Gaming is huge, reportedly some eight times bigger in revenue than the movie industry. Modern PC builders creating the ultimate gaming computers want the best hard drives for gaming they can find. Games are loaded with data, so the best hard drives for gaming are all about storage capacity. Even the smallest Mini-ITX cases can house large-capacity storage drives for the ultimate gaming experience.
Storage is more than how many games you can keep on your computer for instant access. The best hard drives for gaming allow you to store huge amounts of data while accessing it super-fast. This improves game performance and reduces lag time. Today’s games are file-heavy with graphics, voices, music tracks, and incredible amounts of data in models and textures. High-resolution graphics require lots of space and smart builders search for the best hard drives for gaming when building their favorite entertainment station.
Portable drives are also popular options for taking your best games on the road or easily adding storage to an existing system. Our focus, however, is on internal hard drives for PC builders and not external storage solutions. Dozens of internal HDDs are available for numerous computing applications. We narrowed our focus down to the best hard drives for gaming of 2023. Take a look at the 5 best hard drives for gaming of 2023 below.
- Best Overall: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD
- Best Internal: Western Digital Black
- Best Hybrid: Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD
- Best Large Capacity: Western Digital 14TB Ultrastar HDD
- Best Budget: Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD
#1 Best Overall Hard Drive for Gaming: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD
- 7200 RPM
- 6 GB RAM, 2 TB digital storage capacity
- SATA 6.0 Gb/s hardware interface
- 3.5-inch form factor
The Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD takes the top honors as the #1 Best Overall Hard Drive for Gaming of 2023. Seagate has long been at the forefront of computer storage technology, and one of its top products is this powerful gaming hard drive. Available in 1TB to 14TB, the BarraCuda drive features 256MB of cache memory for ultra-fast loading. The 7200 RPM drive features an impressive 6Gbps write speed for sustained performance.
The 3.5-inch drive actually measures 3.98 x 0.79 x 5.75 inches and weighs just under one pound so it fits easily into most ATX or Mini-ITX cases. The Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD provides plenty of storage and speed for most serious gamers. Plus, your data is secure with Seagate’s patented multi-tier caching technology.
We chose this as the best overall hard drive for gaming because of its combination of available storage options, large cache memory, high write speeds, and overall reliability of the Seagate brand. Huge numbers of PC builders have used this HDD and rated it highly.
Check out the Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD and see if it is the perfect fit for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The Seagate BarraCuda HDD is available in capacities from 1TB to 14 TB. | The 3.5-inch form factor is not compatible with laptops and some Mini-ITX builds. |
| This product has an optional data recovery plan from Seagate. | |
| An impressive 256MB of cache memory facilitates fast game retrieval and loading. | |
| The 7200 RPM disk speed writes data at 6Gbps. | |
| This HDD is affordably priced for any PC builder. |
Best Internal Laptop Gaming Drive: Western Digital Black
- 7200 RPM
- SATA connectivity
- 6Gbps write speed
- 64MB cache
- 3.5-inch form factor
The Western Digital Black 2TB is our selection for the Best Internal Laptop Gaming Drive. Western Digital is a well-known, reliable brand that many PC builders know and trust. This popular and versatile gaming HDD is available in 500GB to 8TB storage capacities, and from 64MB to 256MB cache memory. Rated at 7200 RPM and 6Gbps per write speed, the WD Black is perfect for reliable gaming laptop performance.
This 3.5-inch drive measures 5.8 x 4 x 1 inches and weighs one-and-a-half pounds, making it ideal for slender laptop cases. Builders wanting a powerful and portable gaming laptop will find this drive offers plenty of performance and storage for your favorite high-end games. This product also comes with Western Digital’s industry-leading five-year warranty.
We chose this as the best internal gaming laptop drive because its slender size contains all the capacity and performance of a regular 3.5-inch HDD. The WD Black HDD has a dual-core processor and WD’s StableTrac Technology for better reliability in portable devices. Plus, the NoTouch Ramp Load technology and corruption protection technology keep your data secure.
Check out the Western Digital Black 2TB and see if it is the perfect fit for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The Western Digital Black HDD is only 5.8 x 4 x 1 inches, making it ideal for slim laptop cases. | The WD Black has a higher power consumption. |
| This internal HDD is available in 500GB to 8TB storage capacities. | |
| Cache memory is available in 64MB to 256MB sizes. | |
| The WD Black spins at 7200 RPM and writes data at 6Gbps. | |
| Western Digital drives have an industry-leading five-year warranty. |
Best Hybrid Hard Drive for Gaming: Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD
- 3.5-inch form factor
- SATA interface
- 6Gbps write speed
- Flash accelerated for 5x faster speeds than regular HDD
- Compatibility with most PCIe M.2 slots
The Best Hybrid Hard Drive for Gaming is the Seagate FireCuda 2TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD. A hybrid SSHD combines the higher storage of an HDD and the speed of an SSD. The FireCuda hybrid architecture uses adaptive learning to literally memorize games you access most often to load them faster. The Instant Secure Erase feature also cleanly deletes data you want to eliminate permanently.
This 3.5-inch internal hard drive measures 5.79 x 4 x 1.03 inches and weighs 1.2 pounds. Available in 2TB and 4TB memory capacities, the Seagate FireCuda SSHD has 128MB cache memory and a 7200 RPM 6Gbps write speed for exceptional performance and speed. This product also has Seagate’s exceptional data protection technologies for added security.
The Seagate FireCuda 2TB SSHD is our choice for the best hybrid hard drive for gaming because of its revolutionary flash memory/adaptive learning capabilities that speed game loading for your favorite and most-used games. This product also offers an impressive five-year limited warranty.
Check out the Seagate FireCuda 2TB and see if it is the perfect fit for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The Seagate FireCuda 2TB SSHD features adaptive learning capabilities that memorize your most-used games for faster loading. | Users cannot choose which games are placed into the flash memory. |
| This hybrid gaming hard drive has 128MB of cache memory. | |
| The 7200 RPM drive writes data at 6Gbps for great speed and performance. | |
| Seagate warrants the FireCuda 2TB SSHD for five years. | |
| This powerful hybrid gaming drive is reasonably priced under $100. |
Best Large Capacity Storage Drive for Gaming: Western Digital 14TB Ultrastar HDD
- Enterprise-class HDD
- 7200 RPM
- 6Gbps write speed
- 512MB cache
- 3.5-inch form factor
Game PC builders wanting all the storage they could ever use will be pleased with the Western Digital 14TB Ultrastar HDD, our Best Large Capacity Storage Drive for Gaming. The gamer-builder who wants the ultimate in storage and performance will find it in this pinnacle of hard drives for gaming. How do they pack so much into a 3.5-inch hard drive that is only 5.79 x 4 x 1.03 inches and weighs 1.5 pounds?
Every high-end game you ever want to play and keep, and more will fit into 14TB. Plus, the massive 512MB installed cache memory keeps loads of data on hand for faster access. The 7200 RPM rotation and 6Gbps write speed are the standard for modern gaming hard drives.
The WD 14TB Ultrastar is part of the Gold line, with a 550TB per year workload rating, advanced anti-vibration technology, and RAID-specific time-limited error recovery (TLER) for keeping your data secure. New fifth-generation HelioSeal technology also helps your drive store more and operate smoothly.
Check out the Western Digital 14TB Ultrastar HDD and see if it is the perfect fit for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It packs an enormous 14TB of storage and 512MB of cache memory into a single 3.5-inch drive. | The WD 14TB Ultrastar Gold is somewhat expensive. |
| It can quickly retrieve any modern high-resolution game you ever want to keep and play. | |
| The WD 14TB Ultrastar Gold HDD turns at 7200 RPM and writes data at 6Gbps. | |
| This WD HDD has an incredible 550TB per year workload rating. | |
| Western Digital warrants this Gold drive for five years. |
Best Budget Hard Drive for Gaming: Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD
- Max RPM: 7200
- Cache size: 64MB
- Includes WD's Acronis True Image software
- Connector type: SATA (6Gb/s)
Budget-conscious gamers and PC builders will enjoy our Best Budget Hard Drive for Gaming, the Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD. Building a completely usable gaming PC doesn’t have to be expensive or expansive in memory. Smaller game libraries or gamers who focus primarily on one game don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars for 10 or 14TB of memory.
The WD Blue 1TB HDD offers plenty of storage in only 5.8 x 4 x 1 inches and less than one pound. But don’t fret — this 3.5-inch drive offers a respectable 64MB cache memory, plenty for acceptable access and loading speeds. The 7200 RPM rotation and 6Gbps write speeds still run modern high-performance games with little to no lag.
Save money on this extremely affordable gaming HDD so you can invest it in other high-performance components to improve your overall experience. Western Digital also warrants this product for two years.
Check out the Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD and see if it is the perfect fit for your needs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| The Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD is sufficient for smaller game libraries. | The 1TB WD Blue HDD is not large enough for bigger game libraries. |
| This HDD features 7200 RPM and 6Gbps write speeds. | |
| A respectable 64GB cache memory can prevent lagging with most high-performance games. | |
| Western Digital warrants this HDD for two years. | |
| This WD Blue HDD is very affordable at less than $40 at the time of writing. |
How to Pick the Best Hard Drives for Gaming: Step by Step
Choosing the best hard drives for gaming involves paying attention to the factors that matter most. Paramount among them are how many and what type of games you routinely play. This dictates how much storage and retrieval capabilities you need in an HDD. Remember we’re reviewing the best options for building or replacing internal hard drives and not portable drives.
Our main considerations for selecting these five gaming hard drives were:
- Drive Capacity
- Rotation Speed
- Cache Memory
- Price
Let’s review each one of these a bit further.
Drive Capacity
Modern games demand huge amounts of storage space. One popular game, Call of Duty WWII requires 90GB. Storing your favorite games on your PC allows for faster access. You also don’t have to delete game files before installing a new game or the latest mods. This is especially important if you play games progressing through different levels and saving your achievements. You don’t want to lose those data files even accidentally. Game recording software like Shadowplay also stores large data files on your drive.
This consideration should be first among all the rest. Review your favorite data-heavy games and calculate how much storage you need for all of them. Then add a considerable buffer zone for new games, progress data, mods, and extras. Remember that hard drives for gaming do not function well when packed to the limit. You want to leave some breathing room. However, large-capacity HDDs are plentiful, and upgrading to a larger size is not too expensive.
Rotation Speed
Today’s modern HDDs store data on magnetic plates that spin at terrific speeds. Faster spin means faster load time and access to your game. The best rate is 7200 RPM (revolutions per minute) although you can get by with most games at 5400 RPM. This also means data read/write speeds of 5Gbps per second or higher, with the normal speed being 6Gbps.
Your HDD’s rotation speed primarily impacts game load time and not necessarily processing speed. The drive’s RAM, or cache memory, temporarily stores files for quicker access and faster operations.
Cache Memory
Large cache sizes enable faster operating speeds. The drive holds more critical game files in temporary working memory for quicker access. At least 32GB of cache memory is recommended for most games, or even 64MB. Most high-capacity hard drives for gaming have more, like 128MB or up to 256MB.
Our selection of the best hard drives for gaming all have at least 64MB or 128MB. Budget considerations may keep you to smaller drives, but you should still get the highest cache possible to facilitate smoother performance. One of our choices has a whopping 512MB of cache memory, which should seamlessly run any game.
Price
Many of the best hard drives for gaming are affordably priced. Modern computing technology packs more into smaller spaces and mass-produces drives so everyone can attain as much storage capacity as they need. The WD Blue 1TB is only about $30, and the largest capacity WD Ultrastar Gold is the only one over $100 at the time of writing.
What to Know Before Buying the Best Hard Drives for Gaming
All the best hard drives for gaming PCs should have adequate storage space for your desired gaming practices. Your game library, types of games, and gaming practices all shape the HDD you need. Huge libraries of newer data-rich games require lots of space. Those playing fewer games regularly can get by with less space at a somewhat lower price.
Your PC build will also dictate which hard drive for gaming you should choose. Using a laptop for gaming requires smaller form factor drives. Even some Mini-ITX builds need a smaller drive to fit alongside other components on the motherboard. Larger ATX or full-tower builds have no worries and you can even install multiple HDDs for the ultimate gaming PC.
Using the Best Hard Drives for Gaming: What It’s Like
Modern gaming experiences are all about speed. Drives with monstrous storage and cache memory retrieve your gaming data faster and facilitate seamless operations in fast-moving scenarios with high-resolution images and videos. Most gaming authorities recommend at least 1TB and 64MB of cache for smooth gameplay. More serious gamers will want extra space and cache, like 8TB and 256 MB.
Of course, our ultimate storage solution is the WD 14TB Ultrastar Gold, which has more space than you should ever need. If you have the budget to support it with other high-performing components, it is a superior storage solution for the baddest gaming PC on the planet — or at least in your circle of gaming friends.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©NAR studio/Shutterstock.com.
