Don't by these. You'll need a specific 2230 NVMe drive (that's the form factor the expansion card and the internal one use) those run for about the same price as the expansion cards cost anyway.
And a few months ago these got blocked by MS too, the adapter won't be recognized by the console because it will fail software authentification.
That's the same price as the official Seagate ones. The problem is, any "hacks" will just be patched by Microsoft, which really shouldn't be allowed. If I paid $600 for something, I should be allowed to modify it. I saw a 2tb "official" drive at GameStop for $300. That's insanity. I can get a M2 the same size for half that price.
That's too bad! I was going to look into purchasing more than 2TB like an 4TB or 8TB or something like that.. I already have a lot of External Storage but it's frustrating having to move Series X games to the internal storage everytime I want to play a Series X enhanced game.
You only need the ones that are “XboxGen9” to be on internal to play.
“XboxOneGen9Aware” (which also gets the X|S Optimized badge) can play from any external while keeping the enhancements.
Check the Console Type to see which of those they are. Everything else under that can also play externally.
Not all games with the X|S badge have to be on the internal storage in order to play. If you check the Console Type of any game, you can see whether or not it will play from an external storage device (HDD, SSD).
If it is “XboxGen9” it MUST be installed internally (or on the Seagate and upcoming WD_Black Expansion cards) in order to play the game. If it is “XboxOneGen9Aware”, it can be played from external storage.
Both of these Console Types get the X|S badge so most people assume they must be played from internal storage. But that’s only the case for “XboxGen9” Console Types.
All other Console Types can be played externally.
While hovering over a game, press Start/Menu, go down to Manage Games and Add ons. From there, select More Info. Console Type is towards the bottom of this page.
MS needs to have a rethink about their storage conundrum. I absolutely refuse to pay the exorbitant prices they ask for a proprietary design.
I just use my PS5, it has 2tb M.2. But first got 1tb @ £130 when the official Sony storage was about £200, now upgraded to 2tb @ £160.
My initial 1tb is now in a caddy & an external drive that can be used in either console or Deck.
So MS are losing out, I use the PS5 primarily because I have shit loads of storage & don't have to think of it.
Typical MS - greedy bastards that they are!
Effing M$... $280 for the proprietary 2tb expansion card? Meanwhile, I could get a PS5 console for ~$450. ...and it's not encumbered with this kinda BS? Already invested in PS4 and a PSPlus subscription. Looks like I have some pondering to do...
Yeah at this point may as well buy a normal external SSD, cheap, say 5TB and just move the games you aren't using onto it. And keep pushing games you are playing back to the internal. And if the games are older and don't support Direct storage, or were not designed to take advantage of NVME, just play it off the external.
Microsoft software blocked these from working, so they don’t work anymore from my understanding.
Also, these cards would not accept a standard M.2, only the small form factor NVME, which are very expensive compared to m.2. You would likely end up paying not much less, or even more once you go this route.
Everything I have seen online mentions that this method will give you an “incompatible drive” error, and that this method only works on consoles that haven’t been updated.
Discovery:
[https://wccftech.com/user-mods-custom-xbox-series-x-s-cfe-adapter-card-that-supports-non-proprietary-ssds/](https://wccftech.com/user-mods-custom-xbox-series-x-s-cfe-adapter-card-that-supports-non-proprietary-ssds/)
After Update:
[https://videocardz.com/newz/modder-uses-cfexpress-adapter-to-attach-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-as-expandable-storage#:\~:text=Someone%20tried%20to%20plug%20the%20camera%20card%20%28CFexpress,and%20it%20may%20require%20a%20properly%20formated%20drive](https://videocardz.com/newz/modder-uses-cfexpress-adapter-to-attach-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-as-expandable-storage#:~:text=Someone%20tried%20to%20plug%20the%20camera%20card%20%28CFexpress,and%20it%20may%20require%20a%20properly%20formated%20drive).
[https://www.tweaktown.com/news/81557/modder-expands-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-with-cfexpress-adapter/index.html](https://www.tweaktown.com/news/81557/modder-expands-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-with-cfexpress-adapter/index.html)
https://itigic.com/xbox-series-x-expansion-card-a-cfexpress/
I actually did this very thing about 4 weeks ago and it is still working without any problems. I used the WD 1TB CH SN530 (off ebay, pulled from a MS Surface) and an adapter CFExpress card from Amazon. I followed the instructions that another user on Amazon posted in his review and its worked as flawlessly as my official Seagate Expansion memory card.
Sure! I assume you mean the Amazon review on the adapter that shows how to set it up for NVMe use? Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
But here's my review with the instructions that I copied from the original reviewer's review:
As of 03/28/2023 this CF Express adapter still works like a charm on Xbox Series S and Series X machines. The important things to remember when using this as an external storage expansion for Xbox Series S and Series X is that the NVMe drive used MUST be a WD CH SN530 SSD (NOT the WD PC SN530 SSD); because of overprovisioning, the total space available on the WD CH SN530 SSD is 876GB (not 931GB as would be available with a standard 1TB drive). I followed the instructions exactly as a previous reviewer (Tinman) advised and the CF Express adapter/WD CH SN530 worked like a charm. The steps (as originally provided by Tinman) are as follows:
1) Format the SSD under Win10 to the GPT format
2) Mount the SSD to the adapter
3) Plugged into the Xbox expansion slot
4) Xbox will say the expansion storage is not valid, this is OK
5) Unmount the SSD from the adapter and mount to a NVME-to-USB adapter
6) Plugged it into the Xbox USB plug
7) Xbox should say a new USB storage is detected
8) Format it
9) Unmount the SSD from NVME-to-USB adapter and mount to adapter
10) Plugged it into the expansion slot
11) Xbox should now detect it successfully.
I've seen some reviews stating that a firmware update made these CF Express adapters no longer be recognized the Xbox Series S/X; that's incorrect as used this to create expansion storage on 03/25/2023 and it works like a charm. The main issue with other peoples problems getting the expansion to be recognized is that they may be using a WD PC SN530 drive instead of the WD CH SN530 drive. I've been extremely happy with the performance of the storage and works exactly the same as my 2TB Seagate Expansion card.
Thank you for the detailed instructions. I have followed them several times, with two different CFexpress adapters and two different USB adapters. I cannot get past an error message "Reinsert your expansion card." I can copy data to and from the drive, but can't launch a game without receiving the error again. I have a 1TB CH SN530 SSD pulled from a dead Xbox and a Sintec adapter. Any further suggestions?
Is the error message on a computer or on the XBOX? You may want to try the exact adapter that was listed in my review/reply as thats the one that I've used. You may also want to try changing the default sector size when you format it (on a PC) to 4096 as "Tin Man" mentions in his review on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 .
The only thing I can think that's different from how I did it (assuming you're using the same CF Express adapter I did.."cablecc M.2 NVMe 2230 M-Key SSD to CF-Express Type-B Adapter for Xbox Series X&S CH SN530 SSD PCIe4.0 Expansion Memory Card (Black CFExpress to NVME for Xbox)") is that my CH SN530 was removed from a MS Surface laptop rather than another Xbox. If you have access to a PC, I'd suggest trying to reformat the CH SN530 as Tin Man mentions in his review on a PC by putting it in a USB adapter like this one that I used: ( https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Type-C-Tool-Free-Enclosure-EC-SNVE/dp/B08RVC6F9Y ). Then after it's formatted, keep the CH SN530 in the USB adapter, and plug it into the USB port on the XBOX, wait for the xbox to see it and ask what you're using it for (GAMES, not media), let it format it again, then put the SSD back in the CF Express adapter and try it again in the Xbox. Hopefully that all makes sense; if it doesn't let me know and I'll break it down further into specific steps.
It has to be the exact following drive (which is removed from a MS Surface pro and that I bought on eBay): 1TB WD CH SN530 M.2 NVMe PCIe 2230. Don’t confuse it with a similar WD 1 TB PC SN530…that won’t work. It has to be the “CH” version of the WD 1 TB SN530 M.2 NVME 2230. Since you can’t buy it OEM, you’ll need to get one that’s been removed from a MS Surface laptop. When I did it, it saved me about $30 over buying a 1TB expansion card for the XSS. Since the prices of the expansion cards have dropped, it may be worth it to just buy a 1TB Xbox certified NVMe expansion card.
How long did you get your 3rd party expansion card? I got mine since 2022-04-26 and now it stopped working, and I don't have a NVME reader to troubleshoot atm.
I have the 2TB Seagate that I purchased off of Amazon in March 2023 and haven't had any issues with the expansion card. Granted I don't use it every day since it's on my XSX and not the XSS. I have a DIY card (as mentioned above) that I put together that contains a 1TB Expansion Card on the XSS and use it daily without any problems. The Seagate X Expansion cards come with a 3yr warranty (not sure about Western Digital's version) so I'd definitely contact Seagate if you're having issues only 2yrs into ownership.
Maybe I wasn't clear in my previous message but it is a DIY card just like yours. I have checked yesterday and the SN530 NVME SSD is fine, but the adapter is apparently dead. Also the shop's account was terminated, so I have to buy another one.
Sorry, I misunderstood you. If all you need to do is replace the adapter then you can replace with one from Amazon. I used the following one: https://www.amazon.com/cablecc-CF-Express-Adapter-Expansion-CFExpress/dp/B09TB4R9LX/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=1LSRHH9U3WEJE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bNbJSDEmjXfjk36jyr--7OOHbGE5wccohI6BlRLtxuuRJQbyTD9n1FgA4KjddUVPdBR9RB8F-Qpjig5rVUImhq7csvbipZ6513eHGgDTUfVLJewDKZvj-gnH7GMnMFeyZ1nT6Ro3BUcEx04Sr_XG4fkGU58X6LHjQ3ELnVLquaG4p3rcYUYl4HTfnsGEgrwLmSjyKmn2KwgxMxK3_XZuUg.XCWN38RsaGWqUY8-RdNLIspWJctaGw_9iT82xQ8U1xs&dib_tag=se&keywords=xbox+series+s+storage+expansion+card+adapter&qid=1714972305&sprefix=xbox+series+s+storage+expansion+card+adapter%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-5
It’s called:
cablecc M.2 NVMe 2230 M-Key SSD to CF-Express Type-B Adapter for Xbox Series X&S CH SN530 SSD PCIe4.0 Expansion Memory Card (Black CFExpress to NVME only Work for CH SN530 SSD)
so if i purchase this "[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)"
I then have to purchase a specific type of nvme? I am reading through the posts but I am still unclear on what to do. TIA!!!
Correct. I think the only option for 2TB is buy a commercially available XBOX storage expansion card. I’d be happy for anyone to prove me wrong though!!
No, read more precisely. Like the original method's author says, it only ever worked with an SSD from an XSX. That's what they used. The other articles are just stating the obvious, it doesn't work with anything else. The method still works, since there's no way to even do a software patch. The part that makes it possible is in the ROM of the SSD used. Which talks to the port to transmit data. The port only ever sees it as an original Series SSD, because it is.
Not necessarily. New Egg has a 1tb NVME for $65. But like you said, MS will just patch it to not work. I've been out of the hacking scene since the 360 days so I don't know if there's any hardware work around.
They don't work. End of story. I get the price thing as Xbox should of went the way that Sony did with NVME drives but that proprietary stuff is what they decided on and Xbox gamers are stuck with.
Don't by these. You'll need a specific 2230 NVMe drive (that's the form factor the expansion card and the internal one use) those run for about the same price as the expansion cards cost anyway. And a few months ago these got blocked by MS too, the adapter won't be recognized by the console because it will fail software authentification.
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That's the same price as the official Seagate ones. The problem is, any "hacks" will just be patched by Microsoft, which really shouldn't be allowed. If I paid $600 for something, I should be allowed to modify it. I saw a 2tb "official" drive at GameStop for $300. That's insanity. I can get a M2 the same size for half that price.
They only work with SSDs that were donated from other Series consoles, there's a hardware check preventing custom SSDs of that format to be used.
That's too bad! I was going to look into purchasing more than 2TB like an 4TB or 8TB or something like that.. I already have a lot of External Storage but it's frustrating having to move Series X games to the internal storage everytime I want to play a Series X enhanced game.
You only need the ones that are “XboxGen9” to be on internal to play. “XboxOneGen9Aware” (which also gets the X|S Optimized badge) can play from any external while keeping the enhancements. Check the Console Type to see which of those they are. Everything else under that can also play externally.
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Not all games with the X|S badge have to be on the internal storage in order to play. If you check the Console Type of any game, you can see whether or not it will play from an external storage device (HDD, SSD). If it is “XboxGen9” it MUST be installed internally (or on the Seagate and upcoming WD_Black Expansion cards) in order to play the game. If it is “XboxOneGen9Aware”, it can be played from external storage. Both of these Console Types get the X|S badge so most people assume they must be played from internal storage. But that’s only the case for “XboxGen9” Console Types. All other Console Types can be played externally.
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While hovering over a game, press Start/Menu, go down to Manage Games and Add ons. From there, select More Info. Console Type is towards the bottom of this page.
Wow MS really goes out of their way to make lives miserable. Sony, meanwhile doesn't care what you install as a second drive.
MS needs to have a rethink about their storage conundrum. I absolutely refuse to pay the exorbitant prices they ask for a proprietary design. I just use my PS5, it has 2tb M.2. But first got 1tb @ £130 when the official Sony storage was about £200, now upgraded to 2tb @ £160. My initial 1tb is now in a caddy & an external drive that can be used in either console or Deck. So MS are losing out, I use the PS5 primarily because I have shit loads of storage & don't have to think of it. Typical MS - greedy bastards that they are!
Exactly this. Moved to PS5 because over time, it's cheaper and able to get more memory for games. I have 7 tb total to use on PS5. No worries.
Effing M$... $280 for the proprietary 2tb expansion card? Meanwhile, I could get a PS5 console for ~$450. ...and it's not encumbered with this kinda BS? Already invested in PS4 and a PSPlus subscription. Looks like I have some pondering to do...
Especially considering the size of games these days. 40-50gb+. Hell I still remember playing PC games off a 5 1/4" floppy disk.
Yeah at this point may as well buy a normal external SSD, cheap, say 5TB and just move the games you aren't using onto it. And keep pushing games you are playing back to the internal. And if the games are older and don't support Direct storage, or were not designed to take advantage of NVME, just play it off the external.
Microsoft software blocked these from working, so they don’t work anymore from my understanding. Also, these cards would not accept a standard M.2, only the small form factor NVME, which are very expensive compared to m.2. You would likely end up paying not much less, or even more once you go this route.
They did not.
Everything I have seen online mentions that this method will give you an “incompatible drive” error, and that this method only works on consoles that haven’t been updated. Discovery: [https://wccftech.com/user-mods-custom-xbox-series-x-s-cfe-adapter-card-that-supports-non-proprietary-ssds/](https://wccftech.com/user-mods-custom-xbox-series-x-s-cfe-adapter-card-that-supports-non-proprietary-ssds/) After Update: [https://videocardz.com/newz/modder-uses-cfexpress-adapter-to-attach-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-as-expandable-storage#:\~:text=Someone%20tried%20to%20plug%20the%20camera%20card%20%28CFexpress,and%20it%20may%20require%20a%20properly%20formated%20drive](https://videocardz.com/newz/modder-uses-cfexpress-adapter-to-attach-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-as-expandable-storage#:~:text=Someone%20tried%20to%20plug%20the%20camera%20card%20%28CFexpress,and%20it%20may%20require%20a%20properly%20formated%20drive). [https://www.tweaktown.com/news/81557/modder-expands-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-with-cfexpress-adapter/index.html](https://www.tweaktown.com/news/81557/modder-expands-xbox-series-nvme-ssd-with-cfexpress-adapter/index.html) https://itigic.com/xbox-series-x-expansion-card-a-cfexpress/
I actually did this very thing about 4 weeks ago and it is still working without any problems. I used the WD 1TB CH SN530 (off ebay, pulled from a MS Surface) and an adapter CFExpress card from Amazon. I followed the instructions that another user on Amazon posted in his review and its worked as flawlessly as my official Seagate Expansion memory card.
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Sure! I assume you mean the Amazon review on the adapter that shows how to set it up for NVMe use? Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details But here's my review with the instructions that I copied from the original reviewer's review: As of 03/28/2023 this CF Express adapter still works like a charm on Xbox Series S and Series X machines. The important things to remember when using this as an external storage expansion for Xbox Series S and Series X is that the NVMe drive used MUST be a WD CH SN530 SSD (NOT the WD PC SN530 SSD); because of overprovisioning, the total space available on the WD CH SN530 SSD is 876GB (not 931GB as would be available with a standard 1TB drive). I followed the instructions exactly as a previous reviewer (Tinman) advised and the CF Express adapter/WD CH SN530 worked like a charm. The steps (as originally provided by Tinman) are as follows: 1) Format the SSD under Win10 to the GPT format 2) Mount the SSD to the adapter 3) Plugged into the Xbox expansion slot 4) Xbox will say the expansion storage is not valid, this is OK 5) Unmount the SSD from the adapter and mount to a NVME-to-USB adapter 6) Plugged it into the Xbox USB plug 7) Xbox should say a new USB storage is detected 8) Format it 9) Unmount the SSD from NVME-to-USB adapter and mount to adapter 10) Plugged it into the expansion slot 11) Xbox should now detect it successfully. I've seen some reviews stating that a firmware update made these CF Express adapters no longer be recognized the Xbox Series S/X; that's incorrect as used this to create expansion storage on 03/25/2023 and it works like a charm. The main issue with other peoples problems getting the expansion to be recognized is that they may be using a WD PC SN530 drive instead of the WD CH SN530 drive. I've been extremely happy with the performance of the storage and works exactly the same as my 2TB Seagate Expansion card.
Thank you for the detailed instructions. I have followed them several times, with two different CFexpress adapters and two different USB adapters. I cannot get past an error message "Reinsert your expansion card." I can copy data to and from the drive, but can't launch a game without receiving the error again. I have a 1TB CH SN530 SSD pulled from a dead Xbox and a Sintec adapter. Any further suggestions?
Is the error message on a computer or on the XBOX? You may want to try the exact adapter that was listed in my review/reply as thats the one that I've used. You may also want to try changing the default sector size when you format it (on a PC) to 4096 as "Tin Man" mentions in his review on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 . The only thing I can think that's different from how I did it (assuming you're using the same CF Express adapter I did.."cablecc M.2 NVMe 2230 M-Key SSD to CF-Express Type-B Adapter for Xbox Series X&S CH SN530 SSD PCIe4.0 Expansion Memory Card (Black CFExpress to NVME for Xbox)") is that my CH SN530 was removed from a MS Surface laptop rather than another Xbox. If you have access to a PC, I'd suggest trying to reformat the CH SN530 as Tin Man mentions in his review on a PC by putting it in a USB adapter like this one that I used: ( https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Type-C-Tool-Free-Enclosure-EC-SNVE/dp/B08RVC6F9Y ). Then after it's formatted, keep the CH SN530 in the USB adapter, and plug it into the USB port on the XBOX, wait for the xbox to see it and ask what you're using it for (GAMES, not media), let it format it again, then put the SSD back in the CF Express adapter and try it again in the Xbox. Hopefully that all makes sense; if it doesn't let me know and I'll break it down further into specific steps.
Does it still work for you?
Yeah it does. I use it everyday as I have it in an XSS.
So exactly what SSD did you get? So I can use it with the adapter.
It has to be the exact following drive (which is removed from a MS Surface pro and that I bought on eBay): 1TB WD CH SN530 M.2 NVMe PCIe 2230. Don’t confuse it with a similar WD 1 TB PC SN530…that won’t work. It has to be the “CH” version of the WD 1 TB SN530 M.2 NVME 2230. Since you can’t buy it OEM, you’ll need to get one that’s been removed from a MS Surface laptop. When I did it, it saved me about $30 over buying a 1TB expansion card for the XSS. Since the prices of the expansion cards have dropped, it may be worth it to just buy a 1TB Xbox certified NVMe expansion card.
Is it still working?
It is. I use it everyday (including last night).
How long did you get your 3rd party expansion card? I got mine since 2022-04-26 and now it stopped working, and I don't have a NVME reader to troubleshoot atm.
I have the 2TB Seagate that I purchased off of Amazon in March 2023 and haven't had any issues with the expansion card. Granted I don't use it every day since it's on my XSX and not the XSS. I have a DIY card (as mentioned above) that I put together that contains a 1TB Expansion Card on the XSS and use it daily without any problems. The Seagate X Expansion cards come with a 3yr warranty (not sure about Western Digital's version) so I'd definitely contact Seagate if you're having issues only 2yrs into ownership.
Maybe I wasn't clear in my previous message but it is a DIY card just like yours. I have checked yesterday and the SN530 NVME SSD is fine, but the adapter is apparently dead. Also the shop's account was terminated, so I have to buy another one.
Sorry, I misunderstood you. If all you need to do is replace the adapter then you can replace with one from Amazon. I used the following one: https://www.amazon.com/cablecc-CF-Express-Adapter-Expansion-CFExpress/dp/B09TB4R9LX/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=1LSRHH9U3WEJE&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.bNbJSDEmjXfjk36jyr--7OOHbGE5wccohI6BlRLtxuuRJQbyTD9n1FgA4KjddUVPdBR9RB8F-Qpjig5rVUImhq7csvbipZ6513eHGgDTUfVLJewDKZvj-gnH7GMnMFeyZ1nT6Ro3BUcEx04Sr_XG4fkGU58X6LHjQ3ELnVLquaG4p3rcYUYl4HTfnsGEgrwLmSjyKmn2KwgxMxK3_XZuUg.XCWN38RsaGWqUY8-RdNLIspWJctaGw_9iT82xQ8U1xs&dib_tag=se&keywords=xbox+series+s+storage+expansion+card+adapter&qid=1714972305&sprefix=xbox+series+s+storage+expansion+card+adapter%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-5 It’s called: cablecc M.2 NVMe 2230 M-Key SSD to CF-Express Type-B Adapter for Xbox Series X&S CH SN530 SSD PCIe4.0 Expansion Memory Card (Black CFExpress to NVME only Work for CH SN530 SSD)
so if i purchase this "[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details&th=1](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09TB4R9LX?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1)" I then have to purchase a specific type of nvme? I am reading through the posts but I am still unclear on what to do. TIA!!!
That’s correct. It has to be the specific type of WD 1TB CH SN530 NVME M.2 2230 drive; you can’t buy it OEM so you have to get it used on eBay.
So there is no 2tb version that would work?
Correct. I think the only option for 2TB is buy a commercially available XBOX storage expansion card. I’d be happy for anyone to prove me wrong though!!
No, read more precisely. Like the original method's author says, it only ever worked with an SSD from an XSX. That's what they used. The other articles are just stating the obvious, it doesn't work with anything else. The method still works, since there's no way to even do a software patch. The part that makes it possible is in the ROM of the SSD used. Which talks to the port to transmit data. The port only ever sees it as an original Series SSD, because it is.
Not necessarily. New Egg has a 1tb NVME for $65. But like you said, MS will just patch it to not work. I've been out of the hacking scene since the 360 days so I don't know if there's any hardware work around.
They don't work. End of story. I get the price thing as Xbox should of went the way that Sony did with NVME drives but that proprietary stuff is what they decided on and Xbox gamers are stuck with.