Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card review

The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is a must-have for Game Pass-loving Xbox Series X or Series S gamers

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card
(Image: © Future)

TechRadar Verdict

It isn’t cheap, but the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is a must-buy item for Xbox Series X and S owners looking to make the most of their Xbox Game Pass subscriptions.

Pros

  • +

    Super simple set up

  • +

    Excellent loading and transfer speeds

  • +

    Impressive storage

Cons

  • -

    Expensive

  • -

    Not quite as fast as internal SSD

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Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card: one minute review

The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is incredibly useful for a gamer with an ever-growing game library since it can prevent the ever-growing problem of video game file sizes increasing over the years.

It’s not uncommon for games to weigh in at more than 100GB these days, and the latest Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S consoles come with only 1TB and 512GB of built-in storage space, respectively. So, the Seagate Storage Expansion Card alleviates the pressure on that over-burdened built-in storage. A simple plug-and-play memory card slots into the back of the new Xbox consoles, and… that’s it.

In an instant, extra storage is seamlessly added, with no set-up required. The card can hit high-speed transfer and load speeds using the new Xbox Velocity Architecture storage system. It’s not as speedy as the built-in storage but around forty times faster than a conventional drive, according to Microsoft. Note that a Velocity Architecture storage system is required to play Xbox Series X|S enhanced games.

But the simplicity of the system can’t be knocked. It’s expensive, but not hugely more so than equivalent PC SSD sticks – and looks a damn sight easier to install than what Sony has planned for the PS5. The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card comes highly recommended.

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card: price and availability

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card

(Image credit: Future)

Available now, the 1TB Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card has a retail price of $199.99 / £179.99. So far, that seems to be a pretty unwavering price point, with discounts remaining quite rare.

It’s expensive, no doubt about it – but so is cutting-edge SSD technology as found in PCs, and somewhat trumped here. Considering the ease of installation and the performance of the card, it just about justifies the price – even if there’s a begrudging feeling that both the Xbox Series X and Series S should have had more built-in storage, to begin with.

If you're looking for a cheaper competitor, the WD Black C50 is well worth a look. However, it's worth noting that the Seagate has the C50 beaten when it comes to maximum storage capacity. This means that the C50 comes as the recommended heavy-duty solution.

Since it launched, two new 2TB and 512GB storage expansion cards have since released. The 512GB storage card is available to order for $109.99 / £109.99, while the 2TB storage card can currently be found for $359.99 / £339.99 instead.

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card: design and performance

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card

(Image credit: Future)

The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is a small gadget at 2.1” x 1.25” x 0.3” inches. Featuring a proprietary connection to the back of the Xbox Series X|S consoles, it can only be used with Microsoft’s machines. Two-thirds of the card is a metal alloy that slips snugly into the console’s port, while the rest is wrapped in a black plastic shell with the Xbox logo and a little grip notch attached. There’s also an included transparent plastic cap for storage purposes.

The setup couldn’t be simpler – take it out of the package, pop the cap off, and push it into the appropriate port on the back of the console. That’s it – your card is prepared to work as additional Velocity Architecture SSD storage straight away. You might need to push it in slightly more than you’d have expected though – I initially received a warning that the card was recognized, but that the connection to it from the Xbox was weak. Inserting it more firmly worked and everything then worked as expected.

What’s worth pointing out though is that, like almost every hard drive, the usable space on the expansion card is less than the advertised 1TB. Between onboard drivers and the discrepancy in how the console reads available space on the card, you’re actually left with 920GB to play with. Still, that’s more than the 802GB the Xbox Series X’s “1TB” hard drive provides, and huge compared to the 512GB the Xbox Series S is shipped with.

So how many extra games can that 920GB let you install? That’ll vary on the type of game you’re playing. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War weighs in at a gigantic 190GB, so you’d barely be able to get that installed on the card four times. But if we say that the average game download size hovers around 30GB, you’d get an extra 30 games safely stored on the card. If you’re into smaller indie titles, expect that number to be much higher, while AAA open-world game fans can expect it to be lower.

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card

(Image credit: Future)

As for speed, the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card is incredibly fast, supporting all the same Quick Resume features and speedy loading times that the console’s internal drive supports. It’s not quite as fast (booting a Yakuza: Like a Dragon save from the home screen took 45 seconds from the card, and 37 from internal storage), but it’s still much faster than the previous console generation. When it comes to loading times in-game, the gap is almost imperceptible to anyone not carrying a stopwatch.

Transfer speeds are solid too – it’s slightly speedier to send files to internal storage from the card as opposed to the other way around, but only by a fraction. But it’s a night and day difference between the Seagate card and an external HDD – the 24.6GB driving sim WRC 9, for instance, took 3 minutes 50 seconds to move from internal storage to a USB 3 HDD, compared to just 1 minute 6 seconds for the Seagate card.

The Xbox Series X|S interface itself is very clear and easy to use when it comes to managing storage devices too. The settings section makes it obvious where each game is stored and offers a simple transfer queue view to enable you to easily manage installation locations.

It’s worth noting also that, should you be going to a friend’s house, you can just plug your card into the back of their Xbox Series X|S console and access all the games stored on it with little faff. You’ll either need to sign into your account on their console to play the games, or your friend will need to have a license for them too. But it’s a quick and easy way to transport a good chunk of your game library.

Should I buy the Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card?

Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card

(Image credit: Future)

You’re impatient
This is a speedy drive that takes almost no effort to set up. You’ll get the best out of brand new Xbox games, without having to juggle them to and from a standard hard drive.

You’re playing lots of Xbox Series X / S games
Games optimized for the latest Xbox consoles require Xbox Velocity Architecture drives to run them. While you can transfer them from a standard drive to internal storage if you’re tight on space, the Seagate alternative takes all that hassle away.

You like to jump in and out of multiple Game Pass titles
The joy of an Xbox Game Pass subscription is its all-you-can eat nature. The Seagate Xbox Storage Expansion Card lets you load up on dozens of games and quickly switch between them, taking advantage of the extra space and speed of the external card.

Don’t buy it if…

You’re patient
You can store your saved Xbox Series X|S games on a conventional hard drive, but you’ll need to be prepared to play the waiting game of copying them back and forth between the console’s slight internal drive before you can play them.

You’re mostly playing older games
If you’re playing games that aren’t optimized for Xbox Series X or Series S consoles, you can still play them off an external hard drive or SSD. But even they will benefit from being stored on this speedy accessory instead.

Check out our lists of the best Xbox Series X games and the best Xbox Game Pass games.

TOPICS
Gerald Lynch

Gerald is Editor-in-Chief of iMore.com. Previously he was the Executive Editor for TechRadar, taking care of the site's home cinema, gaming, smart home, entertainment and audio output. He loves gaming, but don't expect him to play with you unless your console is hooked up to a 4K HDR screen and a 7.1 surround system. Before TechRadar, Gerald was Editor of Gizmodo UK. He is also the author of 'Get Technology: Upgrade Your Future', published by Aurum Press.

With contributions from
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