Western Digital makes some of the best hard drives on the market. The storage device powerhouse offers everything from server hard drives to SSDs, external hard drives, and everything in-between. For gaming, the WD_Black P10 Game Drive is an excellent option with great performance, tons of storage space, and a slick aesthetic. Learn why the WD game drive is a must-have for PC gamers and console gamers alike in our WD Black P10 review!
What is the WD Black P10 Game Drive?
The WD_Black P10 game drive is an external hard drive engineered for video game storage. It’s compatible with PCs, macOS devices, and game consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Western Digital offers its purpose-built gaming drive in options ranging up to 5TB. Inside, you’ll find a 5400 RPM mechanical hard disk drive in a 2.5-inch form factor. Its outer features a metal cover for passive cooling. Connectivity comes via a USB micro-B to USB 3.0 Type-A cable. Boasting up to 140MB/s speeds, the WD Black P10 delivers fast speeds.
WD Black P10 Game Drive specs:
- 2, 4, or 5TB
- 5400 RPM spindle drive
- 2.5″ external portable hard drive
- Connectivity: USB micro-B to USB 3.0 Type-A
- 140MB/s speedsMetal chassis for passive cooling
- Tough-looking gamer aesthetic
WD_Black P10 Game Drive Review – A Big, Stylish Portable External Hard Drive to Hold Your Whole Game Collection
As video games have become more realistic and playable in higher resolutions such as 1080p or 4K, so too have game install sizes increased exponentially. It’s not uncommon for a single game’s installation to exceed 100GB. And with SSD prices still fairly high, storage on PCs as well as game consoles is often at a premium. Therefore, the WD Black game drive aims to solve this issue. Rather than cloning your hard drive and swapping it for a bigger one, simply use an external hard drive for game storage. It’s a solution that works, and the WD Black P10 delivers in style.
From the outside, the P10 screams gamer chic with its sleek black metal cladding. It’s small and lightweight even in its largest 5TB configuration. Because the P10 is a 5400 RPM spindle drive, its data transfer speeds will be admittedly slow when compared to solid-state drives. Compare the P10’s rated transfer speeds of 140MB/s with the general 1000MB/s speeds that most SSDs yield. As such, loading games might not provide the fastest loading experience. Of course, you can always transfer games back and forth between your PC’s SSD and the WD Black, or simply put up with a slight performance hit when running straight from the P10 game drive.
In addition to providing passive cooling, the metal casing lends added security through additional toughness, not only in looks but for durability. Although it’s not rated for any sort of MIL specification, the P10 game drive certainly looks the part. You should be gentle with your hard drives to avoid losing your data, but chances are the WD Black will survive being tossed in a backpack better than an external drive cloaked in a plastic shell.
Transfer speeds were clocked around the mid 130’s MB/s which is comparable to a 5TB Seagate Backup Plus Ultra Touch I’ve got lying around. Transfering a 2GB folder of files took around 30 seconds. Performance is right in line with most other 5400RPM drives. It’s certainly good, but not SSD-level blisteringly fast.
There’s not much to complain about with the WD Black P10. It works extremely well with PCs, macOS devices, or consoles including the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Read/write speeds could be improved with an SSD, but performance is about as good as it’s going to get with a spindle drive. It’s a tradeoff though, as the price-per-gig is a lot higher for SSDs. As such, the WD Black game drive boasts great bang-for-your-buck.
Unfortunately, there’s no USB-C cable included. While you can always supply your own, a USB micro-B to USB-C cable in the box along with the USB micro-B to USB-A cable would have been a much-appreciated inclusion. Particularly with many laptops, desktops, and phones relying on the USB Type-C standard nowadays, it’s a strange oversight. Still, the WD Black external hard drive for gamers is an affordable, high-performing, beautiful option for toting your entire Steam or GOG library around.
WD Black External Hard Drive for Gamers Review – Final Thoughts
Overall, if you’re looking for tons of storage on the cheap, the WD Black P10 is a worthy choice. It’s competitively-priced, works with computers and consoles alike, can be had with up to 5TB of storage space, and looks stunning. Its styling cues aren’t just for aesthetics though, with passive cooling capabilities as well as some added durability. Ultimately, if you want to lug around your entire Steam or GOG library, the WD Black P10 game drive is a fantastic solution.
WD Black P10 Game Drive
150.00
Pros
- Up to 5TB of storage space
- Sleek, black, metal chassis
- Small and lightweight
- Holds tons of files
- As fast as HDDs get
Cons
- Not an SSD
- Lacks a USB-C cable
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