Best SSD Drive for Tesla Model S, Model X, and more: Arcade games

Tesla Steam

 

With the holiday update of Dec 13, 2022, Tesla integrated its all-electric vehicle fleet with services like Steam. The Steam integration only applies to the updated Model S and Model X produced in the past two years. because these vehicles come with more powerful computers designed for video games (Elon Musk promised in a tweet that older models would offer "modifications").

Steam offers a huge library of video games, with thousands of games now available to play,even graphically demanding games like "Cyberpunk 2077". But downloading multiple arcade games requires more external storage space, including Tesla's Drive-Thru and Sentinel modes.

If you want to take full advantage of these features of the Tesla, using 500G SSD space may be limited. Tesla's Sentry mode and arcade games can fill up storage very quickly, another important consideration is rewriting your SSD as it ages. The larger the SSD, the less time of rewriting is required and obviously the more you can store. And buying an SSD for a Tesla also requires consideration of shock, vibration and transfer speeds.

Therefore, the criteria for our selection were:
1. With 1TB of storage space.
2. Be resistant to shock and vibration.
3. With USB 3.2 interface.
4. Support 1050MBps sequential read speed and up to 1000MBps write speed.

Here, we list some of our recommendations for the best portable SSD's for Tesla.

  1. Tesla Solid State Drive - $350
  2. Samsung T7 Shield Portable - $74.99
  3. SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable - $82.99
  4. Western Digital My Passport SSD - $69.99
  5. Crucial X8 1TB Portable SSD - $75.98
Tesla Solid State Drive

 

Tesla has released a 1TB solid state drive on its official store. Set to be available in February 2023 for $350, it's designed to store everything from Tesla arcade games to vehicle camera data. And it's specifically designed to withstand the extreme temperatures, shocks and vibrations inside the car. This automotive-grade external SSD is certainly the best option, but it has the same obvious drawbacks: It's not available as of yet (updated on May 22, 2023,) and in fact, Tesla's own hard drive appears to just be a rebranded Samsung T7 SSD and is much more expensive.

 

Samsung T7 Shield Portable

If you are looking for a portable SSD, I think you have to check out the Samsung T7 SSD. This external storage is not only fast, but also has a lot of nice features while still being able to offer good portability.

This SSD is ready for bumps and tumbles, with a rugged design and advanced external elastomers that add extra durability and can even withstand drops up to 9.8 feet, while being IP65 rated for safety against water and dust.

The Samsung T7 Shield Portable has an operating temperature range of 0 C to 60 C, a non-operating temperature range of -40 C to 85 C, and an operating humidity range of 5% to 95%. Considering the reliability of the Samsung T7 Shield Portable, TOPCARS highly recommends it for your Tesla and he will be the perfect choice for you.

 

SanDisk Extreme Portable

Another good option is the SanDisk Extreme SSD. thanks to a forged aluminum frame protected by a silicone rubber skin, this 1.8-ounce drive has an IP55 rugged rating, meaning it is dust and water resistant and can withstand drops from up to 6.5 feet.

The Extreme has a USB-C port that supports up to USB 3.2 Gen 2. It comes with a short USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. The drive supports sequential read speeds of up to 1050MBps and write speeds of up to 1000MBps.

It comes with password protection with 256-bit AES hardware encryption to help protect the privacy of private content. And it comes with a reassuring 5-year warranty.

 

Western Digital My Passport

Western Digital is a leader in SSDs, and it's also a good fit for the Tesla, with the same performance, AES hardware encryption and 6.5 feet drop resistance as SanDisk. And it's compact enough to slip into almost any pocket on a laptop bag or briefcase.

The My Passport SSD comes in an anodized aluminum finish and is available in four colors. It is a compact external SSD that is smaller and lighter than the Crucial X8 and SanDisk Extreme Portable, and slightly longer and heavier than the Samsung T7.

Has a unique feature of automatic backup that makes it easy to restore important files and documents that are lost or deleted. It's a great way to keep your data safe in case you lose your drive. And Western Digital also offers a warranty of up to 5 years.

The My Passport SSD is competitively priced among external SSDs in its class and can be had for $69.99 at Amazon.

 

Ctucial X8

The Crucial X8 features a black anodized aluminum unibody finish with silicon overmolded ends that can withstand drops of up to 7.5 feet on carpet and up to 3 feet on concrete, and resist extreme temperatures, shock and vibration.

The Crucial X8 is a budget SSD without the snazzy looks, but it delivers the same performance as the competition at an attractive price. And it comes with a standard 3-year warranty.

To summarize, selecting the best portable SSD drive for your Tesla is crucial to maximize the utilization of features like gaming and storage. After considering the criteria, we have presented a range of top recommendations. While Tesla's own 1TB SSD drive appears promising, it is not yet available and comes at a higher price point. Alternatively, options such as the Samsung T7 Shield Portable, SanDisk Extreme Portable, Western Digital My Passport SSD, and Crucial X8 offer exceptional performance. These SSD drives are designed to withstand shocks, vibrations, and offer fast read and write speeds, coupled with secure encryption capabilities. By choosing the SSD drive that aligns with your preferences and budget, you can unlock enhanced entertainment and ample storage capacity for your Tesla vehicle.

 

 

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About Author
John Murphy

John Murphy is the founder of TOPCARS Tesla Aftermarket Accessories, as well as an investor in Tesla and owner of the Model Y. He posts about Tesla news while running the site on a daily basis.

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