When it comes to Android TV boxes, the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro is a class apart. Despite being five years old at this point, it can still effortlessly hold its own against the best streaming devices currently available in the market. Granted, most of the TVs are 'smart' these days, so you don't really need a streaming box. However, majority of them (including those that run Google TV) come with cluttered user interfaces and useless recommendations that make everyday usage a chore. If you find that irksome and would rather have something a bit more minimal, or if you simply have an old TV that you want to be able to enjoy streaming media on, the Shield TV Pro is (still) your best bet.
Of course, this is all because of the underlying hardware. Powered by NVIDIA's own Tegra X1+ chipset and 3GB of RAM, the Shield TV Pro can handle everything from 4K HDR streaming video to cloud gaming. The 16GB onboard storage is somewhat low by today's standards but thanks to the device's two USB-A 3.0 ports, you can connect one of the best external drives for NVIDIA Shield TV Pro and have all the storage you could possibly ever need for your media, apps, and more. So, whether you prefer a rugged SSD, a portable flash drive, or even something funky with RGB lighting, here are some of the finest options worth taking a look at.
These are the best external drives for NVIDIA Shield TV Pro
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Best overall
The Samsung T7 is a tough yet portable SSD with an aluminum unibody construction for shock resistance and fall protection of up to six feet. It has sequential read and write speeds of around 1,000MB/s and the super-fast USB 3.2 interface makes it a great alternative to the Shield TV Pro's internal storage. The T7 comes in a total of three colors.
Best value
If you're looking for an external drive to just store your personal media (e.g., photos, videos) and view them every now and then on the Shield TV Pro, the WD Elements Portable is a solid option that doesn't cost a lot. The hard drive comes in capacities of up to 6TB and uses USB 3.0 for easy connectivity.
Best affordable SSD
With the Crucial X6, you get a portable SSD with read speeds of up to 800MB/s and storage capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB. It's lightweight and compact, and is able to withstand being dropped from a height of six and a half feet. A USB-C to USB-C cable is also included with the package.
Best plug-and-play option
The ADATA UV350 is the perfect solution if you don't really want to bother with plugging and unplugging things repeatedly. It's a compact flash drive with USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds, and is available in capacities ranging from 32GB to 512GB. The capless design means that you'll never misplace the cap, and the integrated hole at the end lets you attach it to a lanyard or a keychain with little to no effort.
Best ample storage
The WD My Book stands vertically alongside your Shield TV Pro, perfectly complementing the streaming media player. If you're a data hoarder, you're going to love it. This thing starts at 4TB and goes up to an absolutely ridiculous 24TB, so you can store your entire collection on it. Connectivity is via USB 3.2 Gen 1, and you get a three-year warranty as well.
Best RGB storage
This one's for all the gamers out there. The cyberpunk-inspired KingSpec Z5 RGB goes a long way in sprucing up the style quotient of the Shield TV Pro. The SSD offers up to 4TB of storage and uses a 128-color breathing light that makes it look incredible. The transfer speeds are rated at up to 2100MB/s, and you get a USB-C 3.2 interface for connectivity, along with a three-year limited warranty.
Give your NVIDIA Shield TV Pro a storage boost
Whether you plan to use an external drive to replace the NVIDIA Shield TV Pro's own 16GB storage or to simply augment it for bringing downloaded/offline content from your PC to your TV, these are all excellent NVIDIA Shield TV Pro drives. However, if you're looking to max out your internal storage, we'd recommend using a fast SSD as the default storage for the Shield TV Pro. The Samsung T7 SSD fits the bill in this case perfectly, offering good thermal management for continuous operation, as well as a rugged body, and a range of storage capacities.
If you want to save a bit on SSD storage, the Crucial X6 offers similar capacities as the Samsung T7 and with the same connection interface, but at a lower cost. A standard portable hard drive is ideal for when you'll be doing mostly read operations from the drive (e.g., viewing content) and if you already have a ton of offline media that you'd like to watch on your TV, the WD Elements Portable hard drive is a reliable yet affordable option that comes in large capacities. Need more storage? In this case, the WD My Book external drive offers up to a staggering 24TB of storage.
Don't like cables dangling out of the back of your Shield TV Pro? A simple flash drive is what you need in this case. We suggest the ADATA UV350, since it's quite a robust option thanks to the metal build, sleek design, and large capacities of up to 512GB. You can also add a bit of color to your streaming media setup with the KingSpec Z5 RGB. It's fast, stylish, and flashy!
The NVIDIA Shield TV Pro can also double up as a great cloud gaming console, thanks to the GeForce NOW cloud game streaming service. However, make sure you go and grab one of these best gaming controllers for the most optimal gaming experience.
