I'm looking to buy an external hard drive for my gaming laptop but I'm unsure about what to choose. I want to make sure I get something good without overpaying for features my laptop can't utilize. My laptop has: 1 USB Type-C, 1 Thunderbolt 4, and 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports. I'm confused about the differences between USB 3.x and Gen 1/2. Also, when using the external drive, should I prioritize which games to install on it, especially considering some of my games have complex folder structures and mods? Thanks for any help!
2 Answers
Don't stress too much about it! Any new external SSD that supports USB 3.2 will work well for you. Just check the warranty and support options. Also, yeah, most SSDs come with a USB-C plug.
What's the lifespan like on SSDs compared to HDDs?
Just keep in mind that while external drives are fast, they won't match the speed of your internal drive. That said, you can use the external drive for games or files that don't require super fast load times. SSD prices are climbing due to the memory shortage, but HDD prices are staying stable. If you're planning to run some games from it, I'd stick with SSDs—but for storing movies and music, an HDD would be totally fine. You might also want to check if your laptop supports adding a second internal drive, as that could be a great option.
You might want to consider looking into M.2 enclosures, as those can give you great transfer speeds over USB 3.2.
Could you really notice the difference if the drive was internal vs external with a good enclosure?
Cool, so SSDs are the way to go for speed? What about HDDs?