Perhaps your gaming laptop computer doesn’t have sufficient storage. Or perhaps you merely wish to render your recreation library transportable between techniques. Somewhat than improve your inside storage — add a speedy exterior SSD. Not solely will you’ve got much more quick storage on your video games, you should utilize it on any system you would like.
However selecting the exterior SSD that’s proper on your wants means sorting via a dizzying array of protocol and velocity choices. Making a poor selection would possibly go away you feeling onerous accomplished by, both monetarily or performance-wise. Fortunately for you, we’ve examined multitudes of the wee beasties and might provide suggestions assured to enhance your gaming expertise.
Greatest Worth At present
$307.88
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Helps Thunderbolt 5 and USB4
- Spectacular 80Gbps efficiency for inventive execs
- Rugged IP68-rated design
- Longer than common five-year guarantee
Cons
- Costly
- Requires 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5/USB4 port for full efficiency
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Quickest pre-populated 40Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Fan-cooled enclosure
- Additionally quick on the Mac
Cons
- Pricier than USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps)
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Second-fastest USB4 enclosure up to now
- Stable, thermally wonderful design
- Handsome
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Greatest Worth At present
$98.78
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Good-looking, IP65-rated design (mud proof, water-proof)
- Good 20Gbps efficiency
- Good flat Sort-C USB ribbon cable
Cons
- USB port plug tether is troublesome to reinsert.
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Very quick performer
- Navy-esque styling
- Tremendous-rugged IP68 rated
- Inexpensive
Cons
- It’s good to present the NVMe SSD
- Requires a USB 3.2×2 port for 20Gbps efficiency
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Quickest 10Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Small profile
- Magnetic attachement to steel surfaces
Cons
- Virtually as expensive as 20Gbps SSDs at the moment
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Present Professionals & Cons
Professionals
- Svelte thumb drive type issue
- Quickest 10Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Twin Sort-A/Sort-C connectors
Cons
- Finish caps aren’t captive
Cover Professionals & Cons
Present 2 Extra
Present Prime 5 solely
Under we provide suggestions from 80Gbps all the way down to 10Gbps; scroll beneath these to be taught extra about our analysis course of and what to search for when shopping for an exterior SSD for gaming.
Be aware that SSD costs have risen significantly since our unique opinions because of the AI / knowledge heart gold rush, and the suggestions beneath mirror that new actuality. The older, linked opinions could not. We’ve additionally added a few enclosures to which you’ll be able to add your individual NVMe SSD, as the provision of many pre-populated SSDs is at the moment scattershot. Moreover, an enclosure / DIY choice is a approach to save cash in these time of inflated costs.
Why you must belief PCWorld for exterior drive opinions and shopping for recommendation: PCWorld has been placing laptop {hardware} via its paces for many years. Our exterior drive evaluations are thorough and rigorous, testing the bounds of each product — from efficiency benchmarks to the practicalities of every day use. As shoppers ourselves, we all know what makes a product distinctive, or not. For extra about our testing course of, scroll to the underside of this text.
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 – Greatest 80Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Helps Thunderbolt 5 and USB4
- Spectacular 80Gbps efficiency for inventive execs
- Rugged IP68-rated design
- Longer than common five-year guarantee
Cons
- Costly
- Requires 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5/USB4 port for full efficiency
Worth When Reviewed:
2TB: $399.99 I 4TB: $599.99
Greatest Costs At present:
$307.88
$789.99
$1,399.99
Who can purchase the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5?
Anybody in search of prime efficiency from an exterior SSD and who has the considerably uncommon 80Gbps port to deal with it, ought to store the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5. It’s not the quickest 80Gbps SSD I’ve examined, but it surely was shut. Higher, it’s obtainable more often than not and its worth hadn’t gone via the roof after I final checked.
LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5: Additional concerns
The silicone-wrapped Rugged SSD Pro5 is beefed as much as the tune of IP68 to keep off mud and liquids. It additionally encompasses a full five-year guarantee — two years longer than the norm for exterior SSDs. And whereas SSD parts all come from the identical sources, the LaCie (Seagate owned) identify means one thing within the trade.
Be aware that this drive was reviewed for sister publication Macworld, however by this similar creator and run via the identical battery of assessments I take advantage of for my PCWorld opinions.
Adata SE920 – Greatest 40Gbps USB4 exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Quickest pre-populated 40Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Fan-cooled enclosure
- Additionally quick on the Mac
Cons
- Pricier than USB 3.2×2 (20Gbps)
Worth When Reviewed:
1TB: $140 I 2TB: $200 I 4TB: $380
Greatest Costs At present:
$280.65
Who can purchase the Adata SE920?
For individuals who nonetheless need stellar sustained throughput, however for much less moolah than an 80Gbps SSD, the 40Gbps SE920 will get the job accomplished after which some. Be aware, a 40Gbps USB4 exterior SSD isn’t for everybody. Your PC must help the USB4 or the Thunderbolt 3/4/5 spec to be able to take benefit — and whereas cheaper than 80Gbps, it’s nonetheless not low cost.
If you happen to’re geared up to enter the membership, the Adata SE920 EX will reward you with practically 4GBps transfers, and at a barely extra reasonably priced worth than our earlier choose for USB4, the OWC Specific 1M2 — we’re speaking $280 for a 1TB Adata SE920 versus $300 for the 1TB OWC drive. If you need loads of capability, the Adata SE920 EX ships with as much as 4TB, although like all such-capacity SSDs, it’s at the moment briefly provide and has develop into very costly.
Adata SE920: Additional concerns
In virtually each benchmark, the SE920 EX beat the OWC Specific 1M2, albeit by very small margins. It additionally comes with a nifty built-in fan, which is activated by sliding open the enclosure. This saved my drive noticeably free of warmth throughout benchmark assessments.
The SE920 EX can also be fairly transportable at round 4.1 inches lengthy by 2.5-inches vast by 0.6-inches thick, and weighing 7 ounces — one other benefit it has over the bulkier OWC Specific 1M2 and others.
Learn our full
SE920 Exterior SSD overview
TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus – Greatest 40Gbps exterior SSD enclosure for gaming
Professionals
- Second-fastest USB4 enclosure up to now
- Stable, thermally wonderful design
- Handsome
Worth When Reviewed:
$109.99
Greatest Costs At present:
$76.99
Who can purchase the TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus?
With the worth of pre-populated 40Gbps SSDs rising because of the AI / knowledge heart reminiscence arms race, shopping for a $110 (at the moment $70 on sale) 40Gbps enclosure such because the TerraMaster’s D1 SSD Plus, after which including your individual NVMe SSD is kind of doubtless your most reasonably priced exterior high-speed SSD choice.
TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus: Additional concerns
The TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus is cumbersome, and the type is probably not everybody’s cup of tea, however the overtly-finned aluminum enclosure sheds the warmth inherent with sooner 40Gbps SSDs extraordinarily nicely.
Whenever you populate the D1 SSD Plus, don’t overbuy with a PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, except you need stated SSD to be used in one thing sooner sooner or later. An reasonably priced PCIe 4.0 mannequin offers as a lot velocity because the 40Gbps bus can deal with. Be aware that TerraMaster additionally makes an 80Gbps enclosure, the D1 SSD Professional.
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TerraMaster D1 SSD Plus overview
PNY RP60 – Greatest 20Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Good-looking, IP65-rated design (mud proof, water-proof)
- Good 20Gbps efficiency
- Good flat Sort-C USB ribbon cable
Cons
- USB port plug tether is troublesome to reinsert.
Worth When Reviewed:
1TB: $100 I 2TB: $180
Who can purchase the PNY RP60?
If you happen to are likely to take your gaming drive all over the place, and/otherwise you’re not essentially the most cautious particular person with {hardware}, a ruggedized exterior SSD is a sensible solution to keep off unintended harm.
The PNY RP60 affords greater than only a rugged IP65-rated exterior that protects in opposition to mud and water droplets. It’s good-looking and light-weight besides, in addition to an admirable performer, even besting one of many quickest 20Gbps drives I’ve examined — the Essential X10 Professional — in a few our assessments.
PNY60: Additional concerns
A 20Gbps SSD is the candy spot within the worth/efficiency ratio for exterior SSDs. The one challenge is that the USB 3.2×2 drives perform at solely 10Gbps or slower except hooked up to a devoted 20Gbps port. That applies to most USB4 and Thunderbolt ports as nicely.
The RP60 is competitively priced at $130 and $270 for 1TB and 2TB, respectively. Be aware that these costs are considerably increased than after I first reviewed the RP60 because of the world NAND scarcity.
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PNY RP60 20Gbps USB SSD overview
Asus TUF Gaming A2 – Greatest 20Gbps exterior SSD enclosure for gaming
Professionals
- Very quick performer
- Navy-esque styling
- Tremendous-rugged IP68 rated
- Inexpensive
Cons
- It’s good to present the NVMe SSD
- Requires a USB 3.2×2 port for 20Gbps efficiency
Worth When Reviewed:
59.99
Who can purchase the Asus TUF Gaming A2?
Many avid gamers construct their very own gaming rig, so why shouldn’t they roll their very own exterior SSD with an reasonably priced enclosure such because the $60 TUF Gaming A2? With the worth of pre-populated exterior SSDs at the moment reaching for the stratosphere, it’s an particularly enticing proposition for 2026.
The TUF Gaming A2 is styled to attraction to avid gamers, particularly followers of first-person, military-style shooters. It’s constructed like a tank, carries an IP68 score, and is straightforward to open for putting in your NVMe SSD.
Asus TUF Gaming A2: Additional concerns
The TUF Gaming A2 permits you to leverage older NVMe SSDs. Even a PCIe 3.0 SSD is quick sufficient for the 20Gbps bus, when you discover a deal. With these going the best way of the Dodo, nevertheless, an reasonably priced PCIe 4.0 mannequin will do exactly wonderful.
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Asus TUF Gaming A2 overview
Corsair EX300U – Greatest 10Gbps exterior SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Quickest 10Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Small profile
- Magnetic attachement to steel surfaces
Cons
- Virtually as expensive as 20Gbps SSDs at the moment
Worth When Reviewed:
1TB: $100 I 2TB: $180 I 4TB: $340
Greatest Costs At present:
$164.99
$164.99
Who can purchase the Corsair EX300U?
For these in search of an SSD that gained’t break the financial institution, however remains to be “quick sufficient,” the EX300U is an interesting little magnetic sq. of a drive. That stated, $130 and $245 for 2TB is nearly as expensive because the 20Gbps PNY RP60 listed above. Previously, the drive was $100 and $180 respectively at these two capacities.
Scant financial savings apart, the EX300U is the quickest 10Gbps SSD I’ve examined up to now, besting the Teamgroup X2 Max listed beneath by a small margin. And in contrast to the latter, you’ll be able to stick it to a steel object like a PC case by way of the round magnet on the again. Be aware that aluminum just isn’t notably magnetic, so this doesn’t work with most Macs.
Corsair EX300U: Additional concerns
The guarantee on the EX300U is three years, which is the standard for exterior SSDs, however the 250TBW (terabytes that may be written) per terabyte of capability is a little bit stingy. Not less than Corsair offers a TBW score — most distributors don’t for exterior SSDs.
Nonetheless, the chances of anybody exceeding that TBW restrict is somewhat low. More often than not video games are studying knowledge, not writing it.
Learn our full
Corsair EX300U overview
Teamgroup X2 Max — Greatest 10Gbps thumb drive SSD for gaming
Professionals
- Svelte thumb drive type issue
- Quickest 10Gbps SSD we’ve examined
- Twin Sort-A/Sort-C connectors
Cons
- Finish caps aren’t captive
Worth When Reviewed:
1TB: $70 I 2TB: $130
Greatest Costs At present:
$139.99
$139.99
Who can purchase the Teamgroup X2 Max?
For individuals who need each quick 10Gbps efficiency, plus the tremendous comfort of the thumb drive type issue and each Sort-A and Sort-C connectivity, it doesn’t get any higher than the X2 Max. In truth, it’s the second-fastest 10Gbps SSD of any kind that I’ve examined. Proper behind the Corsair EX300U proven above.
Whereas it is probably not sexy-looking within the gaming sense, pulling this out of your pocket once you sit all the way down to recreation is the final word sandbag transfer. Allow them to chortle, they’ll by no means see you coming.
Having each Sort-A and Sort-C connectors on board means by no means having to fret about what kind of laptop you’ll be utilizing the X2 Max on, although having a thumb drive hooked up to your laptop computer is usually a bit awkward when you’re lounging on the sofa, and so on.
Teamgroup X2 Max: Additional concerns
Whereas some avid gamers would possibly scoff at “solely” 10Gbps, that’s nonetheless a lot quick sufficient for loading video games — and search occasions are roughly the identical as 80/40/20Gbps SSDs. The place you’ll lose out a bit in comparison with these sooner fashions is within the time it takes saving video games within the first place.
Be aware that the 2TB X2 Max was on course for a 10Gbps SSD writing our 450GB file, by no means slowing appreciably or tragically as some do. The 1TB won’t do fairly as nicely.
The present pricing of $210 for the 2TB mannequin means you must weight this selection in opposition to sooner choices for a little bit additional cash, and/or creating your individual exterior SSD utilizing the enclosures listed above. A roll-your-own mannequin, nevertheless, won’t ever be this transportable.
Learn our full
Teamgroup X2 Max overview
Different notable exterior SSDs for gaming
The Glyph Atom EX20 is available in a handsome, protecting silicon jacket whereas providing speedy 20Gbps efficiency, and its sibling the Glyph Atom EX40 has an analogous sturdy exterior mixed with USB4 compatibility and 40Gbps velocity; the MSI DataMag 40Gbps just isn’t the quickest USB4 drive, but it surely’s acquired magnetic mounting; and the 20Gbps Teamgroup PD20 is good-looking, robust, and decently quick.
The Essential X10 is a tiny, weatherproofed drive that may maintain as much as 8TB of storage. There’s additionally rather a lot to love concerning the Sandisk Excessive Professional SSD with USB4 — good-looking design and relative affordability, however connection points and comparably lackluster 40Gbps efficiency left us unamazed.
The Addlink P21 has a compelling mixture of fine efficiency and a hanging design; whereas the Corsair EX400U is on the sluggish aspect for a USB4 exterior SSD, however can typically be discovered for cheaper than the competitors. The Seagate Sport Drive SSD is focused at PS4/PS5 house owners, and this 10Gbps SSD could be very quick for its class in addition to attractively styled, full with a Ps emblem, although it’s comparatively expensive
The Lexar Armor 700 is a 20Gbps drive that may face up to some abuse — good for the gamer on the go or the accident-prone; the Adata SD810 is a strong 20Gbps drive, save for writing massive quantities of knowledge, the place it slows down.
How PCWorld assessments exterior drives
Drive assessments at the moment make the most of Home windows 11 24H2, 64-bit working off of a PCIe 4.0 Samsung 990 Professional in an Asus Z890-Creator WiFi (PCIe 4.0/5.0) motherboard. The CPU is a Core Extremely i5 225 feeding/fed by two Essential 64GB DDR5 5600MHz modules (128GB of reminiscence whole).
Each 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 5 are built-in into the motherboard and Intel CPU/GPU graphics are used. Inside PCIe 5.0 SSDs concerned in testing are mounted in an Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 adapter card sitting in a PCIe 5.0 slot.
We run the CrystalDiskMark 8.04 (and 9), AS SSD 2, and ATTO 4 artificial benchmarks (to maintain article size down, we report solely the primary) to seek out the storage machine’s potential efficiency. Then we run a sequence of 48GB switch and 450GB write assessments utilizing Home windows Explorer drag and drop to indicate what customers will see throughout routine copy operations, in addition to the far speedier FastCopy run as administrator to indicate what’s potential.
A 25GBps two-SSD RAID 0 array on the aforementioned Asus Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 is used because the second drive in our switch assessments. Previously the 48GB assessments have been accomplished with a RAM disk serving that goal.
Every take a look at is carried out on a NTFS-formatted and newly TRIM’d drive so the outcomes are optimum. Be aware that in regular use, as a drive fills up, efficiency could lower because of much less NAND for secondary caching, in addition to different components. This challenge has abated considerably with the present crop of SSDs using extra mature controllers and much sooner, late-generation NAND.
Caveat: The efficiency numbers proven apply solely to the drive we have been shipped and to the capability examined. SSD efficiency can and can range by capability because of extra or fewer chips to shotgun reads/writes throughout and the quantity of NAND obtainable for secondary caching. Distributors additionally often swap parts. If you happen to ever discover a big discrepancy between the efficiency you expertise and that which we report, by all means, tell us.
Be aware additionally that a number of the SSDs on this roundup have been examined utilizing different tools and methodologies, which you’ll be able to examine within the standalone opinions.
To be taught extra about our testing methodology see PCWorld’s article on how we take a look at exterior SSDs.
Who curated this text?
Having began computing by flipping switches, Jon L. Jacobi has witnessed storage morph from punch playing cards and tape to strong state. He’s been utilizing and testing HDDs, SATA SSDs, and NVMe SSDs for PCWorld for nicely over 20 years. To paraphrase a well known business, you would possibly say he’s seen a factor or two.
FAQ
1.
What’s the greatest exterior SSD for gaming?
At 80Gbps, the LaCie Rugged SSD Pro5 is our selection for best possible efficiency. If velocity is necessary, however you wish to save a little bit of coin, then the perfect 40Gbps exterior drive is the Adata SE920. For still-great 20Gbps efficiency, and a big value financial savings, think about the PNY RP60 and Essential X10 Professional. Be aware that the Teamgroup X2 Max nonetheless affords good 10Gbps in a super-small type issue.
2.
What are the speeds of the varied exterior interfaces and which one would you like?
In descending order of efficiency the present exterior interfaces are: 80Gbps Thunderbolt 5/USB4, 40Gbps USB4/Thunderbolt 3 and 4, 20Gbps USB 3.2×2 (devoted port required or it’s 10Gbps), 10GBps USB 3.2, then 5Gbps USB 3.x. For optimum gaming efficiency, we suggest 20Gbps or increased, although you’ll be able to simply make do with 10Gbps.
Be aware that at the moment, the real-world distinction in efficiency between 40Gbps and 80Gbps is minimal. Additionally, the rise in energy draw and warmth produced as you climb the efficiency ladder from 10Gbps to 80Gbps is noticeable.
Be aware that you just’ll often see mentions of 120Gbps Thunderbolt 5. 120Gbps is simply obtainable for downstream video, not storage or different purposes. 80Gbps is the present prime of the road.
3.
What causes an exterior SSD to fail?
Whereas mechanical onerous drives are far more susceptible to failure than SSDs, it’s nonetheless potential for an SSD to surrender the ghost. Usually it’s the results of a controller failure, though that’s an more and more uncommon incidence; it’s additionally a comparatively straightforward repair/reset for somebody who is aware of the SSD’s internals akin to a restoration service.
SSDs may also finally put on out, although this solely precludes additional writing to the unit. You may nonetheless learn what’s on the drive, so it’s not the catastrophe a HDD failure could be. There have been additionally cases within the historical previous of static electrical energy bricking Sort-A related SSDs upon insertion.
4.
Why does Home windows say my exterior drive has much less capability than specified?
This discrepancy is because of the distinction between the binary and decimal quantity techniques, their nomenclatures, and a Microsoft miscue. Your 2TB drive certainly has 2 trillion bytes of storage, and when you take a look at the byte depend that Home windows shows in a drive’s properties dialog, this ought to be what you see. This, within the Worldwide System of Models (SI/decimal), is 2 terabytes, or 2TB. Distributors use this method as shoppers are way more conversant in base 10 than binary.
Nevertheless, Home windows makes use of the newer Worldwide Electrotechnical Fee (IEC) binary multiples akin to 2^10 (Kibibyte/KiB), 2^20 (Mebibyte/MiB), 2^30 (Gibibyte/Gib), and so on. Binary multiples are bigger than their decimal near-equivalents (one KiB is 1,024 bytes, one MiB is 1,048,576 bytes) so when Home windows divides the whole bytes by the IEC values you get one thing like 1.8TiB for a 2TB drive. Alas, Home windows labels this as 1.8TB somewhat than 1.8TiB, deceptive the consumer.
Different causes you won’t see as a lot obtainable storage within the properties tab are formatting or partitioning. The file system makes use of some storage for file location and dimension data, and so on. Additionally, some drives include a small partition containing software program so the principle partition will likely be smaller than the drive’s whole capability.
5.
How lengthy will my exterior SSD final?
SSDs don’t put on out or break mechanically like a tough drive, however their cells can solely be written to so many occasions. SSDs typically have a TBW (terabytes that could be written) score, however that is hardly ever offered by distributors for exterior SSDs. Trace: They might not use the identical SSD inside all through the product lifespan.
Most inside M.2 NVMe TLC SSDs are rated for round 600TBW per terabyte, and QLC sorts for round 200TBW, although the kind of NAND in use can also be hardly ever offered by distributors. That’s loads of knowledge, and loads of SSDs are rated nicely beneath what they could truly obtain. You may guesstimate through the use of a utility to see how a lot knowledge you write to an SSD a day after which doing the mathematics.
Exterior SSD warranties are typically between three and 5 years. As with all such issues, it’s a monetary threat formulation calculated by the corporate. On this case primarily based on anticipated NAND longevity and worth. As is the TBW score. Our greatest guess primarily based on expertise is maybe a decade. Nevertheless, sure fashions have had points lengthy earlier than that — typically because of a flaw or failure within the bridge chip or controller.
Exceeding a SSD’s score doesn’t have an effect on the information saved on it. You may nonetheless learn that knowledge, you simply can’t write extra of it to the drive.
6.
Do you have to construct your individual exterior SSD with an enclosure and an NVMe SSD?
Because of the present excessive worth of NAND, shopping for an enclosure and populating it with an NVMe SSD is a extra engaging proposition than ever earlier than, and it has at all times appealed to PC builders. Be aware that even a PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD gives you good efficiency in as much as 20Gbps enclosures, although you’ll want a minimum of a PCIe 4.0 mannequin to get essentially the most out of an 40/80Gbps enclosure.
