Question Using external SSD drive via USB 3.0 for gaming, is it worth it?

[Gordon hawking]

So most games today require SSD (like recently Alan Wake 2 or Hogwarts Legacy) to load assetts fast enough while also taking loads of space.

And here is my current conundrum. When I bough PC 4 years ago, I was not thinking that far ahead and went only with 500 GB ssd and 2 TB hdd, thinking that 500 GB is enough for few games here and there that will really need the ssd. What I ended up with is now I have huge hdd that simply is not up to snuff in modern games and small ssd to juggle few games between. My case layout does not allow for any more internal drives, so either I throw away the hdd and buy internal ssd or go for external.

And here comes my question, is external via usb 3 good enough, or will I suffer and end up having to buy internal ssd later down the line anyways?

 

[rgd1101]

what the case? motherboard?

 

[Moonstick2]

Of course, if your motherboard has an M.2 slot, you can put an M.2 drive in there and still keep the 2.5" drives. Otherwise...

If you bought an external SSD, then what would you use your internal HDD for, really?

External SSD vs internal SSD...usually a bit more expensive all else being equal (but not much), speed can be comparable but then again can be affected by things like cable length and which port you choose to use.

Basically external always has the potential to be not quite as good as internal, but the trade off is portability. Unless you desperately need to keep the 2 TB HDD for some reason, I'd bite the bullet and just replace it.

 

[Bob.B]

So most games today require SSD (like recently Alan Wake 2 or Hogwarts Legacy) to load assetts fast enough while also taking loads of space.

And here is my current conundrum. When I bough PC 4 years ago, I was not thinking that far ahead and went only with 500 GB ssd and 2 TB hdd, thinking that 500 GB is enough for few games here and there that will really need the ssd. What I ended up with is now I have huge hdd that simply is not up to snuff in modern games and small ssd to juggle few games between. My case layout does not allow for any more internal drives, so either I throw away the hdd and buy internal ssd or go for external.

And here comes my question, is external via usb 3 good enough, or will I suffer and end up having to buy internal ssd later down the line anyways?

Get an internal ssd and use the hdd for ext backup.

 

[geofelt]

External ssd via usb is going to be hampered by USB speed and possibly by ssd speed.
Buy a sufficiently large 2.5" ssd. A 2TB SAMSUNG 870 EVO IS ABOUT $130.
Clone the 500gb ssd to it. The samsung ssd migration aid does a good job of moving your C drive.
Alternatively clone the HDD to the SSD.
If you do not have attachment capability within the case, use an external usb to sata adapter.

Repurpose the 2tb hdd for external backup.
If you care about anything inn your pc, you need EXTERNAL backup.

 

[SkyNetRising]

My case layout does not allow for any more internal drives, so either I throw away the hdd and buy internal ssd or go for external.

Can you show photos of your system (from both sides) with side panels removed?
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

What is model name of your motherboard.
Find model name with CPU-Z - motherboard section.
Also list model names of your current storage devices.

And here comes my question, is external via usb 3 good enough, or will I suffer and end up having to buy internal ssd later down the line anyways?

There should be ways to add another internal SSD.
Provide info requested above, to receive any appropriate suggestions.