Ever since the launch of the Xbox 360 there has been a constant question about whether or not the console can be used to store other media. The standard Xbox 360 hard-drive is simply one of the smallest media storage devices available for use with this console. The standard hard-drive is unable to store game titles and other media like movies and music, which must be downloaded from either a cable service or an internet service. This means that without an external source of media storage the games and films will be lost forever.
So, how is it possible for this standard Xbox 360 hard-drive to be able to hold large amounts of media? There are two possible answers to this question, both of which are equally unsatisfactory. The first method is that Microsoft has decided to use a form of magnet technology known as solid state drives (or SSD). Although these drives are still relatively new, they are capable of storing huge amounts of data whilst being much less expensive than traditional hard-disks.
The other method is that the standard Xbox 360 hard-drive is simply a regular CD-ROM drive. The problem with this is that the CD-ROM drive is simply not big enough to accommodate the enormous amount of data which must be stored on games and films. The result is that the Xbox 360 console will always be Tesco Hard Drivesunable to read files unless it has access to a larger hard-disk drive. Once the hard-drive has reached its maximum size, all further data will be written to the memory chip which is located behind the hard-drive. Even if this chip is overwritten with new material, the data will still be written to the hard-disk because the data is not stored on the chip at this point.
It is possible to replace the standard Xbox 360 hard-drive with one of the better available models, but you should always bear in mind that even premium quality products will still depreciate in value over time. Therefore you should budget for a product which will outlive your gaming console. If you are unlucky enough to break your console then you can always sell it on an auction website or perhaps exchange it for a new one. However, bear in mind that in most instances you will have to pay an extremely high price in order to obtain a working replacement.
The other alternative is to upgrade your existing standard hard-drive. This can be achieved by purchasing an external USB hard-drive. These devices work very much like a flash memory chip, which means that they can be plugged directly into the Xbox 360 without any need for modification to the console itself. Although these units are relatively cheaper than the standard hard-drive, it is worth bearing in mind that the memory chips inside them will not be able to cope with the massive amount of data which may be required by Xbox 360 games.
As you can see from the information contained above, there are a number of different options available to you when it comes to replacing your Xbox 360's standard hard-drive. Although it is highly likely that you will find a standard hard-drive to be unable to store the amount of data required by your Xbox, you may be able to overcome this by upgrading it. If you are not too fussy about how much memory your console requires, then standard hard-drives will be sufficient for most users. However, if you need a lot of extra space or wish to store larger amounts of data then an external USB hard-drive could prove to be a much better investment.