Peripherals · Buying Guide
The Best External SSDs
Check which USB speed your computer supports first; a 2,000MB/s or 4,000MB/s drive only reaches its rating on a matching port.
12 min read
Peripherals
External Storage
External drive speed is capped by the port it plugs into. These guides compare portable SSDs, hard drives and flash drives by speed, capacity and device support.
49 buying guides and 2 explainers.
What to check first
- 01
USB port speed on your PC or console (USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB4, Thunderbolt)
- 02
Console or Mac support if you need it
- 03
Capacity against your backup or game library
Start here
- Portable SSD vs external hard drive: which one for backups, games and carrying files
Decide whether bulk backup capacity or fast, shock-tolerant storage is the better fit for how you use an external drive.
- USB speed names decoded for external SSDs: USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB4 and Thunderbolt
Match a portable SSD to a port and cable that can actually deliver its speed, and know which names mean the same thing.
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