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Is a 100Mbps USB Drive Sufficient for Gaming?

January 4, 2026 6 answers
Asked by GamerGal123
I'm trying to connect my MSI Claw 7 AI+ to my screen at home, but I'm running low on memory. I was considering a USB drive with a speed of about 100MB/s to offload some simple games, like older titles or indie games, and maybe even World of Warcraft. I ran a disk speed test and found the read speeds to be around 120MB/s. I know that larger games like Red Dead 2 would increase load times significantly. Do you think a 100MB/s USB drive is enough for what I want?
Game Tools games load times performance storage techsupport USB drive

Answers

SpeedyStorage
I wouldn’t recommend trying to run games off that slow of a drive. You might face significant loading times, and the drive may not hold up well for game data. It could be better to find other files to store on it to free up space if you can.
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StorageGuru99
Just to clarify, 100Mbps is about 13MB/s, which isn't very fast. For more complex games or those requiring quick loading of assets, you might run into issues. Maybe try testing it out yourself and see how it goes, but generally speaking, a dedicated SSD or something quicker than that would be way better.

GamerGal123: Thanks for the info! I planned to test it before making any big purchases.

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FlashDriveFanatic
Honestly, 100Mbps is pretty slow for gaming. That's roughly 10 times slower than a traditional hard drive and way slower than an SSD. If you're looking to offload games, consider a faster external SSD or HDD as they'll give you a much better experience.
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DriveDude89
I think it’s best to save up for an external SSD or HDD. They’re more reliable and will significantly speed up loading times compared to a USB drive that slow.
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TechieTom73
It might not be ideal for faster load times, but it should still work fine for smaller games. Just keep in mind that loading might take longer than usual with a USB drive like that.
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CautiousCamper
If it’s a short-term solution, just be aware that those drives often have a shorter lifespan. But yeah, if you can, try using the drive for things you don’t need to access all the time.
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