

The WD Black 8TB D10 Game Drive is, therefore, a relevant product despite being aimed at the PS4. Even after it becomes a finalized feature, the cost of SSDs makes the upgrade a hard sell, especially at higher storage capacities. Proper SSD expansion for the PS5 is currently in public beta and more complicated than you'd think. However, they can be archived on an external drive to save you the trouble, time, and bandwidth of a repeat download.

PS5 games can only be played from the relatively small internal SSD. The storage situation on the PS5 is a little more complicated than it was on PS4. That's partly because mechanical drives have a price floor regardless of size, so bang-for-buck tends to improve the bigger you go. Although higher-capacity drives may cost more in total, they can be cheaper than smaller drives on a per-gigabyte basis. Speaking of which, if you're budget-conscious, you may want to take note of how many dollars each gigabyte of storage costs for a given drive. The most durable drives are SSDs, but it will be some time before the price per gigabyte competes with mechanical drives HDDs. Of course, this isn't a factor for everyone, and you can always get a padded case for portable drives if you're worried but don't work outdoors. That makes them ideal for creative professionals who aren't always in ideal conditions. Ruggedized drives are designed to take more punishment with water, shock, and dust protection. Related: What's the Best Way to Back Up My Computer?ĭurability is another factor. Drives that use methods such as RAID can go significantly faster, and, of course, non-mechanical Solid State Drives (SSDs) are the fastest option possible. Typical mechanical drive speeds fall between 100-150MB/s, with high-end drives reaching 250MB/s.

SATA III), and the speed of the interface of the external connection (e.g., USB 2, USB 3, or Thunderbolt). Performance in an external drive depends on several things, such as the rotational speed of the drive, the drive interface (e.g., SATA II vs. The downside is that they can be slower than full-size desktop external drives. They also tend to be smaller and pocketable, making them great travel companions. There's no need to look for a power outlet to use them. They all provide extra storage for backups and can easily be moved from one device to another, but several key areas shape which drive is right for you.įirst, is it a desktop external drive or a portable external drive? Portable drives get all the power they need from the USB connection. What to Look for in an External Hard Drive in 2023Įxternal hard drives (or HDDs) come in many shapes and sizes and are designed for different use cases. We've reviewed our recommendations and are confident these are still the best external hard drives you can buy.
