I have been testing a few options for adding external storage to devices. During each of my reviews, part of my test was to ensure it worked on my Xbox One. I decided to pull together a post focused on some of my thoughts and information specific to adding storage to the Xbox One.
Just to be clear, if you are just looking for the easy option of going to the store and buying an external USB drive this page really isn't for you. However if you want flexibility on how you approach adding storage, then keep reading for information and a few options.
Why add storage
Some users may be wondering why they would need to even consider adding storage to their Xbox One. Here are a few of the scenarios that would provide benefit:
1) Multiple consoles in the same house could use drives to copy games, such as digital downloads, between consoles. As an example, copying GTA V took just under 20 minutes and unless you have some crazy fast internet it would take much longer than that to download the 40GB of data.
2) Many games take up a good amount of your storage. As an example, Assassin's Creed Unity, Forza 5, NBA 2K15, and GTA V all take up just over 40GB each. The 500GB console actually only has about 360GB of usable space (the rest is reserved by the system). After 9 of those 40GB games you are going to run out of space.
3) If you often play on multiple consoles (friends house for example) it would be good to carry your favorite games with you, to avoid having to wait for installs/updates. The drives can move between consoles with no problem.
Hard drive choice
This is where you start having to make choices. Per Microsoft, an external drive must support USB 3.0 and have a capacity of 256GB or more. The USB 3.0 aspect will be addressed in the connectivity options.
Based on my own research, you are going to get more storage capacity from a larger 3.5" SATA drive than you will a 2.5" SATA drive for the same cost. As an example, you can purchase a WD Black 500GB (2.5" SATA) for around $50, and for about the same cost you can get a WD Blue 1TB (3.5" SATA) drive. In addition to cost, you will want to consider how portable the drive is if that is an important factor. I already had a 3.5" SATA drive, so I purchased 2.5" SATA drive so I would have both options available for my reviews of the options.
When you are considering hard drives, you can get a bit creative here. You may decide to upgrade an existing computer (desktop/laptop) to a larger drive and then use the older drive in one of the options below.
Why add storage
Some users may be wondering why they would need to even consider adding storage to their Xbox One. Here are a few of the scenarios that would provide benefit:
1) Multiple consoles in the same house could use drives to copy games, such as digital downloads, between consoles. As an example, copying GTA V took just under 20 minutes and unless you have some crazy fast internet it would take much longer than that to download the 40GB of data.
2) Many games take up a good amount of your storage. As an example, Assassin's Creed Unity, Forza 5, NBA 2K15, and GTA V all take up just over 40GB each. The 500GB console actually only has about 360GB of usable space (the rest is reserved by the system). After 9 of those 40GB games you are going to run out of space.
3) If you often play on multiple consoles (friends house for example) it would be good to carry your favorite games with you, to avoid having to wait for installs/updates. The drives can move between consoles with no problem.
Hard drive choice
 |
| Left : 2.5" SATA drive sitting on Inateck dock Right : 3.5" SATA drive |
Based on my own research, you are going to get more storage capacity from a larger 3.5" SATA drive than you will a 2.5" SATA drive for the same cost. As an example, you can purchase a WD Black 500GB (2.5" SATA) for around $50, and for about the same cost you can get a WD Blue 1TB (3.5" SATA) drive. In addition to cost, you will want to consider how portable the drive is if that is an important factor. I already had a 3.5" SATA drive, so I purchased 2.5" SATA drive so I would have both options available for my reviews of the options.
When you are considering hard drives, you can get a bit creative here. You may decide to upgrade an existing computer (desktop/laptop) to a larger drive and then use the older drive in one of the options below.
Options to connect the Hard drive to the Xbox One
Below are the options I tested, and my thoughts on pros/cons specific to them being used for external storage on the Xbox One. You would need to consider how you plan to use the external storage device to help determine which option works best for you.
Option 1 : Inateck USB 3.0 to IDE + SATA Converter (Model UA2001) |
| Inateck UA2001 with 3.5" SATA drive on top of Xbox One |
Description: This adapter supports SATA and IDE drives. I would recommend this for someone who is only going to use the adapter on the Xbox One for temporary reasons, and plans to use the adapter for other purposes also.
My full review: http://bigboystoys13.blogspot.com/2014/11/inateck-usb-30-to-ide-sata-converter.html
Pros:
- Support both 2.5" and 3.5" drives connected using IDE and SATA, giving flexibility in what drive you choose.
- For someone who is computer guru, this gives them a useful adapter for other purposes than just the Xbox One
Cons:
- Visually, the cables and bare drive wouldn't really look good on an entertainment center
Option 2 : Inateck USB 3.0 HDD Docking Station (Model FD1006)
 |
| Inateck FD1006 with 3.5" SATA drive on top of Xbox One |
Description: This HDD docking station holds the drive in a horizontal position, however if you prefer a vertical "top loading" dock Inateck has those also. I would recommend this for someone looking to add storage, but does not plan to move the dock itself around often.
My full review: http://bigboystoys13.blogspot.com/2014/11/inateck-fd1006-usb-30-hdd-docking.html
Pros:
- Support both 2.5" and 3.5" drives, giving flexibility in what drive you choose.
- Easy to swap drives so you can have multiple drives (one for all your shooters, etc)
- Can use a dock on multiple consoles to move games around with just one hard drive
Cons:
- Larger size makes this less portable
Option 3 : Inateck FE2005 USB 3.0 HDD Tool Free External Enclosure (Model FE2005)
 |
| Inateck FE2005 on top of Xbox One |
Description: This HDD enclosure supports 2.5" SATA drives. I would recommend this for anyone who considers portability an important factor.
My full review: http://bigboystoys13.blogspot.com/2014/11/inateck-fe2005-usb-30-hdd-tool-free.html
Pros:
- No extra power adapter required
- Very portable
Cons:
- Only supports 2.5" SATA drives
- Since this is USB powered, may run into issues with 7200 RPM drives power requirement so do the research
Overall, these are just some of the options I have tested. I would recommend anyone looking to add storage puts some thought into how exactly they plan to use the extra storage, and how often they may be moving data between systems. Once you have that figured out, start to research drive options and prices.
Thanks to the support of Inateck, I am doing a giveaway of one of the adapters above!
( Giveaway is over )
Update: I have reviewed two other devices that also work with the Xbox One:
Inateck FE2007 : http://bigboystoys13.blogspot.com/2015/05/inateck-usb-30-hdd-enclosure-3-port-hub.html
Inateck FE3001 : http://bigboystoys13.blogspot.com/2015/05/inateck-25-35-inch-hdd-usb-30-external.html
No comments:
Post a Comment