External Storage for Consoles: SSDs, HDDs, and Speed

With the increasing size of AAA games, console internal storage (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S) quickly becomes insufficient. External storage is the most practical solution, but it is crucial to understand the differences between available technologies (SSD and HDD) and how speed affects your gaming experience.

1. SSD vs. HDD: The Critical Difference in the New Generation

The new generation of consoles uses custom SSDs (Solid State Drives) that are significantly faster than traditional HDDs (Hard Disk Drives).

HDD (Hard Drive): The most economical option for mass storage. However, due to its mechanical nature, read and write speeds are low. On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, an external HDD can only be used to store next-gen games, not play them directly. They are excellent for previous-generation games (PS4, Xbox One).
External SSD (USB): Offers higher speeds but is generally used only to store and play previous-generation titles. It is not fast enough to meet the bandwidth requirements for native PS5/Xbox Series X games.
Internal/Dedicated Expansion (M.2 NVMe or Expansion Card): The only solution that meets next-gen console speed requirements. For PS5, an M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD with strict speed and cooling specifications is required. For Xbox Series X|S, a proprietary Expansion Card is used. This option allows direct gameplay of next-gen titles. For a deeper analysis, see the article on SSDs and NVMe.

The difference in disk architecture and the impact on loading times are detailed in our article on Differences Between NVMe SSD, SATA SSD, and HDD.

2. Advantages of Storage Expansion

Expansion is essential not only to have more space but to ensure games run as intended by developers. Lack of space can also impact the console's ability to manage updates and sometimes its Preventive Maintenance.