Let's face it, the 500GB hard disk on the Xbox One was never enough space in the age of required installs and digital downloads. Even though Microsoft recently launched a 1TB edition of the console, many users will likely still be hitting the space wall in no time flat. Luckily Microsoft built in support for USB 3.0 external hard drives, allowing users to install games and have virtually "unlimited" storage.
Unfortunately most external drives aren't the fastest, or if you go the external SSD route, they tend to be a bit expensive. OWC Storage has found the middle ground, launching a hybrid 1TB drive that utilizes an SSD cache to speed up load times for very little extra cost.
Here are some differences in loading times:
| |
GTA* V - Reload Saved Game | Dragon Age - Continue Game | Assassin’s Creed Unity - Continue Game | GTA* V - Dashboard to Story Mode |
| Xbox One stock hard disk drive | 42.23 seconds | 42.56 seconds | 58.93 seconds | 84.85 seconds |
| OWC 1TB solid state hybrid drive | 31.28 seconds | 37.78 seconds | 35.70 seconds | 55.43 seconds |
As you can see the drive actually out performs the internal drive by a good 20-30% in most cases. The price of the drive is about $125 and is available right now from Other World Computing's website.