Can I get more disk space with an external harddrive?

[Richard I]

If I buy a hard drive online that plugs in through USB, could I install games to it? I can only install about 5 games at a time currently before it says my disk space is full.

[Schekelberg73 DiNase]

Yeah, you could install games on an external harddrive, however its not a really fast solution, upgrading your internal storage would be way better. Games take siginificantly longer to boot. However if you just install smaller and older games on it, it shouldnt be a problem. In the steam settings you can configure space on an external drive

[_I_]

if its a desktop, get a 2-4tb hdd, or 1-2tb sata ssd
most games are fine on a hdd, will be longer load times than ssd, but play just fine

[GOD RAYS ON ULTRA™]

It's much better to update your storage internally. This way you can take advantage of system performance, rather than be limited by the usb and troubled with extra cables or docks.

External storage is cumbersome, slow, expensive, can get stolen or lost. It has a risk of becoming unplugged or squished if pets and kids are around. I have one usb hard drive and I use it to move files around only. I would never run games from it. I would be afraid it would come unplugged or knocked over.

[plat]

Yes, I likewise have a salvaged HDD in a USB-connected enclosure. It's out in the open and although it's sitting on top of the case, there's always a remote chance of a freak accident, like a spill or falling off and having the innards of the encl. get yanked apart.

It's for bulk storage only--to transfer some files to and from--and then it's disconnected and put away. The transfer rate is far too slow for anything else. I support the earlier suggestion to look into internally-connected HDD or SSD. They're not too bad price-wise right now. For example, in my area a Seagate SkyHawk 2 TB SATA HDD @ 7200 rpm is 73 USD.

[Illusion of Progress]

plat eredeti hozzászólása:

They're not too bad price-wise right now. For example, in my area a Seagate SkyHawk 2 TB SATA HDD @ 7200 rpm is 73 USD.

Not too bad is an understatement! They're dropping nicely the past few years (as have SSDs), but that's not a great example. That's a pretty high price for 2 TB. Ideally (key words, I know), 2 TB should be "worth" ~$30-ish if SMR or maybe ~$50-ish if CMR. Now it probably won't be found that low because there's price floors due to costs other than the platter(s) so the 2 TB SMR Blue and Barracuda for examples tend to be closer to $45, but still $73 is about the price of a 4 TB SMR, and not far below the price of what a 4 TB CMR or 6 TB SMR drive should ideally be.

If you're spending $73 and want "not 5,400 RPM" and "not SMR", I'd recommend this. I know it's more expensive, but it makes spending almost the same on half the capacity hard to suggest.

https://www.newegg.com/seagate-ironwolf-pro-st4000ne001-4tb/p/N82E16822184797

It is CMR, too.

https://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/cmr-smr-list/

To be fair the above one seems like it's a good deal and not your every day find.

While maybe not both 7,200 RPM and CMR, another example is that 8 TB drives are too close to approaching just above (or sometimes at if SMR and on sales) the $100 mark that 4 TB to 6 TB used to/does occupy, and some CMR options are close. I'm needing more storage and was pleased to find how cheap this is. It's not 7,200 RPM (doesn't matter for storage) but it is CMR.

https://www.newegg.com/blue-wd80eazz-8tb/p/N82E16822234496?Item=N82E16822234496

Western Digital doesn't have a page devoted to it like Seagate, but they do still list it in the details[www.westerndigital.com]

Recording Technology
CMR: WD5000AZLX, WD5000AZRZ, WD10EZEX, WD10EZRZ, WD20EZRZ, WD30EZRZ, WD40EZRZ, WD80EAZZ
SMR: WD20EZAZ, WD20EZBX, WD30EZAZ, WD40EZAZ, WD60EZAZ

Usually with Western Digital Blues, "EZRZ" is CMR and "EZAZ" is SMR, but there was no 8 TB Blue until recently and it's possibly confusingly using an "EAZZ" extension so don't confuse it for an SMR. No idea what's up with the unusual 5,640 RPM it uses buy hey, it's (marginally) better than 5,400 RPM I guess.

Sorry if it seems like I'm nitpicking you. I don't mean to. Your message is absolutely right, but I wanted to highlight just how right your message was by showing some better examples. It's mostly that 2 TB just hasn't been in a good value spot for HDDs for a while (which is a good thing, the price keeps improving for them).

[Richard I]

I guess I should've been more specific, I have a laptop. I didn't think updating my internal storage was an option.

[_I_]

you can replace its internal drive, just need to backup anything important, and reinstall the os on it

or it may have a 2nd internal drive slot
look up the laptop specs to see what it supports

[Richard I]

_I_ eredeti hozzászólása:

you can replace its internal drive, just need to backup anything important, and reinstall the os on it

or it may have a 2nd internal drive slot
look up the laptop specs to see what it supports

I just found out why I can't install much.

Watching a video on a guy upgrading my exact laptop, it only has 256gb SSD with it, definitely going to be upgrading it.

[Richard I]

ALSO: If I put an HDD and an SSD in there, can I choose where things install to before I install them? I would want my games on the SSD and everything else on the HDD.

[humboldt]

GR1FF eredeti hozzászólása:

If I buy a hard drive online that plugs in through USB, could I install games to it? I can only install about 5 games at a time currently before it says my disk space is full.

if you have a sata adapter left on your mainboard, prefer an internal ssd. they are a lot faster than usb slot hdd/ssd. i suggest sandisk, because they have good prices and belong to western digital. a ssd has ca. 500 mb/s read and write speed and usb ca 150 mb/sec. avoid external dirves. when you have no sata connector left on your mainboard, choose an external ssd/hdd.

[Obsessive Power]

GR1FF eredeti hozzászólása:

ALSO: If I put an HDD and an SSD in there, can I choose where things install to before I install them?

Yes, you can install games and apps to whatever drive you like.

[shtaklef]

it's not recommended to install games on an external hard disk and it will fail faster if you do that because you will be overusing it. it is much better if you upgrade the hard disk of your pc and you get a bigger capacity hard disk

[_I_]

you can make a steam library on each drive (or partition)
and move them using steam client library management

[Illusion of Progress]

GR1FF eredeti hozzászólása:

I guess I should've been more specific, I have a laptop. I didn't think updating my internal storage was an option.

Many "newer" and sometimes lower end ones use soldered storage so sometimes you can't change and/or add storage, but we'd need to know what you have to confirm.

At worst, it's poissibly got some eMMC storage soldered on and no additional internal ports.

At worst, it's only got one port, which would therefore be presently occupied. You will need to reinstall the OS and backup what you want to carry over (if not already), but you can change it. Would need to see if it takes SATA or M2.

At best, the above but it takes multiple drives so you have the choice of whether to move the OS to the new drive (often recommended if it's faster anyway, but when going from SSD to SSD not inherently necessary if you're that averse to reinstalling).

[Richard I]

Illusion of Progress eredeti hozzászólása:

GR1FF eredeti hozzászólása:

I guess I should've been more specific, I have a laptop. I didn't think updating my internal storage was an option.

Many "newer" and sometimes lower end ones use soldered storage so sometimes you can't change and/or add storage, but we'd need to know what you have to confirm.

At worst, it's poissibly got some eMMC storage soldered on and no additional internal ports.

At worst, it's only got one port, which would therefore be presently occupied. You will need to reinstall the OS and backup what you want to carry over (if not already), but you can change it. Would need to see if it takes SATA or M2.

At best, the above but it takes multiple drives so you have the choice of whether to move the OS to the new drive (often recommended if it's faster anyway, but when going from SSD to SSD not inherently necessary if you're that averse to reinstalling).

I watched a video with what I'm 99% sure is my model laptop, same specs and looks the exact same.
The guy took it apart and it looks like there is a spot for a 2.5" hdd or ssd, and a spot for a ram stick. So I might just order an hdd or ssd. Not sure which though. I don't want half of my computer running fast and half running slow, but I don't know.