Only a gamer can understand the importance of the best external hard drive for pc gaming. It is like an essential part of gaming devices to run it properly without any glitch or delay.
There are some concerns to look forward to before getting the right one as not every hard drive could be the best external hard drive for pc gaming.
Editor's Pick Name 4.3/5 WD 5TB Portable External Hard Drive
☞ USB compatible 3.0
☞ Metal Covered
☞ 3 years warranty
Table of Contents
Factors to Consider While Buying the Best External Hard Drive for PC Gaming
Speed
- Speed is one important factor to consider. Mostly, they are ranging from 100MBps to 200MBps but it wholly depends upon the platter size and if they spin at 5400 rmph or 7200 rmph.
- Many external hard drives have a transfer speed from 130MB/s to 160MB/s.
Storage Space
- The minimum storage capacity of an external hard drive should at least have a 500GB storage space.
- The storage capacity of every external hard is different. You can find external hard with a storage capacity starting from 1T (terabytes) till 7T. The following chart will help you to get a better understanding for storage capacity.
Minimum USB 3.0
- When it comes to external hard drive for PC, it is important that it must be at least USB 3.0 to work smoothly with X box one.
SSD or HDD
- The HDD drive has a bit slow loading time.
- SDD as compared to HDD increases the speed drastically but is a bit expensive.
- If you want a budget-friendly drive, we suggest to go with HDD but the one which has high RPM as the internal storage of Xbox one is only 5400RPM.
Security
- There are many external hard drives that come with an advanced security system along with data back up feature.
- These devices are password protected. You can set pin to protect your data.
- If it is just for gaming purpose then just go with the cheap one.
Now that we have considered these above factors while buying the best external hard drive for pc gaming, it’s on this note I present to you the top 11 best external hard drive for pc gaming.
Top 11 Best External Hard Drive for PC Gaming
IMAGE NAME Rating CHECK PRICE
WD 5TB Portable External Hard Drive
☞ USB compatible 3.0
☞ Metal Covered
☞ 3 years warranty4.3/5 Check Price
Seagate Game Drive 2TB
☞ 2TB of portable hard drive storage
☞ Highly durable and long-lasting
☞ One year limited warranty
4.3/5 Check Price
Seagate Backup Plus Hub 8TB
☞ 8TB in a USB drive
☞ Durable and long-lasting
☞ High-speed USB 3.0 ports
4.2/5 Check Price
LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USB-C 5TB
☞ High-speed file transfers
☞ Three years limited warranty protection plan
☞ Highly durable and long-lasting4.2/5 Check Price
Seagate Game Drive Xbox 2TB
☞ 2TB of portable external hard drive storage
☞ 1 year limited warranty
☞ Long-lasting and durable
4.6/5 Check Price
Samsung 850 PRO – 512GB Internal SSD
☞ Ultimate Read/Write Performance
☞ 10-year Limited Warranty
☞ Compatible with different Windows 4.7/5 Check Price
Seagate STEB10000400 External Hard Drive
☞ USB 3.0
☞ Easy to setup
☞ 18 watt power adapter4.6/5 Check Price
WD_Black 5TB P10 Game Drive
☞ Portable and durable form Factor
☞ High-performance HDD
☞ Up to 5TB that can store lots of games
4.7/5 Check Price
Avolusion 3TB USB 3.0 Gaming Hard Drive
☞ Pre-formatted on Game Console
☞ USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
☞ 2 Years Warranty
4.1/5 Check Price
Seagate Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive
☞ 8TB of enormous desktop storage
☞ 18 Watt power adapter and 18 inches USB 3.0 cable
☞ 1-year limited warranty
4.6/5 Check Price
WD 1TB Elements Portable External Hard Drive
☞ Compatible USB 2.0, 3.0
☞ Enhances PC performance
☞ Compatible with Windows4.5/5 Check Price
1. WD 5TB My Passport Portable External Hard Drive
Features
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- It has an auto-backup feature
- Password protection with hardware encryption
- 3-year limited warranty
- Made out of refined metal covering
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First product is simply one of the best external hard drives for gaming pc, you use for your gaming activities on your computer. It has a very large capacity, as it can hold up to 4 terabytes worth of games.
This hard drive also features backup protection. This means you can still save your games even if the hard drive gets damaged. With the cloud storage software, this software is indeed secure and safe for your use.
Also, this product features a dual USB compatibility. In this sense, it does mean you can use this hard drive with the 3.0 or 2.0 USB cable type.
Customer Reviews
It works ok but has some hiccups when being attached to the Mac OS. I have found the sleep feature cool which is recommended to use.
2. Seagate Game Drive 2TB External Hard Drive
Features
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- 2TB of portable hard drive storage
- Highly durable and long-lasting
- One year limited warranty
- Plug and Play USB 3.0
- Travel-ready device
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Here comes yet another external hard drive for gaming. This hard drive is not only for PC but also for Playstation 4, and you can hold more than 50 games with its large storage space. The Seagate external hard drive is known for its quality products for file storage.
One of the features of this product is its super-fast data transfer speed. It also uses USB 3.0 cables, which makes sure that games run smoothly on your external hard drive.
This product is also guided by a series of instructions on the console. Also, it is quite easy to set up, as you can complete it within three minutes.
Customer Reviews
It is easy to set up. The data transferring is very efficient. I used it for my PS4.
3. Seagate Backup Plus 8TB Hard Drive Desktop
Features
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- 8TB in a USB drive
- High-speed USB 3.0 ports
- Durable and long-lasting
- 160MB/s data transfer speed
- 6 TB storage
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Here is another best external hard drive for gaming pc, designed to enhance both storage capacity and portability. This product can store up to 6 terabytes of data.
This hard drive doesn’t have a battery, as it completely runs through the USB 3.0 cable. This USB type does transfer data at a very great speed.
This external hard drive is also compatible with lots of devices, which include both Mac, Windows, and PS 4.
This product also has the capability of backing up data, through the Seagate Dashboard; it allows you to arrive with a backup plan, which suits your needs
Customer Reviews
I have been using this device for like 21 months till now on my MacBook pro. It still seems fine to me.
4. LaCie Rugged USB-C 5TB Hard Drive
Feature
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- High-speed file transfers
- Three years limited warranty protection plan
- Highly durable and long-lasting
- 130Mb/s file transfer speed
- Water/Dust Resistant
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The LaCie Hard drive is one of the most reliable external hard drives you can use for your gaming activities. This product is one of the best brand of Seagate, which appears to be very popular. This hard drive is highly rated on with lots of reviews.
This hard drive also has a high storage space, which can hold up to 2 terabytes of data. It also allows for the speedy transfer of data. With the USB 3.0 feature, you can transfer data at over 350 MB/s.
Customer Review
I have been using this device for my photo editing in my lightroom. It works fine but it is not as fast as it claims to be.
5. Seagate Game Drive Portable
Features
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- 2TB of portable external hard drive storage
- 1 year limited warranty
- Long-lasting and durable
- Easy to connect. No power Cable required
- Compact and travel friendly
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Here comes yet another great hard drive for games. This product can store lots of games, as it has 2 TB of storage capacity. This hard drive is also compatible with Xbox devices.
The Seagate Game Drive does not use battery, as it powers through the USB cable.
With this hard drive, you can transfer files quickly. This best external hard drive for gaming pc does feature a USB 3.0, which makes transfer files rapidly. The data streams at a high speed of over 140 megabytes per second.
This hard drive is also durable and long-lasting, so you do not need to worry about any defects.
Customer Reviews
As a gamer I want to buy a good quality hard drive. It was suggested by a friend of mine and ordered it. When I got to review section I got double-minded after reading the comments because many of them are going against it. Now, when I am using it, I must say there isn’t any need to worry about because my device is working perfectly.
6. Samsung 850 PRO SATA III Internal SSD
Features
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- Ultimate Sequential Read/Write Performance
- 10-year Limited Warranty
- Compatible with different Windows model
- Energy Efficient
- Works up to 100k-90k
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The Samsung 850 Pro hard drive is an external hard drive for pc games. This product can store up to 2 terabytes worth of games. This drive is indeed solid, as it is not like the normal ones you see around.
This hard drive is also compatible with lots of OS, which includes the Windows OS such as Windows 7, 8, 10, etc., Linux OS, and Mac. The compact size of this device is 2.5 diameter.
You can also transfer rapidly, as the solid-state hard drive increases the data transfer speed. This device can stream more than 500 MB/s
Customer Reviews
Everything is perfect but the only thing that gets in and makes a negative impact is the over-pricing of this device.
7. Seagate STEB10000400 External Hard Drive
Features
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- Lightning-fast tethered Thunderbolt interface
- Lightweight, removable drive
- Data protected from pressure, shock and dust
- Features watertight drive compartment
- Comes with 18-watt power adaptor and 18 inches cable
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Another product we should look out for is the Seagate STEB10000400 external hard drive. This hard drive is simply the best external hard drive for gaming PC. The company is indeed a reputable producer of hard drives, which has been highly rated on Amazon.
This product has a high-quality casing, which comes with a stylish design. This product also has a designed case to improve the durability of the hard drive.
This hard drive can also transfer lots of files rapidly with USB 3.0 technology. With this feature, it makes your game run very smoothly and rapidly. Interestingly, this hard drive also has a 3-year warranty.
Customer Reviews
I found this hard drive quite excellent. It can easily disassemble which is different from the other Seagated drives.
8. WD_Black 5TB P10 Game Drive
Features
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- Portable and durable form Factor
- High-performance HDD
- Up to 5TB that can store lots of games
- Able to hold p to 125 games (36GB per game)
- Compatible Xbox one, PS 4, PC and Mac
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Here is another outstanding external hard drive for pc games. The WD Black P10 Game Drive is one of the best external hard drive for gaming pc, which tends to give your PC the best gaming performance ever.
This product is an advanced one, which stores up to 5 terabytes worth of games. This hard drive is built precisely for gamers who wish to expand their PC space. With this feature, it also makes your game run very smoothly and rapidly.
Customer Reviews
Works and looks both are great. The only annoying thing that I have found is that it is too loud.
9. Avolusion 3TB USB 3.0 External Gaming Hard Drive
Features
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- Pre-formatted on Game Console
- USB 3.0 External Hard Drive
- 2 Years Warranty
- 3TB Built-in Capacity
- Easily installed
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Here comes another outstanding and the best external hard drive for pc gaming is durable and top-notch performance. The Avolusion Portable external hard drive is designed to attract the eyes of gamers with its high class and durable feature.
This product also has a high-quality casing, which comes with a stylish design. This product also has a designed case to improve the durability of the hard drive.
It endeavors top quality design in with slim trimming, which makes it a fine piece of storage device on your palm.
10. Seagate Desktop 8TB External Hard Drive
Features
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- 8TB of enormous desktop storage
- 18 Watt power adapter and 18 inches USB 3.0 cable
- 1-year limited warranty
- Compatible with Windows and mac
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I bring to you yet another best external hard drive for backup. This is another external hard drive for gaming pc is not only great for gamers but also for official use. This hard drive offers 8 terabytes of computer storage for games, movies, etc.
This hard drive also enables you to back up your data. Also, you can transfer data quite easily and quickly. To start with the setup, you should connect the external hard drive to the computer to recognize it automatically. This setup does require no software.
Customer Reviews
This drive seems fine to me but it is a big heavy then usually hard drives are. When I started, it was quite slow but now it is working fine.
11. WD 1TB Elements Hard Drive Upgrade Kit
Features
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- Load up to 5x faster than standard hard drives
- Portable USB 3. 0 feature
- Durable and Long-lasting
- High capacity, formatted by NTFS for Windows
- Compatibility varies depending upon the hardware
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Lastly on the list is another WD 1TB external hard drive, which is one of the best external hard drives for backup. This product is known for its fastness and effectiveness during its gaming operation. This hard drive does deliver great performance and high capacity.
This product also has a great backup feature, so you do not need to worry. It allows you to arrive with a backup plan, which suits to your needs perfectly. It’s indeed one of the high capacity external hard drives.
Customer Reviews
It can set up easily. It is able to hold 35+4k HDR games and 1TB on a machine. So it is a win win deal for me.
What is the Best External Hard Drives?
Conclusion
It is ironic how gaming was once considered as a wastage of time but now it has become a kind of profession. It is important to know if the drive you going to buy is efficient, how much time would it take to transfer data? or how much storage space should it has and most importantly if it is secure or not?
Having considered the top 11 best external hard drive for pc gaming, and you’re looking for where to buy these products, all these shoes are very much available.
Alternatively, you can follow those links above. These best hard drives are all durable and long-lasting. These best external hard drive for pc gaming will make you have an excellent gaming experience on your PC.
To this end, I recommend these products as the top 11 best external hard drive for pc gaming.
FAQs
1. Can you play games off an external hard drive?
Ans: The answer is simple. Yes, you can play games without using an external hard drive. However, to enjoy your gaming activity, it’s much secure to use an external hard drive, depending on how strong the game is.
2. Can external hard drives be used for gaming?
Ans: Yes, you can use external hard drives for your gaming activities.
3. What is the best external hard drive for PC?
Ans: These recommended products are basically the best external hard drives for PC. Follow those links above for your desired type.