The best external SSD for gaming in 2023: the best portable drives

best external ssd for gaming it’s a relatively inexpensive way to expand storage and speed up game loading without digging into the bowels of your gaming PC. Simply plug it into a free USB port, install the game, and play your way.

Portable SSDs don’t need to be flashy, either: Adata uses a distinctive honeycomb effect with RGB lighting, while Sandisk makes a dust- and water-resistant NVMe drive that fits in the palm of your hand. You can even do it yourself if you have a spare internal NVMe, thanks to an enclosure from Asus that turns your existing drive into a portable storage device.

The portable and external options, of course, have some caveats, such as lower speeds. This is a marked improvement over HDDs, but you’ll want to choose the best SSD for gaming if performance is important to you, and check out our guide on how to install an SSD to make sure it’s installed correctly.

So why buy an external SSD? The advantage of a portable SSD is that you can easily switch it between devices. With so many prices to choose from and read speeds from 540MB/s to 2800MB/s, we’ve rounded up drives for every use and every budget so you can choose the best external SSD for you.

Find the best external SSD for gaming in 2023:

• The best external SSD for gaming –Adata SE900G
• best portable ssd – Sandisk Extreme laptop
• The fastest external SSD -Samsung X5
• The best NVMe enclosure – Asus ROG Strix Arion
• The best cheap external SSD -Samsung T5
• Best SSD for Xbox Series X – Seagate storage expansion card

1. SE900G data

best external ssd for gaming This is the Adata SE900G.

Adata’s NVMe-based model is one of the fastest external drives we’ve seen, with sequential read and write speeds of up to 2000MB/s. It connects via a USB Type-C cable, though Adata includes a Type-A adapter in the box. to better serve more devices. We recommend the 1TB model, though it’s also available as a 512GB or 2TB drive.

RGB lighting covering the top of the player is a light touch that makes you feel right at home with the best gaming keyboard and mouse.

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2. SanDisk Extreme Laptop

best laptop ssd Sandisk Extreme laptop.

Despite its small size of 2.07 x 3.97 inches, the Sandisk Extreme Portable still makes a good impression. With NVMe storage under the hood, it is capable of delivering fast sequential read and write speeds of 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s respectively.

Il également également prendre un coupe avec deux mètres de protection contre les chutes et una résistance à l’eau et à la poussière IP55, ce qui en fait le compagnon de voyage idéal pour le meilleur portable computer de jeu – pas que nous recommandions de le abandon.

It connects via USB Type-C, though a Type-A adapter is included. You can choose from a drive with capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB, it’s truly portable, and it has a hole in the corner so you can clip it to your keys or bag.

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3Samsung X5

faster external SSD This is a Samsung X5.

The Samsung X5 is one of the fastest on the market in terms of outright speed, but it comes with a hefty price tag and some compatibility considerations with the Thunderbolt 3 connection. If your wallet and computer can handle it, this drive is capable of reading and writing . at speeds of 2800MB/s and 2300MB/s respectively, loading your games and transferring files in the blink of an eye.

The X5 is still surprisingly small at 4.7 x 2.4 inches, and the gorgeous glossy chassis is also designed to withstand drops of up to two meters.

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4. Asus ROG Strix Arion

best nvme enclosure it’s the Asus ROG Strix Arion.

If you already have a spare internal NVMe drive, the Arion can be converted to an external SSD which looks more appealing than other enclosures. The USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connection offers data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps, allowing you to take full advantage of the fastest NVMe models.

The aluminum chassis also features adjustable RGB lighting to add style, while thermal pads on the interior help keep temperatures down to prevent thermal throttling.

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5Samsung T5

best cheap external ssd It’s Samsung T5.

The Samsung T5 uses SATA technology instead of the faster NVMe form factor, but that helps keep the price per GB down. In fact, it is the best budget external SSD that is almost five times faster than an external hard drive, with 540MB/s sequential read and 515MB/s sequential write.

The all-metal body gives it strength and allows it to withstand a fall from a height of two meters. And, if you’re concerned about security, you can use Samsung software to lock the drive with a password.

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6. Seagate Storage Expansion Card

best ssd for xbox consoles it is a Seagate storage expansion card.

The Xbox Series X/S will not allow you to install and play current generation games on any random external SSD, instead you can use the expansion slot on the back of the Xbox Series X/S console. Seagate NVMe is currently the only model that accommodates Microsoft’s proprietary port and offers read and write speeds identical to the console’s internal NVMe SSD.

There’s no USB connection though, so it’s just an external SSD for the latest Xbox consoles, not your PC.