/vr/ - Retro Games

Depends on how much effort you wanna put:
>what the best way to clone a new drive in would be
truth be told, I can't say much on this, as I went full hardmod where cloning isn't needed much due to softmodding being a bitch, but chimp is the most popular method.
>This means original dash and still popping in my dvds when I want to play
You can configure modchips to boot straight from the internal BIOS, allowing it to be 1:1 stock experience, optionally booting into a modded menu when wanted.
>should I go with an HDD for authenticity or upgrade to an SSD for longevity?
Easiest experience for softmoding is simply buying a new-old-stock IDE drive that supports locking (iirc this is the site everyone uses to this day https://xboxdrives.x-pec.com/?p=list)), as SATA2IDE for the OG XBOX is a motherfucker without a hardmod (HDD and DVD drive are connected, so if the DVD drive doesn't like the adapter you're shit out of luck.)