Unlock Portable Gaming Freedom: Using External SSDs for Steam Games

Tired of uninstalling games to make room for new ones? What if you could carry your entire Steam library in your pocket? With the increasing size of modern games, managing storage space can be a real headache for PC gamers. Fortunately, the Steam client offers a surprisingly simple solution: using external SSDs for Steam games. This article explores the benefits, limitations, and best practices for leveraging portable SSD storage to enhance your PC gaming experience.

Why Use an External SSD for Steam Games?

The Steam client has evolved significantly, offering flexibility in managing game files, including installations on external drives. It’s as easy as connecting your drive and adding it as a library within Steam’s settings. But what advantages does this approach offer?

Portable Gaming: Your Library, Anywhere

One of the biggest advantages of using a portable SSD is the ability to move your game library between multiple gaming devices. Do you have a gaming laptop and a handheld PC? Simply unplug the SSD from one and plug it into the other, and Steam will recognize your installed games. This is particularly useful for gamers who travel or have multiple gaming setups.

• Example: Imagine having Cyberpunk 2077 ready to play on your desktop at home, then seamlessly continuing your progress on your Steam Deck during your commute.

Giving New Life to Older SSDs

Many gamers have older SSDs lying around that may not be fast enough for use as internal drives in modern gaming rigs. These drives, including SATA SSDs and older PCIe NVMe drives, can still provide excellent performance when used as portable storage. They’re more than capable of saturating a USB port, offering a significant boost in loading times compared to traditional hard drives for many games.

A Welcome Speed Boost

The performance difference between SSDs and traditional hard drives is significant. External SSDs offer a substantial speed improvement over both internal and external mechanical drives.

• Data Transfer Rates:
  • Hard Drives (HDD): Typically range from 50-150 MB/s.
  • SATA SSD: Can reach up to 550 MB/s.
  • NVMe SSD (Internal): Can exceed 3,500 MB/s.
  • NVMe SSD (External via USB 3.1/3.2): Can reach 1,000 MB/s or higher.

This translates to faster loading times, reduced stuttering, and an overall smoother gaming experience. Even when connected via USB, an external SSD can provide a noticeable improvement over playing games directly from a mechanical hard drive. In fact, SATA SSDs run 4–5 times faster than spinning rust options.

Overcoming Storage Limitations

Modern games are massive, often exceeding 100GB in size. It’s easy to run out of internal storage space, even with a large SSD installed. Using an external SSD allows you to expand your storage capacity without needing to replace your internal drive. This is particularly beneficial for devices like MacBooks, which often have limited or non-upgradeable internal storage, and handheld PCs where upgrading the internal SSD can be tricky. The rise in open-world games requiring faster data streaming makes this all the more important.

• People Also Ask: What is the average size of a modern PC game?

Seamless Integration with Steam

Steam makes using external SSDs incredibly simple. The process is straightforward:

1. Connect the Drive: Plug your external SSD into your computer via USB.
2. Add a Library Folder: In Steam, go to Settings > Downloads > Steam Library Folders. Click the “+” button to add your external drive as a new library location.
3. Install Games: When installing a game, you can now select your external SSD as the installation destination.

Once the drive is set up as a Steam library, you can easily install, uninstall, and manage your games as if they were on your internal drive.

• People Also Ask: How do I add an external drive to Steam?

Game Portability: Play Anywhere, Anytime

The real magic happens when you want to play your games on a different computer. Simply eject the external drive, connect it to your other Steam PC, and add the library again in Steam settings. Steam will automatically recognize the games already installed on the drive (assuming they match the logged-in user’s license). You can even take your drive to a friend’s house and play your games directly from the external SSD without needing to re-download them.

Potential Trade-Offs and Considerations

While using an external SSD for Steam games offers numerous benefits, it’s important to be aware of the potential drawbacks:

Not All Games Are Created Equal

The performance benefit of an external SSD will vary depending on the game. Games designed for older hardware or those that don’t heavily rely on fast storage may not see a significant improvement. Conversely, games that require NVMe drives as a minimum requirement may experience performance issues when running on an external SSD, especially if it’s connected via a slower USB connection.

• Recommendation: Store games that specify an NVMe drive as a minimum requirement internally and older games externally.

Convenience and Aesthetics

Having an external drive connected can be less elegant and convenient than relying solely on internal storage. This is especially true for handheld PCs and laptops, where the external drive can add bulk and clutter.

USB Port Speed Matters

The performance of your external SSD is limited by the speed of the USB port to which it’s connected. Make sure your computer has a USB port that can handle the SSD’s data transfer rate. USB 3.1 (Gen 2) and USB 3.2 offer the best performance, while older USB 2.0 ports will severely bottleneck the SSD.

• USB Standards:
  • USB 2.0: Up to 480 Mbps (60 MB/s)
  • USB 3.0 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 / USB 3.2 Gen 1: Up to 5 Gbps (625 MB/s)
  • USB 3.1 Gen 2 / USB 3.2 Gen 2: Up to 10 Gbps (1250 MB/s)
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2×2: Up to 20 Gbps (2500 MB/s)
  • USB4: Up to 40 Gbps (5000 MB/s)

Enclosure Quality

If you’re using an external enclosure with a bare SSD, the quality of the enclosure can impact performance. Cheap enclosures may have poor thermal management or unreliable controllers, leading to stuttering or slow transfer speeds. It’s worth investing in a reputable enclosure to ensure optimal performance.

• People Also Ask: Which external SSD enclosure is best?

Western Digital 1TB MyPassport SSD Example

The WD 1TB My Passport is a portable external SSD with read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/s and 1000MB/s.

Conclusion: Embrace Portable Gaming

Using external SSDs for Steam games offers a compelling solution for managing storage space, enhancing performance, and enabling portable gaming. While there are some trade-offs to consider, the benefits often outweigh the drawbacks, especially for gamers with multiple devices or limited internal storage. By understanding the limitations and selecting the right hardware, you can unlock a new level of freedom and flexibility in your PC gaming experience. What do you think about using external SSDs for Steam? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

Sources & Further Reading:
Original article at www.howtogeek.com