Can you use intel optane to boost external hard drives?

[JHara3]

I have a mini Itx pc and it only has one 2.5in drive slot so i only have 1 ssd and i have a larger mechanical external drive that i use for all my games and it's running slow so i was curious if i could speed it up or if i would have to fork out the money for a larger m.2 drive... (note that the external drive is always plugged into my pc) thanks for the help in advance.

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello JHara3,

Thank you for contacting Intel® Memory & Storage Support.

As we understand, you need assistance with your Intel® Optane™ Memory. If we infer correctly we will appreciate if you can review the following information:

•   Can you use intel optane to boost external hard drives?   

The usage of the Intel® Optane™ Memory to accelerate external drives is not supported, tested or validated by Intel® and our software may not let you do it depending on the enclosure device that you are using.

•   We advise you to visit the “Intel® Optane™ Memory: Before You Buy, Key Requirements” article (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000023994/memory-and-storage/intel-optane-memory.html) for more information.

We will be looking forward to your reply in case you need further assistance.

Have a nice day.

Best regards,

Josh B.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[LeonWaksman · Accepted solution]

If the external HDD is plugged to your PC with SATA interface you may try to use Optane Memory to accelerate it. However if it is connected to your PC USB port, it is not supported.

Leon

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello JHara3,

Thank you for having contacted Intel® Memory & Storage Support.

This is just a friendly reminder that your case remains open and we will like to know if there is anything else we can help you with. Please take into consideration that we don’t guarantee that the suggestion from the super-user will work. This approach may work, but we have not tested any external HDD so we cannot confirm that this configuration will work.

Should you need our technical assistance please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Josh B.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[JosafathB_Intel]

Hello JHara3,

Thank you for having contacted Intel® Technical Support.

I was reviewing your community post and we would like to know if you need further assistance or if we can close this case.

We will be looking forward to your reply.

Best regards,

Josh B.

Intel® Customer Support Technician

Under Contract to Intel Corporation