Best External SSD for Steam Deck [2024 New List]

Roxanne updated on Jul 01, 2024 to Knowledge Center | How-to Articles

This passage mainly talks about some information about the Steam Deck and the best external SSD for Steam Deck. You can read it if you are looking for the best external SSD for a Steam Deck.

In the age of ever-increasing game installation sizes, with dozens of gigabytes per game, gamers can't live without the best external SSD. This is a necessity for console gamers, especially given the limited storage available on Steam Deck, which expands your game library to large external SSDS, making it a practical solution.

Are you finding the best external SSD for Steam Deck? This passage will provide some options for external SSD for Steam Deck by comparing the pros and cons of these different brands. After reading this article, you can find an appropriate external SSD for your Steam Deck.

Overview of External SSD for Steam Deck

Firstly, this part will mainly talk about what is the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck was released on February 25, 2022, featuring a docked mode when connected to a monitor. Here is an official definition of the Steam Deck, and you can read on to learn more detailed information about it.

As a handheld gaming computer, the Steam Deck was developed by Valve. The device uses Valve's Linux distribution SteamOS, incorporating the namesake Steam storefront. Games for Microsoft Windows run through Valve's Proton compatibility layer. -By Wikipedia

After knowing about the definition of the Steam Deck, so why do we need an external SSD for the Steam Deck? Here are some reasons as follows:

  • If your Steam Deck has run out of storage, or you want an easy method to make your game library more portable. You need to choose an external SSD for your Steam Deck, which can provide a way to expand the storage without the hassles involved with installing a drive.
  • The second reason to choose an external SSD is that you can easily swap a portable external SSD between devices.
  • Besides, using an external SSD for your Steam Deck can potentially improve your gaming performance, especially if your internal storage is slow or full.

Therefore, choosing the best external SSD for your Steam Deck is crucial. Different brands of external SSD can meet different needs of users. But how do we choose the best external SSD for us? The next part will show you the answer.

Best External SSD for Steam Deck [Top 5 Checklist]

Currently, many different brands of external SSD for Steam Deck are on the market. As a result, users have many choices. But how should we choose the best one for our needs? You will find the answer. This part will mainly talk about five kinds of brands in the external SSD for Steam Deck from these aspects of the price, capacity, read and write speed, connection, pros, and cons.

Here are the five best external SSDs for Steam Deck as follows:

  1. Samsung SSD T7
  2. VectoTech Rapid
  3. Crucial X6 Portable SSD
  4. WD P50 Game Drive SSD
  5. Buffalo External SSD

1. Samsung SSD T7

The first brand of external SSD for Steam Deck is the Samsung SSD T7. The portable SSD T7 delivers users fast speeds and easy and reliable data storage for transferring large files. Storing critical business documents, games, or movies can give you speed and durability in a palm-sized package.

The below table shows you its price, pros and cons, and other specific information. After reading the table, you can learn more detailed information about Samsung SSD T7.

Price
  • $69.31-$79.99
Capacity
  • 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Speed
  • Reads up to 1,050 MB/s, Writes up to 1,000 MB/s
Connectivity Technology
  • Wi-Fi
Compatible Devices
  • Laptop, Gaming Console, Television, Smartphone
Pros
  • Tiny size
  • Durable construction
  • Transfers file nearly 9.5x faster than an external hard disk drive
Cons
  • Requires USB 3.2 for max performance
  • Only short cables included
  • No DRAM cache

After learning about the above features of the Samsung SSD T7, you can read on if you want to find an external SSD with a larger capacity.

You may be interested in the following:

Best SSD for Backup Update Steam Deck SSD

2. VectoTech Rapid

The second brand of external SSD for Steam Deck is the VectoTech Rapid. VectoTech Rapid Portable SSD can give users faster data transfer speeds than conventional spinning HDDs. It can save time moving or copying your photos, videos, documents, music, etc. So Rapid SSD is suitable for photographers, videographers, gamers, DJs, and any other users in need of a backup.

What are the pros and cons of VectoTech Rapid? You can find the answer in this table.

Price
  • $78.99-$649
Capacity
  • 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB
Speed
  • Read/Write speeds of up to 540MB/s
Connectivity Technology
  • USB, Thunderbolt
Compatible Devices
  • Game Console
Pros
  • Transfers conveniently large files, 4K videos, and high-end gaming in seconds
Cons
  • Expensive
  • The disc slides around quite easily on smooth surfaces

The above table gives detailed information about the VectoTech Rapid, and if you think it is a little expensive considering your budget, you can read on to find a more suitable external SSD for you.

3. Crucial X6 Portable SSD

The third brand of external SSD for Steam Deck is the Crucial X6 Portable SSD. With up to 4TB capacity, it will fit a lot of photo libraries, files, games, and movie collections.

After reading the table, you can learn more detailed information about Crucial X6 Portable SSD.

Price
  • $49.99-$269.47
Capacity
  • 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
Speed
  • Read speeds up to 800MB/s
Connectivity Technology
  • USB
Compatible Devices
  • Smartphone, Laptop, Gaming Console, Desktop, Tablet
Pros
  • It is highly portable and compatible with nearly any host with a USB port
  • Transfers file nearly 5.6x faster than most hard drives
Cons
  • Lacks an activity light
  • Lacks hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption

After learning about the above features of the Crucial X6 Portable SSD, it is believed that this one can meet lots of users' needs. If you want to know more about brands, you can read on.

4. WD P50 Game Drive SSD

The fourth brand of external SSD for Steam Deck is the WD P50 Game Drive SSD. With up to 2TB of capacity, you don't need to keep clearing space on your PC or console for the next big title. Besides, the shock-resistant portable form factor allows you to access your game library anytime, anywhere quickly.

Have you ever used this brand? How much do you know about the WD P50 Game Drive SSD? This table will show you some specific WD P50 Game Drive SSD features.

Price
  • $129.99-$349.98
Capacity
  • 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Speed
  • Read speeds up to 2000MB/s
Connectivity Technology
  • USB
Compatible Devices
  • Laptop, Gaming Console, Desktop
Pros
  • Five-year warranty
  • Durable, shock-resistant enclosure
  • Decrease load screen times and let users into the game faster
Cons
  • Expensive
  • A bit bulky
  • Gen 2x2 ports are uncommon (though the drive is backward-compatible)

According to the table, you can know that WD P50 Game Drive SSD can also have different compatible devices, such as laptops, gaming consoles, and desktops. But if you hope it can support the tablet PC, it is believed that the following brand will be suitable for you.

You may want to know the following:

5. Buffalo External SSD

The last brand of external SSD for Steam Deck is the Buffalo External SSD introduced by this passage. This SSD is built to handle multitasking, such as rendering videos and backing up storage at the same time. At the same time, this SSD is equipped with a USB 3.2 Type-A connector and also includes a USB Type-C connector.

Buffalo is very famous all around the world. In this table, you will learn about the price, capacity, read and write speed, connection, pros, and cons of Buffalo External SSD.

Price
  • $44.99-$119.99
Capacity
  • 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Speed
  • 340 MB/s read and 320 Mb/s write speeds
Connectivity Technology
  • USB-A, USB-C
Compatible Devices
  • Tablet PC, Game Console, Laptop, Desktop
Pros
  • Quickly replicate your big data
  • Small, Durable, Reliable – Shockproof, the rugged design offers drop protection
  • Easy to carry data in your pocket
Cons
  • Low PCMark 10 storage score
  • Registration requires for the third year of warranty coverage

After learning about the detailed information of the Buffalo External SSD, it is believed that you have a general master of the above five brands' price, capacity, speed, compatible devices, pros, and cons.

But how do you choose the best external SSD for you? You can read the next part.

Further Reading: Install Windows on Steam Deck

Which Is the Best External SSD for Steam Deck

After learning about the above five best external SSDs for Steam Deck, now you may be struggling to decide which external SSD to use for your Steam Deck. This part will tell you how to choose the best brand for you.

Since each brand has its own advantages and disadvantages, it can only be decided which brand to choose according to everyone's needs.

  • If you have high requirements for external SSD capacity, you are advised to choose VectoTech Rapid.
  • But if you need to consider your own budget and do not have a large capacity requirement, Buffalo External SSD is the best choice for you.
  • If you are a Steam Deck player and a PC gamer, then Samsung SSD T7, Crucial X6 Portable SSD, WD P50 Game Drive SSD, and Buffalo External SSD are perfect for you, regardless of budget.
  • If you have high expectations for the game experience, the WD P50 Game Drive SSD with the fastest read speed is believed to be the most suitable external SSD for your Steam Deck.

Conclusion

After reading this passage, it is believed that you have understood what the Steam Deck is, the five kinds of brands for the best external SSDs for Steam Deck, and which one is the best external SSD for your Steam Deck.

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