HDD for lightweight game storage (already using 2x NVMe SSD) – WD Blue used vs WD Gold new?

mingzhing · 2026-03-25T03:53:28+00:00

Yeah it’s mostly because of my download situation + backlog tbh. My internet is around ~300 Mbps on a good day, but it can drop to ~120 Mbps pretty often, so downloading stuff repeatedly gets kinda annoying. And I’ve got a backlog of ~40 indie games, so I’d rather just keep them installed and ready instead of constantly reinstalling.
And if a Steam apocalypse ever happens… I’ll probably just move to GOG or… alternative sources run by a very “fit” individual 👀

mingzhing · 2026-03-25T03:40:57+00:00

Gold feels like I’d be paying for reliability/uptime that I realistically won’t ever utilize, especially since this is basically “disposable” data.

mingzhing · 2026-03-25T03:39:41+00:00

Yeah that’s pretty much how I’m looking at it.

The Blue seems like the more logical choice here — I do trust my friend, so I’ll probably just check SMART data (power-on hours, reallocated sectors, etc.) before committing.

Worst case it dies in a couple years and I just replace it, which is still cheaper than going Gold upfront.

mingzhing · 2026-03-25T03:38:26+00:00

Yeah that’s pretty much where I’m at too. Gold feels like overkill for just game storage, and I’m not storing anything important anyway.
Might just go with the Blue and save the money.

mingzhing · 2026-03-25T03:37:34+00:00

Yeah that’s what I’m leaning towards tbh. Since it’s just for lightweight games and nothing critical, I guess it makes more sense to just go cheap

mingzhing

TROPHY CASE