NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › External USB 2.0 HD for Games ???
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

External USB 2.0 HD for Games ???

post #1 of 13
5/25/06 at 3:31am
Thread Starter 
Is a USB 2.0 external hard drive fast enough to play current gen games???? I'm not looking to play oblivion here but maybe Heroes M&M 5 etc.

I've got a XPS M170 with the 7800 GTX... I'm just wondering if I start installing games on my Passport 5400 if is will have a lot of lag due to having to go across the USB 2.0 etc.... any help is appreciated.

TIA
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 13
5/25/06 at 4:35am
Why dont you try it? I know some report that they play off their portable HD, though I imagine some games would lag.
Reply
Reply
post #3 of 13
5/25/06 at 11:44am
anything external will be limited in speeds. period. i had the same question months ago.

so unless you lack the space internally, or have a 4200rpm hd inside. internal is definently the way to always go.
Reply
Reply
post #4 of 13
5/25/06 at 2:34pm
I agree with chevyrulz099 about this. What I ended up doing was taking all my game CDs and making images of them. That way, I was able to preserve the CDs for when I really needed them. Now, with Virtual Daemon 4.03, I can mount the images and install any game I want. As soon as I get tired of it (or run out of space), I uninstall it and install the next one. Works out beautifully.

Make sure that when you install the games, you do a full install. That should limit how often they need to consult the CD. In this case, keeping the images on the portable HDD should not be a problem.

Regards,

zakaluka2.
Reply
Reply
post #5 of 13
5/25/06 at 2:48pm
true. just use an external usb hd for storing data.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 13
5/25/06 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by findme
true. just use an external usb hd for storing data.

Yeah, keep all your music, videos, and big files on the external, and keep games on the internal, of course you can have some music on the internal though, just mainly keep all the data on the external and use the internal for games and programs
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 13
5/25/06 at 4:32pm
external is good for backing up your game saves too
Reply
Reply
post #8 of 13
5/25/06 at 5:18pm
yeah just in case your internal fries....
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 13
5/25/06 at 8:25pm
I heard somewhere on this forum that external firewires are good for games while external usb 2's are good for data backup. I think the reason was that while the usb 2.0 has a faster rate, the firewire has a garenteed rate, or something like that. Don't quote me on that
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 13
5/25/06 at 9:06pm
yes, firewire is better for gaming. Better sustained transfer rate, and doesnt tax your sustem nearly as much.
Reply
Reply
post #11 of 13
5/26/06 at 4:12am
There are two formats of firewire. 400 and 800. Firewire 400 is a little slower than USB 2.0, so make sure you get the 800 if speed is important.
Reply
Reply
post #12 of 13
5/26/06 at 4:52pm
i used to install all my games on my desktop/server machine and would pull it through the gigabit lan to my laptops with no problems and no lag. now keep in mind that my server machine had two 10,000 rpm drives running in raid 0.
i thought it work quite nicely.

and ibs is right, the old firewire would run at 400 Mbs and usb 2.0 runs at 480, i do believe, its been a long day.
correct me if i am wrong.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 13
5/26/06 at 6:42pm
I have a 72k external on USB 2.0 and cant play games off it have tried oblivion ghost recon advanced and Need for Speed Most Wanted. Just make and image of the game and leave it on the extrenal until you wnat to play install and play then dump it.

I do run all my emus of the external just fine though.
Reply
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Notebook Forums - General
NotebookForums.com › Forums › General Notebook Discussions › Notebook Forums - General › External USB 2.0 HD for Games ???