We analyze a specialized external hard drive for gaming.
08/06/2022 09:00
One of the great manias that we video gamers have is to have a large number of titles downloaded on each of our devices, whether they are consoles or on our own PC. The classic “in case one day I want to play” has made a big dent in us, so much so that in most cases we end up running out of storage on the device in question, being forced to delete some of our most precious video games. Over the years, consoles and other devices have begun to have more space, a measure that companies implemented when seeing complaints from fans, but that ends up being insufficient because we always want more.
To solve this there are many formulas, but one of the most efficient is the use of portable hard driveswhich usually have a large amount of space, in addition to allowing us to take our video games from one place to another, in case we want to play our favorite titles on another PC.
Today we are here to analyze the WD Black P10, an external hard drive from the well-known Western Digital brand and which is especially indicated for use on Xbox consoles, although we already told you that use on PC is equally satisfactory. Next We tell you everything you need to know about this.
External Storage for Gaming: Best Hard Drives for Gaming
Technical specifications
| Storage space of up to 5TB, with intermediate models |
| Dimensions of 11.81 x 8.79 x 1.27 cm |
| Weight of approximately 140 grams |
| USB3.0 interface |
| Specified for Xbox consoles, although it can also be used on PC and other devices |
| hdd hard drive |
WD Black P10: perfect external hard drive for gaming
Before definitively starting to go into our experience using this hard drive, it is necessary to mention that we have tested it in different environments, having been used to play both on an Xbox Series and on a gaming PC, to see how it performed on both devices and thus compare the experiences of these.
Below we will explain what our experience has been in both environments, but we are going to start talking about the platform for which it is initially intended: Xbox brand consoles.
Good quality for last generation video games
We are going to talk about the elephant in the room because yes, as you have been able to see in the technical specifications we are facing an HDD hard drive, and as you may have guessed, this limits this a bit if we talk about the new generation of Xbox. In case you don’t know, new generation Xbox consoles (Xbox Series X|S) allow you to install last generation games on an external hard drive, but video games designed for the new generation can only be installed on the internal storage of the console or in the company’s own storage expansion.
This makes sense, given that new generation video games are designed to take advantage of the benefits of the SSD that the Xbox Series X|S has, and installing these on an HDD could break the experience. In addition, it is necessary to mention that the WD Black P10 is designed to be used on Xbox One consoles, with compatibility for the new generation of course (basically because in terms of software they are practically identical consoles and in terms of hardware it follows the same line) , but without allowing to install games of the new generation.
New generation games like Forza Horizon 5 on Xbox will not be able to install them on this hard drive.
Now if we talk about what you can do on this platform, I must say that the experience is very good. Yes, the loads are faster if you install these titles on the internal SSD of the console, but they do not become eternal as they did in previous generations, resulting in a really pleasant experience.
Finally, it is necessary to mention that when connecting this hard drive to the console, it will ask us to format them, something that is done in a moment and does not give much trouble, but you must keep one thing in mind if you later want to use it on PC. In my case, after this the PC could not recognize it 100%, appearing as a connected device but not allowing me to enter it or install anything on it. To fix this you will simply have to assign a letter to the device from one of the internal Windows tools. After this this will start to work like any external hard drive.
A great experience on PC
Now yes, we are going to talk about the other place where we have been testing it, also being the place where it has given us the best results and where we have been able to enjoy this hard drive the most.
To begin with, it is necessary to mention that we have tested it with several video games, from those that require a very powerful device to those that can be executed on practically any device. We even went so far as to install a video game that we had already tried on this same PC to test if the difference in terms of load was too exaggerated, especially considering that the PC we have used has a 512 GB SSD as internal storage.
In this case, I must say that there was a difference, something that is normal when going from an SSD to an HDD, but this is not as exaggerated as you might think. To give an example, when we tried it with Doom Eternal the load was quite fast, allowing us to put ourselves at the controls of the Doom Slayer in a few seconds. Furthermore, in this same case, we did not find really noticeable performance differences, allowing us to play with remarkable graphic quality and a high and stable FPS number.
In the case of the Xbox application it will not be very difficult to change the storage to install games.
Finally, it is necessary to mention that if you want you can also use this WD Black P10 as if it were a normal external hard drive, to save files of any kind, although in this case we could say that it would be wasting the power of the device, especially when there are cheaper options. and less powerful on the market. In this case I would recommend that it be used for both, since in most cases space will not be an issue, i.e. installing games but also saving files if necessary.
A minimalist and level design
The WD Black P10 has an amazing design that fits quite well with current Xbox consoles.
Finally, we need to talk about the design of this hard drive, and it managed to surprise me a lot in this regard. To get started, this is very sober and minimalistusing only black and white, which gives it a quite interesting touch and that manages to catch the eye.
On the more technical side, I must say that at certain times it ends up heating up and making noise when it works, but this only happened to me in the most powerful games and when it had been running for quite some time. Usually it is a fairly quiet hard drive and comfortable to usesomething that is especially surprising if we take into account the great power that this one has.
| In favor |
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| Against |
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| Conclusions | The WD Black P10 is a great external hard drive for gamers, which allows us to install a large number of video games on it, with commendable results. Of course, it is an HDD, so the titles that require an SSD, or any of the new generation of Xbox cannot be installed on it. Removing this inconvenience, this is totally recommended if you are looking for a good external hard drive that allows you to install your favorite titles. |
At the end of the day, we find ourselves with a hard drive that fulfills its purpose well: offering more storage space for those of us who want to have a large number of titles installed at the same time, what’s more, it not only fulfills this, but also manages to offer a great technical capacity despite being an HDD, something that hampers the possibilities of this devicebut what still doesn’t tarnish it.
This device has been tested Independent thanks to a transfer by the brand. The article contains purchase links for which Alpha Beta Play may receive a commission. join up to the channel of bargains of Alpha Beta Play to find out about the best deals before anyone else.