{"id":22277,"date":"2023-04-24T18:51:54","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T16:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/g100.us\/?p=22277"},"modified":"2023-08-27T15:56:47","modified_gmt":"2023-08-27T13:56:47","slug":"internal-vs-external-ssds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/","title":{"rendered":"Internal vs. External SSDs \u2014 Differences and Which One to Choose"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_39 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">TABLE OF CONTENTS<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668452d6cde3c\" class=\"cssicon\"><span style=\"display: flex;align-items: center;width: 35px;height: 30px;justify-content: center;direction:ltr;\"><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #7f11e0;color:#7f11e0\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/label><label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668452d6cde3c\" class=\"cssiconcheckbox\">1<\/label><input type=\"checkbox\" id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-668452d6cde3c\" checked><nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 \"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Internal_SSDs\" title=\"Internal SSDs\">Internal SSDs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#External_SSDs\" title=\"External SSDs\">External SSDs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#What_Should_You_Get\" title=\"What Should You Get?\">What Should You Get?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Into_the_Weeds_-_What_Really_Separates_Internal_vs_External_SSDs\" title=\"Into the Weeds - What Really Separates Internal vs External SSDs\">Into the Weeds - What Really Separates Internal vs External SSDs<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#FAQ\" title=\"FAQ\">FAQ<\/a><ul class=\"ez-toc-list-level-3\"><li class=\"ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Can_You_Plug_External_SSDs_Into_Consoles\" title=\"Can You Plug External SSDs Into Consoles?\">Can You Plug External SSDs Into Consoles?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Are_External_SSDs_Slower_Than_Internal_SSDs\" title=\"Are External SSDs Slower Than Internal SSDs?\">Are External SSDs Slower Than Internal SSDs?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Are_External_SSDs_Safe_to_Use_While_Traveling\" title=\"Are External SSDs Safe to Use While Traveling?\">Are External SSDs Safe to Use While Traveling?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/internal-vs-external-ssds\/#Over_to_You\" title=\"Over to You\">Over to You<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>If you've ever gone to upgrade your storage, you've most likely stumbled upon different types of internal and external SSDs and wondered what the differences between them are.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22309\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22309\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22309 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"External vs Internal SSD\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22309\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-22309 size-full lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"External vs Internal SSD\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/External-vs-Internal-SSD.jpg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22309\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westerndigital.com\/products\/ssd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Western Digital<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n<p>Can you just choose whatever and still get the same performance and reliability? Or is one worse than the other?<\/p>\n<p>That's the question I'll be answering in this article!<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Internal_SSDs\"><\/span>Internal SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You've most likely seen hundreds of them. They're arguably the most prevalent SSD type between the two.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/what-to-upgrade-first-pc-performance\/\">Internal SSDs are one of the most important parts that one can get when it comes to any sort of computing device<\/a>. And the main two consumer internal SSD types are <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/nvme-vs-ssd\/\">SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22300\" style=\"width: 618px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22300\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22300\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds.jpeg\" alt=\"SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs\" width=\"618\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds.jpeg 618w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds-300x69.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22300\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22300 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20618%20143%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"SATA SSDs and NVMe SSDs\" width=\"618\" height=\"143\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20618%20143%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 618w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds.jpeg 618w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds-300x69.jpeg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/sata-ssds-and-nvme-ssds.jpeg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22300\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Samsung<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The main components that summarize an internal SSD are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>They can offer faster data transfer speeds than external SSDs\u2014depending on the interface.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They can be installed directly into your computer for a more permanent solution and are often more reliable.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They require you to open up your computer to install.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They can be less expensive than external SSDs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mostly used to store your Operating System and data of one particular device.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"External_SSDs\"><\/span>External SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to the combination of portability, storage, and speed, external SSDs are hard to beat.<\/p>\n<p>Whether you're a traveling nomad, a photographer, or someone that just needs some portable storage, you'll most likely have and use multiple of these in your busy life.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22301\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22301\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22301\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds.jpeg\" alt=\"Samsung External SSDs\" width=\"540\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds.jpeg 540w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds-300x136.jpeg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22301\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22301 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20540%20245%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Samsung External SSDs\" width=\"540\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20540%20245%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 540w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds.jpeg 540w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds-300x136.jpeg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/samsung-external-ssds.jpeg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22301\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Samsung<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The main components that summarize an external SSD are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>They can easily be plugged into your computer or any supporting device for use as storage.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They can have their transfer speeds limited by your device not supporting their interface.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They can be more expensive than internal SSDs.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>They are much easier to quickly unplug &amp; transport with you.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Mostly used to move data back and forth between devices. Not recommended for installing Operating Systems.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Should_You_Get\"><\/span>What Should You Get?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to any sort of set-it-and-forget-it solution, internal SSDs are almost always the right choice.<\/p>\n<p>Compared to the wires and potential fall risk that you have to deal with when it comes to external SSDs, your SSD being <em>inside<\/em> the device you're using is generally safer.<\/p>\n<p>This isn't to say external SSDs are fragile; it's just that by their very nature, they're more prone to accidental bumps and falls. And when it comes to your valuable data, it's better to be safe than sorry.<\/p>\n<p>Internal SSDs can also be somewhat cheaper than external SSDs because it's just an SSD and nothing else; they don't come with any special case, wires or interface electronics that can hike its price\u2014unlike external SSDs that do.<\/p>\n<p>However, in practice, the difference is minimal. There's generally at most a $10 - $20 difference between an internal SSD (at a specific capacity) and its external counterpart.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22302\" style=\"width: 1771px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22302\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22302\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5.png\" alt=\"Internal SSD and External SSD price difference\" width=\"1771\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5.png 1771w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-1024x481.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-768x361.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-1536x722.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1771px) 100vw, 1771px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22302\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22302 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201771%20832%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Internal SSD and External SSD price difference\" width=\"1771\" height=\"832\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201771%20832%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1771w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1771px) 100vw, 1771px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5.png 1771w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-1024x481.png 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-768x361.png 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5-1536x722.png 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-and-external-ssd-price-difference-5.png\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22302\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Amazon<\/p><\/div>\n<p>But when it comes to the speed of an SSD, it's harder to say that one is better than the other.<\/p>\n<p>Generally speaking, an internal SSD always has the <em>potential<\/em> to be much faster than any external SSD. However, that <em>does not<\/em> mean that all internal SSDs are faster than external ones.<\/p>\n<p>For example, a 2.5&#8243; internal <strong>SATA<\/strong> SSD would have a maximum read\/write speed of 550 MB\/s. This is because that's the maximum speed that the <strong>SATA 3 interface<\/strong> standard supports.<\/p>\n<p>But a 2.5&#8243; external SSD can potentially have speeds far above that because they can use a faster interface standard like <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/all-usb-ports-explained\/\">USB 3.2 Gen 2&#215;2<\/a> or Thunderbolt.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_22303\" style=\"width: 1226px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22303\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22303\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed.jpeg\" alt=\"Internal SSD vs External SSD speed\" width=\"1226\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed.jpeg 1226w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-300x85.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-1024x291.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-768x218.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1226px) 100vw, 1226px\"><\/noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-22303\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-border wp-image-22303 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201226%20348%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Internal SSD vs External SSD speed\" width=\"1226\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%201226%20348%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 1226w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1226px) 100vw, 1226px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed.jpeg 1226w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-300x85.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-1024x291.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed-768x218.jpeg 768w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/internal-ssd-vs-external-ssd-speed.jpeg\"><p id=\"caption-attachment-22303\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: Samsung<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>However<\/em>, if you were to compare any external SSD to <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-nvme-ssds\/\">higher-end NVMe internal SSDs<\/a>, the internal SSDs will almost always come out on top.<\/p>\n<p>But that's assuming you even have a motherboard that supports your internal (M.2) NVMe SSD.<\/p>\n<p>And as long as we're on the topic of the <em>receiving device<\/em> supporting whatever SSD you choose, it'd be unfair to internal SSDs if I don't talk about the fact that unless you have a device that also supports USB 3.2 Gen 2&#215;2 or Thunderbolt, your external SSD will be running at far slower speeds as well.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you only have USB 3.0 ports available, the max speeds you'll be able to achieve will be around 600 MB\/s, which is about what an internal SATA SSD can do. That's not exactly <em>slow<\/em>, but it is much slower than what you <em>could<\/em> be getting.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22310\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg\" alt=\"HDD vs SATA SSD vs PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22310 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"HDD vs SATA SSD vs PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/HDD-vs-SATA-SSD-vs-PCIe-4.0-NVMe-SSD.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>If you want more info about all the different interface options and whatnot, head on down to the next section.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, the gist of it is that:<\/p>\n<p><strong>If you need a more permanent storage solution with fast data transfer speeds and you don't shy away from opening up your device, then I'd suggest getting an NVMe internal SSD if your device supports it, or a SATA internal SSD if it doesn't.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>However, if you need a more <em>portable<\/em> storage solution, then an external SSD is the best choice. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And as long as you make sure that the interface standards between your SSD and device are the same, you'll get plenty of speed, too\u2014potentially even more so than what you would've gotten if you had gone with a SATA internal SSD.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Or if you want to eat your cake and have it too, you can get a 2.5&#8243; <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/best-m-2-pcie-adapters-for-nvme-ssds\/\">SSD enclosure<\/a> that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2&#215;2, Thunderbolt, or better, and put an internal SSD into it. That's my preferred method (but it needs some manual labor on your part).<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Into_the_Weeds_-_What_Really_Separates_Internal_vs_External_SSDs\"><\/span>Into the Weeds - What Really Separates Internal vs External SSDs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Regardless of how much storage or speeds an SSD might advertise, if your interface doesn't fully support it, it won't be useful.<\/p>\n<p>There are a lot of potential interfaces that an SSD\u2014regardless of whether it's internal or external\u2014can use to connect to a device. From <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/which-sata-ports\/\">SATA<\/a> to <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/benefit-m2-nvme-ssd\/\">M.2<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/all-usb-ports-explained\/\">USB<\/a> to Thunderbolt, they all have their unique quirks.<\/p>\n<p>So regardless of what <a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/ssd-types\/\">type of SSD<\/a> you go with, one of the most important questions you should ask is, &#8220;Will my device support this SSD, and if so, how well will it support it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As I've said above, many people have gotten confused when they get a fancy external SSD with transfer speeds over 1000 MB\/s, but when they used it with their device, they only got half or less.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming that there's no defect with the SSD, that's almost always due to interface-related bottlenecks.<\/p>\n<p>For example, if you plug in a USB 3.2 Gen 2&#215;2 external SSD into a device that only supports USB 3, you won't get the advertised speeds! It's the same with Thunderbolt external SSDs.<\/p>\n<p>And with internal SSDs, if you plug in a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD into a motherboard that only supports PCIe Gen 3, you'll get much slower speeds as well.<\/p>\n<p>SATA internal SSDs are a bit of an outlier here because, by this point, pretty much every motherboard made in the last 10 years can handle the maximum SATA speeds, and even USB 3 can do it just fine.<\/p>\n<p>So regardless of whether your SSD is internal or external if it's a SATA SSD, it will have about the same level of sequential read &amp; write performance across them all.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>So make sure all your interfaces are compatible. It's very important!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_You_Plug_External_SSDs_Into_Consoles\"><\/span>Can You Plug External SSDs Into Consoles?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. With modern consoles, pretty much any external SSD will work without issue.<\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22311\" src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg\" alt=\"PS5 NVMe Storage\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/noscript><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-22311 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"PS5 NVMe Storage\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%202048%201080%22%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1024x540.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-768x405.jpg 768w, https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage-1536x810.jpg 1536w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/media\/2023\/04\/PS5-NVMe-Storage.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>There are some external SSDs that are tailor-made for consoles even. Granted, the difference between one of those and a normal external SSD is almost always purely aesthetic.<\/p>\n<p>So it's up to you to pick what you want.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_External_SSDs_Slower_Than_Internal_SSDs\"><\/span>Are External SSDs Slower Than Internal SSDs?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Depending on what kind of internal SSD you're talking about, they can be slower.<\/p>\n<p>Generally, if it's a SATA internal SSD, most external SSDs will be faster than it.<\/p>\n<p>If it's an NVMe internal SSD, external SSDs can vary from being slower than it to being almost as fast as it. However, NVMe internal SSDs are generally faster still because they have less overhead due to being directly connected to the device.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Are_External_SSDs_Safe_to_Use_While_Traveling\"><\/span>Are External SSDs Safe to Use While Traveling?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. As long as you take decent care of it, external SSDs are perfectly safe to use while traveling.<\/p>\n<p>They're much sturdier than HDDs and their physical platter drives.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Over_to_You\"><\/span>Over to You<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong><em>Have any other questions about PC components? Feel free to ask us in the <a href=\"#comments\">comments<\/a> or our <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/g100.us\/forum\/\"><strong><em>forum<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you've ever gone to upgrade your storage, you've most likely stumbled upon different types of internal and external SSDs and wondered what the differences between them are. Can you just choose whatever and still get the same performance and reliability? Or is one worse than the other? That's the question I'll be answering in...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2343,"featured_media":22308,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[74],"tags":[121],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22277"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22277"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22313,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22277\/revisions\/22313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/g100.us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}