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6 of the Best SSDs for Xbox One, PS4 and Mac

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When it comes to external storage, solid-state drives (SSDs) are arguably your best option. They are significantly more expensive than hard disk drives (HDDs) but are also significantly better, which warrants the price tag. This is not to say that HDDs are bad; however, if you’re going to invest in external storage, then you might as well pick the best option.

We’ve narrowed down the field of external SSDs for Mac computers, Xbox One and PS4 consoles. We have chosen the best overall picks as well as cheaper options for those of you who are on a bit of a budget. Let’s get started helping you select the best external SSD for your needs.

Best External SSDs for Xbox One

Seagate Game Drive for Xbox

Price on Amazon: $99.99

A hundred bucks might seem like a steep price to pay, but the Seagate Game Drive is worth the investment. Built exclusively for Xbox One, you’ll be getting 500 gigabytes of extra storage, which will allow you to store 15+ games on your console. It also provides lightning-fast speeds of up to 540 megabytes per second.

The Seagate Game Drive also does not need a power cable, which makes it great for traveling or gaming at a friend’s house.

Purchasing the Seagate Game Drive gives you the added benefit of a two-month free membership with Xbox Game Pass. If you’re interested in Xbox Game Pass but are unsure if you want to spend money on it, here’s a great workaround for that.

Best Cheap SSD for Xbox One: Western Digital My Passport Go Cobalt SSD

Price on Amazon: $79.99
Old Model: $69.99

Cheap and SSD don’t really go together (at least not for now), but there are great options for people on a budget. Right now, the Western Digital My Passport Go Cobalt SSD is the best “budget” SSD.

Compact with shock-absorbing rubber edges, the My Passport Go Cobalt is also a great SSD for gamers on the go. This SSD isn’t cableless like the Seagate Game Drive, but the built-in cable doesn’t get in the way.

There are two My Passport Go Cobalt SSDs that you can pick from. The newest version costs $79.99, but the old version is $10 less. The newest version has read and write speeds up to 400 megabytes per second and the old version gets up to 300 megabytes per second. The great thing about SSDs is that even the cheaper ones still perform very well regarding speed. So, if you want to save $10, you won’t suffer too much.

Best External SSDs for PS4

Western Digital 1TB My Pass SSD

Price on Amazon: $164.99

This one costs a pretty penny, but you won’t regret purchasing the WD 1TB My Pass SSD. With this SSD you'll enjoy 1-terabyte of external storage and outstanding read and writing speeds (up to 540 megabytes per second, which you’ll notice immediately).

Even better is the fact this is considered a “cheap” premium SSD. Typically, premium SSDs are in the $300 price range, so you’re honestly getting a steal here.

Best Cheap SSD for PS4: Sandisk 500GB Extreme Portable SSD

Price on Amazon: $89.99

$89.99 is a great price for a PS4 SSD, and the Sandisk 500GB Extreme Portable SSD also delivers on performance.

Boasting read and write speeds of up to 550 and 500 megabytes per second respectively, the "Extreme Portable" in the name is no exaggeration. This SSD can easily fit inside your pocket, so it’s excellent for people on the go. It is also shock and water-resistant, making it durable as well as portable.

Best External SSDs for Mac

Samsung T5 Portable SSD 500GB

Price on Amazon: $91.99

The Samsung T5 Portable SSD can have as little as 250 gigabytes in storage or as much as 2 terabytes. We went for the middle ground 500-gigabyte SSD. It’s not the most storage, but it’s enough for most people, which makes it ideal for the average consumer.

Boosting read and write speeds of up to 540 megabytes per second, it comes equipped with both USB Type C to C and Type A to A cables. It’s super compact and it has no internal parts to worry about in case you drop it. There is also password protection and hardware encryption for added safety.

Best Cheap SSD for Mac: Adata SD700 External SSD

Price on Amazon: $56.34

Our budget option only has 256 gigabytes of storage, making it the smallest SSD on this list, but don’t knock it just yet. A lot of people take the storage size at face value without even knowing how much storage space they will really use. 256 gigabytes should be more than enough for someone on a budget.

You can expect up to 440 megabytes per second read and write speeds from this SSD, which is great for a budget SSD. The Adata SD700 is also a very durable SSD. IEC IP68 certified, the Adata SD700 is water-, mud-, dust- and shock-resistant/proof. Despite being the most inexpensive SSD on this list, it’s also the most durable.