I recently picked up a 1TB micro SD card for gaming, and I'm curious if its speed of 100MB/s is sufficient for my needs. Can I use it for modern games, or should I consider other options?
3 Answers
Honestly, 100MB/s is pretty slow for gaming. It's actually just about 2/3 the max speed of older IDE drives, which are long outdated. You're likely setting yourself up for frustration with long load times if you're playing newer games. SD cards just aren't meant for the high read/write cycles that games demand, especially modern titles.
If you're gaming on a Nintendo Switch or a Steam Deck, that speed should be fine. However, for a gaming PC, I definitely recommend getting a more permanent storage solution like an internal SSD or M.2 drive. Those options offer much better performance!
Using a micro SD for gaming isn't ideal since they typically don't last as long compared to SSDs. For older games, that speed might be okay, but for anything recent, you'll want to look into internal SSDs or a faster external option. For consoles like the Switch, there are cards designed for game loading, so it could work if that's your setup!
Thanks for the heads up!
I get that! Unfortunately, it's pretty pricey to upgrade these days.