need it as a gamer. Besides its reliability and high performance, WD is good value for money considering its price tag and benefits.

To add, it is guaranteed with a 5 year limited warranty. In its development, it passed comprehensive and aggressive internal testing so it should be quite durable. It also features increased cache size for smooth gaming.

• Dynamic Cache Technology that improve reliability and performance

• Can warm up after some time

Verdict

With vast storage space, this is the perfect product for gaming PCs as it can hold a large library.

Seagate Barracuda – Solid choice for gaming

Seagate Barracuda is designed to bring reliable, high-performance to gamers and other users alike.

Specs

• Capacity: 1TB
• Rotational speed of 7200RPM
• Cache size is 65MB and the transfer rate is 210MB/s
• Product dimensions are 5.8 x 4 x 1 inches

Part of the Guardian series, Seagate Barracuda is designed to be particularly fitting for a gaming PC as well as ordinary users. It has rather fast data transfer speeds yet it comes at an affordable price tag

For hassle-free and smooth installation, you should consider installing the Seagate Disc Wizard software from the company's official website. This ensures the set-up process is as quick as possible.

• Easy to set- up and use
• Emits minimal noise for smooth operation
• Comes with ample storage capacity for the buck asked
• Optional Rescue Data Recovery Plan is available

• Some users report quality control issues

What Are The Factors You Should Consider for the Best External Hard Drive for a Gaming PC?

When choosing the best external hard drive, you should find one that is safe and reliable because you do not want one that suddenly loses your backed up data. Here are some other factors you should consider to narrow down to the best buy.

Capacity

Even if your gaming PC comes with a large storage space, eventually you might need additional space. You ought to consider a product that has ample storage that can last you a long time. Always go for larger figures because you cannot go wrong with more space.

500GB is enough for the amateur/casual gamer with few games. This space will be enough until you add to your gaming library. 1TB is reasonably cheap for a fairly large amount of space. If games continue increasing in detail and size, this also might prove limiting. 2TB, on the other hand is enough to buy and play modern high-definition games regularly. However, for an even better gaming experience you ought to consider a 3TB or higher hard drive. If you want to make one-time investment, 3TB or more is the right storage space for long term peace of mind.

If you regularly deal with high resolution items, a big storage space is bound to become a necessity. Fortunately, external hard drives are prominent at providing lots of space at affordable prices.

Speed

Best Ssd External Hard Drive

Another vital factor to consider is how fast the external hard drive is able to transfer data between devices. One should consider products that have fast reading and writing speeds. While this might mean spending a bit more, it is a worthy investment for convenience.

Connectivity

Hard disks are connected to the computer via USB cable. Some have 3.0 connectivity while others have 3.1 connectivity. The data transfer and copying speeds of these products largely depending on the connecting part. For instance, USB 2.0 is much slower because it works with a lower RPM. You should therefore consider products with 3.0 or better for maximum transfer speeds. The USB 3.0 can go up to 600MBs per second.

Brand

When it comes to hard drives, the highly-rated brand with many users is a factor to consider. While there is nothing wrong with small-scale brands, it is always comforting when you have bought from a well-known reputable manufacturer. In such cases, you are protected from flimsy issues and data loss.

Security

Nowadays, external hard drives are fitted with software like password protection. This is very useful in protecting your gaming data as well as any other personal information that might be on your PC.

When buying any of these products; consider one that has advanced security features like fingerprint recognition software. While they are a tad expensive, they are well worth the price to protect yourself from data theft.

Physical Size

A compact external hard drive that you can fit in your palm, pocket or purse always takes the day. An example is 2.5 inches product that is highly portable and suited for easy traveling.

Installation Process

If you are not tech-savvy, you should always consider products that are easy to use. In Macintosh computers, for example, once plugged in, the external hard dive appears on the screen once the computer is turned on. For Windows systems, the extenal hard drive often appears on the start menu.

Final Words

Best External Hard Drives For Pc

Whether you are an amateur or a pro gamer, using an external hard drive is bound to make your gaming experience better. To install your games on multiple PCs or to simply hoard all the games you want without storage space concerns, an external hard drive does the job for you. Gaming naturally takes up a lot of memory on you PC.

Having an external hard drive greatly eases the storage pressure on your machine leaving it to work smoothly. Buying the best external hard drive to meet your expectations involves considering the factors listed above. Be keen before making any purchase because you don't want to buy a drive that has minimal space or one that is not dependable.