Best HDD for Gaming in 2024

Choosing the best HDD for gaming is one of the significant aspects of a PC gamer. Even though technological advancements have led to the acceptance of SSDs as a replacement, HDDs are still considered much more affordable and reliable. Besides, they don’t impact gaming hugely, but storing data makes fast for your gaming experience.

There are multiple reasons to build your own gaming PC instead of relying on manufacturers. And choosing the right component, like HDD, your budget, and requirements, is the most essential part. 

Hence, in this article, I’ve highlighted the five gaming HDDs you can choose from. The suggestions provided here are based on thorough research. So let’s see what’s the right choice for your gaming PC.

Top 5 Best HDD For Gaming

Before I take you to the reviews, please note all the HDDs I’ve included are thoroughly inspected. At Pur Overclock, we always share unbiased reviews so that our readers can select the right hardware. Now let’s check the top 5 HDDs you can pick for gaming.

Seagate FireCuda is among the top HDDs that can deliver performance that can amaze a user. This 8 TB HDD provides an impressive 7200 rpm rotational speed along with an ultra-large 256 MB cache built precisely for gamers.

The ESATA hard disk interference, along with SATA 6 GB/s connection to deliver 255 MB/s, is hard to miss as it boosts the loading time significantly. These technologies thus make it the best in the class of HDDs for gaming. It dominates all the sections and meets all the requirements of a pro gamer. 

With all these features, the price of Seagate FireCuda is set at a high. However, this HDD can withstand rigorous gaming without fail. They also offer regular updates, which are easy to install.

Every user has a different need for storage. But an average capacity of HDD for gamers is considered as 2 TB, and it is often enough. Seagate BarraCuda is hence considered an affordable investment with significant features for a gamer. The 2 TB provides enough storage for gaming and storing data. 

The Seagate BarraCuda 2 TB only costs around $50 and thus is an ideal option for budget gamers. However, at this cost, it also has a rotational speed of 7200 rpm, which is not easily found at this cost. Furthermore, with a read speed of 220 MB/s, Seagate BarraCuda has a 256 MB cache.

It is thus one of the most reliable and cost-effective solutions for PC gamers. Moreover, its decent storage and superior speed mark it as one of the best HDDs for gaming among users. 

Our final category is the HDD with the maximum capacity that can also offer the best performance. The best fit for this particular category is the Seagate IronWolf Pro which has a storage capacity of 20 TB. In addition, this HDD comes with ESATA hard disk interference and has SATA connectivity technology, enabling it to load any game within seconds. 

Another feature of IronWolf Pro is the addition of AgileArray firmware that provides exceptional RAID reliability and NAS compatibility. This helps your PC to carry out heavy workloads without any trouble. Besides, with a read speed of 250 MB/s, IronWolf definitely tops the segment. 

This particular HDD is the best for those gamers who have a number of games and constantly switch between them. IronWolf can be the option for them to go to. However, due to its top features and incredible capacity, it comes with the highest price on this list. 

With a read speed of 229 MB/s, Western Digital’s WD_Black 6 TB HDD is HDD for gaming PCs. Moreover, with a form factor of 3.5 inches, it contains a storage of 6 TB, which is considerably more than enough for gamers to store data. The disk interference on WD_Black is the Serial ATA-600.

One of the most noticeable features is the 7200 rpm disk rotational speed. It also promises a write speed of 229 MB/s, making it quite faster than the previous one. It also provides an impressive 2 DRAMs with 128 MB each of cache size. 

You can experience great gaming performance with this HDD. On the other hand, the cost of WD_Black 6 TB HDD is considered moderate and affordable. 

This particular one is built for those dedicated to gaming and requires a high storage unit. Toshiba X300 offers storage of 8 TB and delivers quite a performance. It is thus definitely one to consider.

It offers gamers a lag-free environment with 7200 rpm disk rotational speed. In addition, its special cache technology assists in allocating caches across the 512 MB cache size. This offers greater performance in real-time.

You can judge the reliability and durability of the Toshiba X300 by its ramp-loading technology and built-in shock sensors. In addition, this HDD also provides a data transfer rate of 6 GB/s. The cost X300, on the other hand, is only a very affordable HDD with 8TB capacity and high speed. 

Conclusion

So, finally, the review ended. I’ve showcased five of the top HDDs for your gaming PC build from each segment. And here’s my final recommendation. Seagate BarraCuda can be very useful for those who want a very affordable HDD. On the other hand, WD_Black is the best gaming HDD for budget buyers. 

However, if you want slightly more capacity than the WD Black, choose the Seagate FireCuda 8TB. However, due to its features, it was priced comparatively higher.

Now if you want to store so many game files on your PC, the Seagate IronWolf 20 TB  will be the right choice. But, it is among the most expensive HDDs out there. 

FAQs