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The Best Xbox One External Hard Drive

Last updated on August 10, 2024
Categories Electronics Tags
Best Xbox One External Hard Drive

Our Review Process

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Our Picks For The Top Xbox One External Hard Drives

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Product Overview
Key Takeaway
 Top Pick

WD_Black P10 Super Speed Xbox One External Hard Drive, 2-TB

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

WD_Black

Super Speed Xbox One External Hard Drive, 2-TB

This Xbox One external hard drive is available with 1 to 5TB of storage capacity, with the largest option able to hold 125 games. It is specifically formatted to work with the XBox One. It even comes with a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership.

Overall Take

Interfaces with Gaming SystemsThis device has high-performance HDD with speeds up to 130MB and an 18-inch USB cable with SuperSpeed interface.

 Runner Up

MegaZ Slim Lightweight Portable Hard Drive, 120GB

MegaZ

Slim Lightweight Portable Hard Drive, 120GB

You'll find this portable hard drive is compatible with desktop computers, personal laptops and gaming devices. It's nice and lightweight and features a slim design that easily fits inside any pocket. You can also order the drive with a capacity as low as 120 gigabytes or as high as 1 terabyte.

Overall Take

Budget-Friendly OptionThis portable hard drive gives you all the features you're looking for without the high price tag.

 Runner Up

UnionSine Gaming Xbox One External Hard Drive, 320-GB

UnionSine

Gaming Xbox One External Hard Drive, 320-GB

This slim Xbox One external hard drive comes in a choice of sleek black, baby blue, light pink and elegant gray. It's made using a thick copper core that increases transfer speeds, so you can get back to gaming. Another plus is the built-in aluminum protective layer which keeps the hard drive from overheating.

Overall Take

Sleek DesignIn addition to your Xbox One, this external hard drive can be used with a laptop, personal computer, PS4 or Xbox 360.

 We Also Like

Maxone Cooling Quiet Xbox One External Hard Drive, 1-TB

Maxone

Cooling Quiet Xbox One External Hard Drive, 1-TB

You'll find this Xbox One external hard drive is available in rose pink, charcoal gray and gold. It's super slim and lightweight for easy of portability. The external hard drive has a solid aluminum construction and is compatible with both Microsoft Windows and Mac operating systems.

Overall Take

Maximum StorageAvid gamers can't go wrong with this Xbox One external hard drive, as it has an astounding 1 terabyte of storage.

Buying Guide

Even though the latest Xbox and PlayStation systems have up-to-date hardware and software, gamers can still run out of storage space. The Xbox Series X has 16GB of memory  and 1TB of internal storage, which may not be enough for some of the most popular gaming titles out there. Additional storage is sold separately, hence the popularity of external hard drives.

Why the need for all the extra room? Today’s massive, highly complex games require more space, and their installation sizes can even be shocking at times. Sometimes, developers compress these sizes, but some of the best games are like hungry beasts that gobble up space. Experts recommend external hard drives to store these games, especially since computers and gaming systems won’t run as fast without enough space.

When shopping for external hard drives for computers or console games, look for ones with USB-C or Thunderbolt connectors, as USB Type-A connectors are slower. Some are compatible with Windows and Mac, while others will need modifications for Mac. Most external hard drives have storage capacities from 250GB to 5TB (1 terabyte, orTB, equals 1,000 gigabytes).

What to Look For

  • Xbox One and PlayStation 4 can support external hard drives through USB 3.0 connectors; a 3.0 USB is good for gaming needs.
  • Many gaming external hard drives come with carrying cases, which are great for traveling. Look for ones that are easy to carry. Some are made from military-grade, shockproof or waterproof materials to keep the hard drives safe and protected.
  • External hard drives can really improve one’s gaming performance by increasing game speeds.
  • Some of the games that require the most storage include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Quantum Break, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Hitman 2.

More to Explore

One terabyte is about 1 trillion bytes, or 1,024 gigabytes. Comparing this to CDs, it would take 1,498 of them to hold as much data as one terabyte.

Most of today’s internal computer drives have at least 1TB of storage. The next highest measure of storage is a tebibyte, or TiB. This equals 1,099,511,627,776 bytes, and with gaming technology advancing by the day, we may need TiBs sooner than you think.

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