Best Xbox 360 Hard Drives (HDD) of the Year

When Xbox 360 was released, it had only a 4GB hard disk drive (HDD) and supported external storage that doesn’t exceed 32GB. By today’s standards, that’s nothing. For example, the newest AAA games can require up to 50GB of space, and that’s not including updates and DLCs. Hence the need for Xbox 360 hard drives.

Xbox 360 Hard Drive Sizes

Of course, later Xbox 360 released other storage options at the end letting you to choose from – 4GB; 20GB; 60GB; 120GB; 250GB; 320GB and from 2015 – Xbox 360 500GB. We have to say 500GB is reasonable, but still, its hard drive fills up quite fast if you’re serious about gaming.

However, there is a solution, no matter what capacity Xbox 360 hard drive you currently own, you can always upgrade it. If you have chosen to do so there are two options: getting an original Xbox 360 hard drive upgrade or a 2.5-inch laptop internal hard drive. The first option is the easiest. You just buy the desired capacity hard drive (in Xbox 360 specific casing) and replace it with the old one, and it works!

The second option for an Xbox 360 hard drive is a little bit more tricky. You can’t just insert a laptop HDD into your Xbox 360 and expect it to work. Some other things have to be done before. The easiest way to upgrade your storage capacity is by adding Xbox 360 an external hard drive, check out our Top 6 Best Xbox 360 External Hard Drives article. Notice, that now Xbox 360 allows you to add an external HDD with a capacity of up to 2TB.

In this article, we have created a list of the best Xbox 360 compatible hard drives you can get whether you want to upgrade Xbox 360 slim hard drive or just a regular Xbox 360 hard drive. And whether HDD is made exactly for Xbox 360 or 2.5-inch laptop HDD.

Hard Drives Made Exactly for Xbox 360

If you don’t want to worry too much about replacing your Xbox 360 hard drive then the easiest way is getting the one that’s made exactly for Xbox 360, it will come in Xbox plastic casing and won’t require any specific formatting. However, if you choose HDD that’s made exactly for xbox360, the storage capacity is very limited. You can upgrade your Xbox 360 hard drive to 320GB and Xbox 360 slim hard drive to 500GB. But the best thing is – these hard drives are cheap, and they are very easy to replace.

Xbox 360 500GB Media Hard Drive for Xbox E and S

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This is the biggest capacity hard drive for the Xbox 360 you can get. This hard drive is fully compatible with the Xbox 360 E and Xbox 360 S consoles. Just plug it in and you’re ready to go, with 500GB of memory average user will be just fine. It’s also an original product of Microsoft so you shouldn’t have any problems.

320GB HDD Compatible with Xbox 360 Slim

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Another excellent choice for Xbox 360 hard drive upgrade. This drive has 320GB storage capacity, and it’s made by Dragonpad – a 3rd-party manufacturer. It’s still fully compatible and will work just fine with Xbox 360 Slim.

Nextec Xbox 360 Fat (320 GB) Hard Disk Drive HDD for Microsoft Xbox 360 Console

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This external drive is designed especially for the original Xbox fat consoles. You should also note that this drive isn’t compatible with the Slim Xbox version. The total capacity here is 320 GB, which should be enough for any Xbox user.

The 1-year replacement warranty guarantees us satisfaction with transferring the game profiles. Your Xbox 360 original should recognize it without much hassle.

How to Add or Remove an Xbox 360 Compatible by Factory Hard Drive

Xbox 360 S

The first thing you have to do is to turn off the console and position it horizontally. On the right side of the console, you will find a hard drive cover. Open this cover as shown in picture 1. Pull the hard drive out and swap it with the new one – press it in firmly until you hear it click(see picture 2).

Xbox 360 E

The first thing you have to do is to turn off the console and position it horizontally. On the right side of the console, you will find a hard drive cover. Open this cover as shown in picture 1. Pull the hard drive out and swap it with the new one – press it in firmly until you hear it click(see picture 2).

Original Xbox 360 console

The first thing you have to do is to turn off the console and locate hard drive (1.). Then press the release button on the hard drive and lift the hard drive away from the console.

2.5-inch Laptop Hard Drives for Xbox 360

You can also go another way and choose to upgrade your Xbox 360 or Xbox 360 slim hard drive with a laptop 2.5 inch HDD. Now you can choose your HDD manufacturer and specs you want. However, this isn’t so easy as it requires special formatting and it may not be so easy to find a compatible hard drive. And if you want your new hard drive to sit well in its place, you also have to get a plastic enclosure.

This is the hardest way to upgrade your Xbox 360 hard drive, but if you really need that extra performance and options, you should consider this.

WD Black 500GB Performance

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If performance is what you seek, then go for WD Black 500GB. As black color stands for the best performing hard drives(check out our article – Western Digital HDD Colors Explained). This hard drive is new-generation, and therefore you will be able to use it for a different purpose even if your Xbox 360 breaks down. One of the fastest HDDs you can get for your console, if not the fastest.

Seagate Laptop Thin 500 GB

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Seagate has always made good hard drives, and Seagate Laptop Thin 500 GB is no exception. There is no reason why you shouldn’t get this hard drive – it’s fast enough and is quite cheap. The drive is backed up with a 2-year warranty, as are most Seagate products.

Seagate 500GB Barracuda Sata

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Though Seagate 500GB Barracuda is a quite new hard drive it’s already very popular, especially among gamers. It’s a member of the new Seagate Guardian series. It’s very power efficient, fast, and dependable. In other words – this hard disk drive is way better than your original Xbox 360 hard drive in everything.

How to Format a 2.5-Inch Hard Drive

Conclusion

In the end, it all depends whether you want a quick hard disk upgrade that doesn’t require a lot of doing – just basically swapping Xbox 360 hard drive or you want to spend that extra time to format and choose the hard drive you really want. All of these hard drive upgrades are quite cheap, and if you have a storage capacity below 250GB, you definitely should upgrade your Xbox 360 hard drive.

Last update on 2024-05-03 at 08:14 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API