I love my Xbox One but the one big issue I have with it is loading times. This is mainly due to the spinning hard drive1 inside and the huge amount of data it is expected to push for some of the bigger open world games like GTA V or The Witcher 3. In an effort to speed this up (and because the 500GB hard drive is almost full), I've upgraded my Xbox One with an external SSD2.
Process
18 Aug 2020 When running low on room for Xbox One games, an external hard drive is a must-buy accessory. Solid-state drives (SSD) are the premium option, upping your console's capacity while.
- XBOX One X SSD vs Internal HDD Load Times In this video I use a modern USB 3.0 SSD rated at 540/550MB/secComparing the Samsung T5 SSD load times against the.
- The move from HDD to SSD is easily one of the best upgrades consoles are getting this year, as SSDs are significantly faster than their disk-spinning counterparts. Even better, all four consoles.
The process is actually incredibly simple. You'll need the following two things:
An mSATA SSD that is at least 256GB in size. I went for a 256GB model from Transcend.
A USB 3.0 enclosure for the SSD. You'll want one that has UASP support like this one from ZTC. Do not get one from Sabrent3!
Once you have these, it's a simple case of plugging the SSD into the enclosure and attaching the USB cable. This leaves you with an incredibly small device which can then be plugged into any of the 3 USB 3.0 ports on the Xbox One:
As soon as you turn the Xbox One on, you'll be alerted that a new media device has been attached and given the option to format it for games and give it a name. When you have done this, you'll be able to copy games and apps by going to their individual storage settings and choosing the move option.
Results
I've only put 3 games on the SSD so far but they are all dramatically faster for loading and saving. I've put a few benchmarks below:
GTA V
This is by far my slowest game. Testing was from a cold startup (which automatically loads your previous save point) to the point at which the game was playable:
This is by far my slowest game. Testing was from a cold startup (which automatically loads your previous save point) to the point at which the game was playable:
- Internal HDD - 2 minutes 31 seconds
- External SSD - 1 minute 9 seconds
SSD produces a 60% reduction in loading time.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The first test was from a cold start to the opening menu.
- Internal HDD - 40s
- External SSD - 28s
SSD produces a 30% reduction in loading time (although that seemed to be as quick as it could go due to the logos and publisher videos at startup).
The second test was from resuming a game from the main menu.
- Internal HDD - 1 minute 21 seconds
- External SSD - 46 seconds
SSD produces a 57% reduction in loading time.
LEGO Jurassic World
For this test, I timed from the loading of the last save point on the main menu.
- Internal HDD - 37 seconds
- External HDD - 37 seconds
It looks like LEGO Jurassic World's loading sequence is limited to 37 seconds in order to show 3 pieces of dinosaur trivia at 12 seconds each. Playing through the game though, the time it takes to start a story and fast travel to new locations seems much faster.
Overall, it seems that the SSD offers around a 55-60% reduction in speed unless there is something specifically limiting the load time (i.e. videos or placeholder content). I'm planning on just using the external drive for single player games at the moment as there isn't much benefit in loading the Titanfall or Halo online textures any quicker when the limiting factor is the broadband connection along with everyone else. For me, the SSD option is definitely worth the cost for the big open world games that have a heavy loading time penalty when you die (looking at you GTA V) - it has also increased my overall storage space by 50% which is useful when some games are in the 100s of GB.
Gross! One day I'll look forward to telling my kids we used to store data on discs spinning at 7200rpm - it'll be baffling to them. ↩︎
As far as I'm aware, doing it internally would be slightly faster but would definitely invalidate any warranty! ↩︎
The first enclosure I got was the EC-UKMS from Sabrent which was advertised as having UASP. It doesn't and led to a 70% decrease in speed over the internal HDD with a load time of over 4 minutes for GTA V! This is the first product I've actually left a review for on Amazon as the title and images are blatent lies. ↩︎
Summary :
Decide to upgrade your Xbox One storage by using an external hard drive? Which one is the best Xbox One external hard drive: SSD or HDD? This is depending on your actual needs. Read this post to learn much information about SSD VS HDD for Xbox One storage.
It's Necessary to Upgrade Xbox One Storage
As is well known, Xbox One is a line of eighth generation home video game consoles developed by Microsoft, which comes with 500GB storage as standard.
When first getting your console, you may think 500GB seems like plenty. But with a number of games are installed, that 500GB hard drive will soon fill up. Besides, it is disgusting to delete games to make space for new ones, especially when games for a big size take a long time to download over a standard Wi-Fi connection.
Therefore, you may choose to upgrade your Xbox One storage capacity. To do this work, an external hard drive is the best choice. With the console's internal hard drive built-in firmly, it supports for external USB 3.0 drives, which makes for an easy plug-and-play solution.
Well then, SSD VS HDD: which one should be used for Xbox One external hard drive? Keep reading to get the answer.
HDD VS SSD, Which One to Use?
What's Difference between HDD and SSD
For hard disk drives (HDDs), they are traditional storage solutions and commonly present in entry-level PCs, game consoles and other low-cost devices. Data is saved on a spinning disk inside and its transfer speeds are determined by the revolutions per minute.
As to solid-state drives (SSDs), they are rapidly becoming the preferred alternative with its superior technology. Since they don't have moving parts, SSDs can offer improved performance and faster boot times although the price is significantly higher. Besides, they generally have fewer hardware issues and run quieter.
Even so, HDDs are still appealing to most Xbox One users since they are at a lower price than SSDs. What's more, these hard drives also commonly offer you choices for higher capacities, including 4TB, 8TB, even 16TB.
Should You Buy an HDD or SSD?
Ssd Drives For Xbox One
For most Xbox One customers, an HDD offers excellent cost performance and makes storage beyond the base configuration. Although you miss the benefits of faster drives, you still get strong performance and more space for games.
Xbox One External Hard Drive Ssd Vs Hdd
But if you have the highest requirements for the console, you can choose an SSD since it offers you fast speed and you can experience reduced load times across all games.
What's the difference between solid-state drive and hard drive? Which one to use for your PC? Read this post to learn more on SSD VS HDD now.
Best External Ssd For Xbox One
Choose a Proper External Hard Drive for Xbox One
If you want to expand your Xbox One storage for cheap, there are a range of Xbox-compatible HDDs available. For example, Toshiba 1TB Canvio Basics drive or WD 2TB Elements portable external hard drive. For an SSD, you can choose Samsung T5 Portable SSD or Seagate Game Drive Xbox SSD.
After choosing an external drive, you can plug it to your Xbox One into the USB 3.0 port, then you will get a message to tell you the drive has been connected. To store games on it, you need to format this external hard drive. Later, you can enjoy the new drive.
Final Words
In this post, we show you some information about Xbox One external hard drive. HDD VS SSD, you know HDD is cheaper, offers good load times and larger capacities available but isn't as fast as SSD and it is more fragile. SSD offers faster load times and is quiet but expensive. Thus, please choose a proper external hard drive based on your actual needs.
