Has anyone tried using an external (USB) Hard drive for MSFS

[TangoSierraMike]

With the coming of MSFS 2024, I decided that the best plan for me would be to put it and all if it's associated folders on a designated SSD. I was wondering though if anyone is using or has used an external (USB) hard drive for flight sim 2020 or 2024? Does it work well, or is an internal drive the better way to go?

[G-RFRY]

On 11/25/2024 at 7:27 PM, TangoSierraMike said:

With the coming of MSFS 2024, I decided that the best plan for me would be to put it and all if it's associated folders on a designated SSD. I was wondering though if anyone is using or has used an external (USB) hard drive for flight sim 2020 or 2024? Does it work well, or is an internal drive the better way to go?

Fetching data and loading will be slower from an external drive, this will impact performance.

[TangoSierraMike]

Thank you!

 

[Reader]

On 11/25/2024 at 7:27 PM, TangoSierraMike said:

I was wondering though if anyone is using or has used an external (USB) hard drive for flight sim 2020 or 2024? Does it work well, or is an internal drive the better way to go?

It does depend on the external drive.
I have one that is almost twice as fast as an internal SSD, operating on USB C.
Windows does not see a difference between internal and external.

Internal

External

Edited November 29, 2024 by Reader

[TangoSierraMike]

Thanks very much Reader!

[G-RFRY]

Internal drive.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/154944674@N05/54179666591/in/dateposted-public

 

[Allard]

On 11/29/2024 at 4:50 PM, Reader said:

It does depend on the external drive.
I have one that is almost twice as fast as an internal SSD, operating on USB C.
Windows does not see a difference between internal and external.

Internal
 

External

 

You are comparing an old internal SATA SSD to a more modern PCIe drive so I don't think that it is a fair comparison.
Also, your screenshot doesn't show the much slower random reads; random access is what hurts USB most since USB has a much higher latency than internal storage controllers.

I expect that most people with recent flightsim PC's are using internal m.2 Nvme drives which are much faster than these old SATA SSD's.
Even the standard M.2 SSD in my business laptop is 7 times faster than the drive in your screenshot of an internal SSD:

 

[Reader]

2 hours ago, Allard said:

You are comparing an old internal SATA SSD to a more modern PCIe drive so I don't think that it is a fair comparison.

Thanks.
I wasn't a comparison, it was an illustration that an external drive is not, by definition, slower than an internal one, as alleged here:

On 11/29/2024 at 1:35 AM, G-RFRY said:

Fetching data and loading will be slower from an external drive, this will impact performance.

One day, it will be possible to post what is intended to be no more than helpful advice to the person who asked the question
without anyone coming along and challenging it.
Evidently, that day is not yet here.

[G-RFRY]

I don`t know your specs but my last three home builds all supported MV2 internal drives, and that`s over 10 years.

[TangoSierraMike]

Thanks everyone for your feedback - I ended up finding an internal SATA SSD. Installation was dead easy... now to see if I can finally get MSFS2024 installed...