Gamers are able to add more storage space to their Xbox One consoles via external devices. Microsoft teamed up with Seagate to offer several official hard drives. So what Seagate Xbox One External Game Drives are better for you: the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) version or Solid State Drive (SSD) version? If you are having a tough time making up your own mind, then you can check out our buying guide below.
Do you need an external hard drive for your Xbox One?
So, do you actually need an external hard drive for your Xbox One. It really depends on how you use your system. Based on which version you owned, your home console includes an internal hard disk drive with a size of 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB.
You can quickly run out of free space on your internal hard drive, especially if you play a lot of videogames. This is because the system requires you to install full games from your discs. Furthermore, there are also patch updates, DLC as well as digital games to take into account. If you don’t want to constantly delete and reinstall data, then we high recommend investing in an external hard drive like the Official Seagate Xbox One Game Drive.
Pricing
The Seagate Xbox One External HDD Game Drive has two size options while the Solid State Drive variant only has one. There is also a special edition Halo Wars 2 version of the external HDD. You can check out the price tags for all four on Amazon with the links below:
- 2 TB External HDD Game Drive (Green)
- 2 TB External HDD Game Drive (Halo Wars 2 Edition)
- 4 TB External HDD Game Drive (Green)
- 512 GB External SSD Game Drive (Black Brushed Aluminum)
Dimensions
The 2 TB External HDD Game Drives measures at 117 mm in length by 80 mm in width by 14.8 mm in height. The 4 TB HDD Game Drive has the same length (117 mm) and width (80 mm) than the 2 TB versions but is thicker (20.8 mm). The 512 GB External SSD Game Drive is 113.5 mm in length by 76 mm in width by 9.6 mm in height.
Desktop vs. Portable Hard Drives
Both the HDD and SSD External Game Drives are portable. The difference between desktop and portable external hard drives is that the former requires an AC adapter along with an USB port while the latter is powered through the same USB port used for transferring data. If you don’t want to get tangled with too many wires and/or want to save on power usage, then getting a portable external hard drive is the best option for your Xbox One.
Why you should purchase the Official Seagate Xbox One External HDD Game Drive
The HDD version of the Seagate Game Drive is worth buying if you value space over speed as it offers a bigger storage space when compared to the SSD version. Not to mention that you will get an even better value, on a dollar per byte basis, by getting the 4 TB External HDD Game Drive.
Assuming that games take up anywhere between 35 GB to 50 GB, the 2 TB HDD version should be able to hold 50 videogames at the minimum. The 4 TB version should be able to store at least 100 games on the console.
Why the Official Seagate Xbox One External SSD Game Drive is worth buying
The SSD version is the better choice if you want quicker load times. The transfer speed of the Solid State Drive can reach up to 440 MB/s, several times faster when compared to the 140 MB/s maximum speed of the standard Hard Disk Drive. While the performance varies based on a game by game basis, the SSD is generally considered to load videogames much better.
Recap
If you simply want to add more free space to your Xbox One, then we recommend getting either a 2 TB or 4 TB Official Seagate Xbox One External HDD Game Drive. You can do so with the following links:
- 2 TB External HDD Game Drive (Green)
- 2 TB External HDD Game Drive (Halo Wars 2 Edition)
- 4 TB External HDD Game Drive (Green)
If you want faster loading time, and don’t mind the smaller storage page in addition to having to pay a more expensive price tag, then you should take a look at the 512 GB Official Seagate Xbox One External SSD Game Drive. You can purchase it here.
