In times when game clients often contain 100 GB or more, storage space cannot be worth its weight in gold if you don't want to start a huge download every time, especially not on consoles whose internal storage space is very limited. An external hard drive is a great solution for archiving the huge clients and having them at hand at any time and on the go. Like the 6TB WD_Black P10 Game Drive.
The WD_Black P10 Game Drive, which is available in pink or black, is now available in various sizes, from 2TB to, more recently, 6TB. Given the ever-increasing file sizes of game clients, purchasing such an external drive is definitely an option if you don't want to download dozens of gigabytes over and over again. The 6TB version isn't that expensive either. The good piece is available in the store for 207.99 euros, but we have also seen street prices for under 200 euros.
The WD_Black P10 Game Drive is an external 2.5” hard drive in a housing. This is made of metal and is robustly made, the design is somewhat reminiscent of a freight container in simple black. The hard drive measures a total of 118 x 88 x 23 mm and weighs approx. 250 grams. The metal housing ensures good heat dissipation; the included dashboard tool did not show more than 45 degrees, even under load. Practical: There are four rubber feet on the bottom to prevent the device from slipping on the table. In addition to the connection, there is only an LED status display.
Inside is a WDC WD60NPZW-59C1LS0 with 6 TB and 4,800 revolutions per minute. The hard drive comes preformatted with exFAT. There is also a dashboard tool with which you can monitor data, temperature and speeds, but also carry out drive diagnostics or firmware updates. The operation is correspondingly uncomplicated. Connect, format if necessary and you're done.
According to the manufacturer, the hard drive delivers a read speed of 130 MB/s. This value is achieved on the PC without any problems and in some cases even slightly exceeded. Naturally, it's not quite as fast on a console, but 115-120 MB/s isn't a problem there either. This means that you can even play games that are still running on an HDD on your PC directly from the hard drive. PS4 or Xbox One games can also be started directly from the hard drive without any noticeable differences. Of course, on the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S you can only use the hard drive as a storage medium. The consoles each need the internal SSD for the games.
Moving the clients from the hard drive to the HDD is pretty quick. A typical game folder of around 100GB with files and archives of varying sizes took an average of around 15 to 20 minutes to copy to an internal SSD.
For anyone who plays a lot and always wants to have their game collection with them, the WD_Black P10 Game Drive is a great solution, especially for game consoles. On the PC you have to consider whether you want to use an external HDD like this or a faster but more expensive external SSD. The game drive is equipped with USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A on USB 3 Micro-B in a somewhat more old-fashioned way and completely dispenses with USB Type-C. Of course, Type-A and Micro-B are sufficient in terms of bandwidth for an HDD. But since there are more and more PCs and notebooks with Type-C ports, at least an adapter would have been a nice touch.
As a little extra, Western Digital offers a three-year warranty on the WD_Black P10 Game Drive.
Grab it when...... you need a lot of storage space for your game clients so that you can play on the go or not have to constantly start large downloads.
Save it if...... you have a PC or notebook, external SSDs with a USB-C port are more expensive, but a little more worthwhile in terms of performance.
Conclusion
Lots of space and good performance
With today's shortage, an external solution like the WD_Black P10 Game Drive 6TB is a welcome addition. For under 200 euros you get a high-performance, mobile and robust solution to have tons of your game clients at hand. PC games with HDD requirements or titles from the older PS4 and Xbox One consoles can also be played directly from the Game Drive without any noticeable losses. However, the drive is much more interesting for console gamers than for players with a modern PC or notebook. For them, an external SSD is more expensive, but ultimately more worthwhile in terms of performance. However, it's a shame that WD has completely dispensed with USB-C.
overview
Pro
- robust housing
- attractive optics
- good performance
- lots of space
- easy to handle
- practical dashboard tool
Contra
- no USB port/adapter
