Greatest exterior arduous drives for Xbox One in 2022
Printed Aug 16, 2022 10:00 AM
In case you’re enjoying video games on an Xbox One, it’s very straightforward to obtain sufficient video games to replenish your console, whether or not you may have an Xbox One S with a 500GB arduous drive or an Xbox One X with a 1TB drive. In case you’re uninterested in deleting video games each time you wish to obtain one thing new, it’s time to choose up an exterior arduous drive that offers you extra space for video games and even enables you to take them with you should you improve to an Xbox Sequence X or Sequence S. The perfect exterior arduous drives for Xbox One will allow you to obtain each recreation you’ve bought, with loads of room to spare for no matter comes subsequent.
How we picked the most effective exterior arduous drives for Xbox One
I’ve coated recreation consoles and computer systems for websites like TechnoBuffalo, The Tech Report, and GameSpot. Having watched video games go from taking over kilobytes to megabytes to gigabytes, I’ve labored with each desktop and server computer systems for years and have a fairly good concept of what makes for a dependable arduous drive model.
To make these choices, I caught to these dependable manufacturers and seemed for the best capability, smallest, quickest, and best-value drives on the market, protecting in thoughts person impressions on retail websites and aggregated technical evaluations from tech blogs.
Issues to contemplate earlier than shopping for an exterior drive for Xbox One
After virtually 9 years, the Xbox One has been across the block a number of occasions. Technically talking, it’s a last-generation console, although provide shortages of the Xbox Sequence S and Xbox Sequence X have led builders to proceed optimizing Xbox video games for it.
Not like the brand new consoles, which have inside solid-state drives—SSDs, for brief—a tough drive is a tough drive to the Xbox One. So long as it hits the minimal necessities, which we’ll go right into a second, your Xbox One doesn’t care how briskly or giant your drive is. That might change when and should you improve to an Xbox Sequence X or S. In the interim, although, you might be largely free to get a really giant arduous drive with out worrying an excessive amount of about its specs.
Minimal necessities
There are actually solely two main Xbox One drive concerns: measurement and pace. Based on Microsoft, you possibly can join between 128GB and 16TB of exterior storage to your Xbox One. With that a lot storage, you possibly can obtain each recreation you’ve ever performed, with loads of room to spare. There’s additionally a connection requirement—you will need to join it through USB-A 3.0 (the Xbox One predates Sort-C connectors)—which units a tough 5.0Gb/s switch restrict.
Another factor: You can’t use an exterior arduous drive to retailer Xbox One video games and different information from different gadgets on the similar time. Once you plug a drive into your Xbox One, the Xbox will ask you to format it earlier than you possibly can retailer video games, erasing any knowledge you may need saved there. As soon as formatted, you can not use the exterior drive for the rest till you reformat it once more, which can delete all of the video games.
As long as your arduous drive meets these necessities, which aren’t very excessive by trendy exterior arduous drive requirements, you need to use any exterior arduous drive along with your Xbox One.
Xbox One is outdated: Don’t overspend …
On condition that there’s a tough cap on how briskly your Xbox One can deal with knowledge coming off an exterior arduous drive, you must also put a cap on shopping for the quickest doable arduous drive to go along with it. You received’t see substantial boosts to load occasions should you join an exterior SSD to the console, since its core boot drive is a standard rotating arduous disk or HDD.
That is nice information! There’s no draw back to purchasing an enormous 16TB arduous drive that’s shockingly inexpensive, given its measurement, as a result of it’s really very sluggish.
… except you’re planning to improve to a Sequence S or Sequence X
After all, the equation modifications should you’re planning to purchase one of many 4th-generation Xbox “Sequence” consoles. Whilst you can’t play Xbox Sequence X/S video games saved on an exterior drive, you need to use one to retailer and play older Xbox video games. Just about all Xbox One video games, in addition to many Xbox 360 and Xbox video games, are playable on Xbox Sequence X and S. All you must do to maneuver your digital Xbox video games over is unplug the drive from the Xbox One and plug it into the Xbox Sequence X or S, and also you’re able to go. It’s very useful to have for the transition and it saves you a variety of area on the brand new console’s core drive.
On this state of affairs, although, your exterior arduous drive’s learn and write speeds matter. An SSD is considerably quicker than an HDD and the Xbox Sequence X can unpack and cargo video games quicker. How a lot quicker will differ from recreation to recreation, however most video games ought to load quicker and carry out higher on Microsoft’s newest consoles.
What video games do you play?
It will be greatest should you additionally stored in thoughts what sorts of video games you propose to retailer and play. Whereas many video games are beneath the 30GB mark, a number of current video games have handed the 100GB mark. Grand Theft Auto V can take up as a lot as 94GB; Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 is 110GB; Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare is upwards of 120GB, even on Xbox One. So simply these three video games can devour virtually 500GB.
Greatest exterior arduous drives for Xbox One: Critiques & Suggestions
These drives run the gamut from the most cost effective, lowest capability storage to the quickest and most light-weight moveable choices. The perfect picks, we predict, steadiness storage capability and worth, however we thought of some very giant drives as properly. They’re all going to be equally straightforward to arrange, and may deal with a small recreation library equally properly—the small print are across the edges.
Greatest total: Seagate Sport Drive for Xbox Sport Move Particular Version
Purchase it used or refurbished: Amazon
Why it made the lower: The Seagate Sport Drive for Xbox Sport Move is moveable and affords a variety of storage for a good worth.
Specs
- Capability: 4TB
- Drive sort: HDD
- USB sort: USB 3.0
Execs
- Moderately priced
- Attention-grabbing look
- match for Xbox 360 and Xbox One video games
Cons
- HDD isn’t a terrific choose for Xbox Sequence consoles
Whilst you can plug nearly any exterior arduous drive into an Xbox One, the Seagate console-specific “Sport Drive” seems to be sharp, shops a variety of video games, and is sufficiently small to hold round if you want to. This mannequin’s 4TB of storage can maintain 90-100 Xbox One video games, which is loads of area for many recreation libraries. A compact bundle at simply 21mm thick, you may get a inexperienced Xbox-branded model, a white Sport Move mannequin (which comes with a free one-month Sport Move Final subscription), and even black to match a PS4. Each drive right here is definitely worth the cash, however Seagate’s providing is an ideal match for the Xbox One.
Greatest worth: Western Digital 12TB Parts Desktop Exhausting Drive
Purchase it used or refurbished: Amazon
Why it made the lower: The 12TB Western Digital Parts exterior arduous drive comes near the Xbox One’s exterior storage restrict, however doesn’t price all that a lot.
Specs
- Capability: 12TB
- Drive sort: HDD
- USB sort: USB 3.0
Execs
- Tons of storage
- Greatest worth per greenback (as of August 2022)
Cons
- Requires a separate energy adapter (included)
The Western Digital 12TB Parts Desktop Exhausting Drive isn’t the most cost effective drive on our checklist but it surely affords the most effective worth if you take a look at the capability and the value. We dug round, drives from a wide range of respected drive makers and capacities, and this drive edges out the others in byte-per-dollar worth—simply barely, although. The value might fluctuate over time however that is the most effective worth you may get proper now.
Greatest high-capacity: Western Digital 14TB Parts Desktop Exhausting Drive
Purchase it used or refurbished: Amazon
Why it made the lower: Push the Xbox One’s storage limitations with this even bigger Western Digital Parts exterior drive.
Specs
- Capability: 14TB
- Drive sort: HDD
- USB sort: USB 3.0
Execs
- Tons of storage
- Nice byte-per-dollar worth
Cons
- Requires separate energy adapter
This bigger model of the earlier choose provides you a barely decrease byte-per-dollar worth, but it surely provides you an additional couple of terabytes and comes very near maxing out your Xbox One’s storage capability. It’s extra space than most gamers moderately want for his or her recreation library, holding roughly 350 average-sized video games. With Microsoft’s concentrate on backward compatibility, although, you would maintain shopping for Xbox One and 360 video games for years with out worrying about how a lot area you may have left.
Greatest moveable: SanDisk 1TB Excessive Professional USB 3.2 Flash Drive
Why it made the lower: The SanDisk 1TB Excessive Professional USB 3.2 Flash Drive makes it straightforward to hold a variety of Xbox video games in your pocket.
Specs
- Capability: 1TB
- Drive sort: Flash
- USB sort: USB 3.0
Execs
Cons
Going from 14TB above down to only 1TB might seem to be a giant step down, however needless to say we’re speaking a couple of flash drive now. The 1TB SanDisk Excessive Professional will match in your keychain if you wish to carry it round. It will not be a whole library, however 1TB nonetheless doubles or triples your console’s inside storage capability, relying on what Xbox One you may have. It’s far and away the best choice if you wish to unplug and retailer your exterior if you aren’t utilizing it.
Greatest high-speed: SanDisk 1TB Excessive Moveable SSD
Purchase it used or refurbished: Amazon
Why it made the lower: As a transportable M.2 SSD, the SanDisk Excessive Moveable collection is infinitely quicker than our different picks.
Specs
- Capability: 1TB
- Drive sort: M.2 SSD
- USB sort: USB 3.2 Gen 2×2
Execs
- Extremely quick
- Very small
- Rugged Building
Cons
- Costly
- Restricted capability
In case you’re shopping for a transportable exterior with arduous drive pace in thoughts, the SanDisk Excessive Moveable SSD affords far quicker supply than our different picks. Based on SanDisk, it helps as much as 2000MB/s learn/write speeds, which blows our different picks out of the water when plugged into a tool that would benefit from these speeds.
After all, that’s the principle limiting issue: Your Xbox One and even the Sequence X received’t be capable of make full use of the drive’s pace. Older video games are sometimes restricted by compression and built-in options meant to make the sport work on a regular Xbox One arduous drive. With that mentioned, these video games will load as rapidly as your console can deal with, making it a good way to future-proof your drive in your subsequent Xbox improve.
Other than being quick, it’s additionally small, gentle, and constructed for abuse. The drive has 2-meter drop safety and IP55 water and dirt resistance. You shouldn’t take it swimming, however you don’t have to fret about getting caught within the rain with it in your pocket.
Greatest funds: Toshiba Canvio Fundamentals 1TB
Purchase it used or refurbished: eBay
Why it made the lower: The Toshiba Canvio Fundamentals doubles or triples your Xbox One’s storage, and prices lower than a brand new AAA recreation.
Specs
- Capability: 1TB
- Drive sort: HDD
- USB sort: USB 3.0
Execs
Cons
The Toshiba Canvio Fundamentals isn’t the quickest or greatest exterior arduous drive on this checklist by any stretch, but it surely’s undoubtedly the most cost effective. If you wish to double or triple your storage rapidly, and also you aren’t frightened about protecting an enormous library of video games on the prepared, this drive will get the job performed. It’s easy, small, and simple.
FAQs
Q: Does any exterior arduous drive work with Xbox One?
In 2022, just about any exterior arduous drive ought to work with an Xbox One. So long as it suits the necessities above—128GB or extra of area and a USB 3.0 interface—the Xbox One will assist it.
Q: Are you able to play Xbox video games straight from the exterior arduous drive?
Sure! Higher but, you possibly can take the identical drive from one Xbox One to a different, or from an Xbox One to an Xbox Sequence X or S, and play those self same video games there, too.
As we talked about earlier than, although, you can not play Xbox Sequence X/S video games off an exterior arduous drive. In case you improve to one in every of both of the most recent Xbox consoles, it’s possible you’ll wish to think about grabbing one in every of Seagate’s proprietary storage growth playing cards.
Q: What number of Xbox One video games can 2TB maintain?
The quick reply is “2TB value.” Sport sizes differ wildly lately. Many indies will dissipate lower than 1GB of storage in your arduous drive, whereas a number of main AAA video games can take up 100GB or extra. What you select to play and the way you handle your arduous drive will decide how rapidly it fills up.
All that mentioned, we estimate that almost all main Xbox One video games require 30GB to 50GB of space for storing. If all of your video games fall in that vary, you’ll be capable of match about 35 to 45 video games on a 2TB drive.
Q: Can you utilize the identical drive for Xbox One and PlayStation 4?
Not likely. Each Xbox One and PlayStation 4 require you to reformat your exterior arduous drive to retailer and play video games. In case you use an exterior arduous drive for Xbox One or PS4 video games, you possibly can’t use it for the rest.
There’s one small exception: Each consoles can play media—films, images, or music—off of a tough drive that isn’t formatted for video games. That drive will work throughout each consoles.
Last ideas on the most effective exterior arduous drives for Xbox One
Nearly any exterior arduous drive will work as an Xbox One growth drive, so there’s sufficient selection on the market. Since pace isn’t an enormous issue for the Xbox One particularly, you possibly can concentrate on getting a big, low-cost exterior that may maintain all of your video games. Simply needless to say it’s possible you’ll end up on the lookout for one other arduous drive to go along with your subsequent console, Xbox or in any other case.
