I have an NVMe USB enclosure and want extra storage for the new Xbox Series X when it comes. What's a good enough 1TB NVMe for USB 3.0?

[ObsidianAura]

Hello folks,

 

I'm getting an Xbox Series X and want to add more storage for older non "velocity architecture" compatible games. I realise NVMe is overkill considering the usb 3.0 bottleneck the Xbox will have, but digital foundry has shown that there's still a marked difference in loading time between SSD (SATA & NVMe) vs the old rust spinners with the new Xbox.

 

So my thinking is, if I get a cheap budget NVMe, it doesn't matter about lower performance vs other NVMes because, its already hamstrung by the USB bandwidth of the Xbox.

I also realise that even a SATA SSD is throttled by the USB 3 port but I'm not clear on if they're actually any cheaper than a budget NVMe these days, and as I already own an NVMe enclosure and don't have a SATA style enclosure I'm thinking NVMe is the cost effective way to go, unless anyone suggests otherwise?

 

So far the cheapest 1TB NVMe i've found is around £80 for a Sabrent Q, anyone know of anything cheaper?

[ObsidianAura]

Well, I tried and I failed.

 

I got a 1TB Sabrent Rocket Q for £69 (nice) on eBay but upon connecting it to the Xbox Series X via the UGREEN adaptor it didn't give me an option to format it for game use.

The only thing I can guess that is the problem is the UGREEN adaptor, I've ordered an Asus ROG Strix Arion NVMe enclosure in the hopes that this will let me use the drive, but I'm a little disappointed. 

[RobtCA1974]

11 hours ago, ObsidianAura said:

The only thing I can guess that is the problem is the UGREEN adaptor, I've ordered an Asus ROG Strix Arion NVMe enclosure in the hopes that this will let me use the drive, but I'm a little disappointed. 

I’ve had issues with UGREEN adapters also......if it’s not a PC, the 2.5 SSD/SATA UGREEN adapters can be finicky and/or don’t seem to work right on other devices like stand alone media players (probably from driver issues or nonexistent drivers) or cloning drives via cloning boot software...

 

Im a big Crucial hard drive/ram brand fan.....

[ObsidianAura]

10 hours ago, RobtCA1974 said:

I’ve had issues with UGREEN adapters also......if it’s not a PC, the 2.5 SSD/SATA UGREEN adapters can be finicky and/or don’t seem to work right on other devices like stand alone media players (probably from driver issues or nonexistent drivers) or cloning drives via cloning boot software...

 

Im a big Crucial hard drive/ram brand fan.....

Digital Foundry did tests using the Asus ROG Strix Arion NVMe enclosure which is why I ordered it, so I'm hoping it'll work. I'm assuming the type of NVMe inside the enclosure doesn't matter.

It'll be delivered tomorrow so I'll report back here in case it helps others.

[YoAdrian]

On 11/12/2020 at 8:35 AM, ObsidianAura said:

Digital Foundry did tests using the Asus ROG Strix Arion NVMe enclosure which is why I ordered it, so I'm hoping it'll work. I'm assuming the type of NVMe inside the enclosure doesn't matter.

It'll be delivered tomorrow so I'll report back here in case it helps others.

Updates would be greatly appreciated Obsidian.  NVME USB enclosure compatibility with the new XBox Series X/S IS NOT A GIVEN (though it should be) and will be on many folks' minds I'll wager as time goes by.  It's on mine, especially since my first attempt to add external storage to the XBox failed.

 

I am not the expert, but I've found the most thorough discussion currently going is on a different forum (anandtech), but to summarize:

Each enclosure controller, and controller version, and firmware version (arg!) has had its problems, but things seem to be improving IF you can get the most recent chips and firmware.  Older firmware versions seem to be related to lots of stability and sleep problems.

- Realtek RTL9210 vs RTL 9210B ok with firmware 1.21.17?  My Orico had this one.

- JMicron JMS583 A0 vs A1 vs A2 ok with firmware 2.0.9? Other Oricos and Sabrents use this.

- ASMedia ASM2362 w/ ? firmware?  I believe the Asus Arion uses this.

 

My limited experience thus far:

- My Orico enclosure (with Realtek RTS9210, unknown firmware version) locked up on me within two days of setting it up on the XBXS.

- Sabrent EC-NVME arrives tomorrow, supposedly with JMicron's JMS583 controller.  We'll see how that works.

 

If interested in further research, dip your toe here: https://www.legitreviews.com/jmicron-jms583-controller-version-matters-for-portable-usb-drives_219422

Dive into a 19 page rabbit-hole here :) :  https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/stable-nvme-usb-adapter.2572973/post-40232545

[ObsidianAura]

Sorry I’d meant to come back and answer if this works but hadn’t got around to it. Amazon lost my orignal order for a week, then I got a refund and ordered again which came next day, then the orginal one ended up being delivered the day after, so now I have the hassle of shipping that back

 

I can confirm that the Asus ROG Strix Arion enclosure works perfectly. I’ve only done this with a Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB drive but it detected it fine and allowed reformating for installing games. So all good!

 

UGreen = Nay

ASUS = Yay!

 

The only criticism is that I have this big silent stoic discreet xbox. With an RGB babble dangling off it going “look at meeeee!”