Best PS4 Internal Hard Drive Replacements [2024]
Upgrading the old stock PS4 internal hard drive to an SSD or, at least, a newer classical hard disk drive (HDD) is what any PS4 power user tends to do if they don’t plan to buy a PS5 any sooner. Just like how PS5 enthusiasts do when they upgrade their PS5 internal storage with an additional SSD to enjoy a better performance and an extended storage capacity.
It’s because replacing the PS4 internal hard drive can inject a new life into the old console and make it fast, almost like new, helping your console serve you for additional 2 or 3 years until you decide to upgrade to a PS5.
Personally, as an expert, I prefer to wait until the end of 2024 or 2025, when Sony stops supporting the PS4, before considering buying a PS5. Why? I have very valid reasons for that; one of these is that the PS4 is still a great game console that suffices my gaming needs. Also, I am waiting for the PS5 Pro or PS5 Slim which will be a better choice than the base PS5.
The PS4 is still a great game console, and with just a simple tweak like upgrading the PS4 internal hard drive to a faster and more reliable one (Experts strongly recommended an SSD), you can save your money and wait a year, two or even three before deciding to buy the PS5.
Best Internal PS4 Hard Drive Quick List
Below is a list that gathers all the drives we recommend for PS4. They are clickable and will take you immediately to the corresponding item once you click on them.
Note that most, not all, these drives come with a maximum 1 TB storage capacity. We have placed a notice below each one clarifying whether there’s a 2 TB capacity available for that specific model.
- Crucial BX500 SSD—Top Performance PS4 HDD Replacement
- Western Digital Black Performance Hard Drive—Best classical, high-performance PS4 HDD replacement
- Seagate Barracuda Pro Performance HDD—Another high-performance hard dive replacement for PS4
- Western Digital WD Blue 2TB 2.5″ PS4 Hard Drive—Best 2tb 5400RPM classical PS4 HDD replacement
- Toshiba 2tb PS4 HDD—A great 2tb HDD upgrade option for PS4.
These are the best PS4 hard drive replacements you can find on the market today. Remember that if you opt for an SSD, you’ll get the utmost out of your game console and have an amazing drive in terms of performance, durability, and speed.
The Need to Upgrade PS4 Internal HDD
You can bring many benefits to your PS4 console if you replace its internal HDD with a newer and better drive. The reason behind it is that, unfortunately, the PS4 stock HDD is slow, small, and outdated. Over time it will generate errors and become even slower than before, especially with the releases of new resource-demanding games/apps. For that big reason, you see many PS4 users complaining of performance issues with their console, especially slowness, and freeze.
You may be interested in reading more about why PS4 freezes and why the PS4 becomes slow to see how a bad internal PS4 hard drive can lead to that situation.
Note that although most of the PS4 performance issues are caused by a bad hard drive, one issue can be an exception here when the PS4 doesn’t turn on, then that’s usually something that has not to do with the hard drive.
Time to Consider a New PS4 HDD Upgrade
All that and more make it inevitable for every serious gamer to replace the internal HDD of PS4 with a faster and more powerful drive if they wish to keep their console for the next year until they make up their mind about buying PS5.
Some PS4 users are content with their console’s performance and only want extra storage space. Although they will miss the significant performance boost that the PS4 internal hard drive upgrade offers, they can still go for an external hard drive for PS4. Make sure to pick the best external HDD for your console to last for so long with you.
The PS4 stock hard drive is a quite old and outdated device that no longer meets the modern storage requirements of today’s games. Additionally, as an old and traditional technology, the PS4 HDD starts generating errors after some time and may fail in many situations. That’s when the PS4 freezes or even becomes very slow.
So, what are the significant benefits of upgrading the PS4 hard drive? Is it worth it? And if you’ve already decided to try it, so what’s the best internal hard drive replacement for PS4?
There are lots of issues to address concerning PS4 hard drive replacement. We have covered almost everything you need to know in this comprehensive guide. You will learn about the best hard drive upgrade for PS4, how to upgrade, what type of storage devices is best suited for your needs, what capacity to choose, and much more within this guide. So, keep reading on.
Best PS4 Internal HDD Replacement Brands
1. Crucial BX500 SSD
This is the best internal PS4 hard drive replacement I recommend for PS4. There’s no doubt that a solid-state drive (SSD) is the top-performing storage device out there. As for the PS4, and being affordable for most PS4 users, we strongly recommend upgrading the PS4 HDD to an SSD. It’s the speed that urged us to recommend this drive, and the solid reliability SSDs boast .
An SSD is up to 5x faster than the fastest traditional hard drive available. Moreover, an SSD is way too reliable more than mechanical hard drives. It can last years inside the PS4 without any failure/error. But, the main problem with SSDs is their high price.
Crucial BX500, Although a budget SSD, it’s still costly compared to the other options. The 2 TB model costs around $200 as of the time of writing, whereas our second drive in this list costs $80. Both share the same capacity.
If you can afford an SSD for your PS4 and money is not a problem, go for it. You will enjoy unparalleled speed and excellent reliability that lasts too long. Additionally, you’ll have a smooth gaming experience with an SSD over mechanical hard drives. You’ll not have to undergo the errors and casual halts that hard drive users have (Read more on the benefits of SSDs for PS4).
So, all in all, I have placed one on the top of this list because an SSD is the best in terms of performance. And, according to several IT professionals, Crucial BX500 SSD is the best budget SSD as of today in terms of performance and price together. It will maximize the performance of PS4 to the highest possible level, enhancing your gaming experience on PS4 like never before. Therefore, I have selected it as the best PS4 HDD upgrade, regardless of the price.
So, if you want the utmost out of your game console, go for an SSD, but be ready to pay a premium.
Maximum Storage Capacity
A 2 TB storage capacity is available for Crucial BX500 SSD. Please check the product page on Amazon for more details.
Basic Features
- Boot up faster. Load files quicker. Improve overall system responsiveness
- 300% faster than a typical hard drive
- Improves battery life because it’s 45x more energy efficient than a typical hard drive
- Micron 3D NAND – advancing the world’s memory and storage technology for 40 years
- Crucial 3-year limited warranty
2. Western Digital Black Performance HDD
With up to 1TB of storage running at 7200 RPM, you get a high-speed, high-capacity mobile hard drive, offering the perfect storage solution for PS4 gamers. Backed by an industry-leading 5-year limited warranty, WD Black 2.5-inch Hard Drives combine performance and capacity with a trustworthy brand.
WD Black 2.5-inch Hard Drives are purpose-built and tested to ensure they can handle the high-performance tasks you need. With up to 1TB of capacity, you get the space you need for your game’s downloadable content, large cache sizes for fast load times, and a 7200 RPM-Class drive for desktop-level performance.
WD Black™ 2.5-inch PC Hard Drives are tested under more strenuous conditions over a longer period when compared to other standard hard drives. This comprehensive testing ensures an overall quality benchmark for a stable, high-performance storage solution backed by an industry-leading 5-year limited warranty.
Maximum Storage Capacity
Only 1TB storage capacity is available for this model.
Basic Features
- Fully compatible with PS4 storage upgrade standards.
- Performance 2 5-inch hard drives available in up to 1TB capacities
- Designed for creative professionals, gamers and system builders
- Enhanced-availability (EA) models for applications needing around-the-clock access to lower-transaction environments
- 5-year manufacturer’s limited
3. Seagate Barracuda Pro Performance HDD
The Seagate BarraCuda Pro Performance Internal HDD is a great option for upgrading the stock PS4 hard drive. The uncompromising BarraCuda Pro marries industry-leading storage capacity with 7,200 RPM spin speeds for snappy performance and load times when gaming or performing heavy workloads.
This is an enhanced version of the renowned Seagate Barracuda HDD. It was designed for enthusiasts who want maximum performance from a 2.5-inch PS4 hard drive replacement.
Compared to WD Black Performance HDD, these two drives are very similar. So, you won’t go wrong if you pick this drive over the WD Black.
Maximum Storage Capacity
Only 1 TB storage capacity is available for this model.
Basic Features
- Fastest Hard Drive delivers 7200RPM spin speed along with sustained data rates up to 160MB/s and burst data rates of 6Gb/s
- Thanks to thin 7mm z-height, it’s the perfect fit for thin laptop upgrades and similar small-form-factor systems
- Compatible with Creative pros systems, Desktop or all-in-one PCs, Home servers, Entry-level direct-attached storage devices (DAS)
- Bundled with two years of Seagate Rescue Data Recovery Services, this drive is protected for two years against any mechanical, accidental, or natural disaster
- 5-year product warranty and 300TB/year workload limit
4. WD Blue 2TB PS4 Hard Drive
WD Blue Mobile hard drive is one of the most powerful 2.5-inch with 2TB capacity SATA hard drives on the market today. It’s an excellent choice for PS4 internal hard drive replacement. You can even build an external hard drive for PS4 with this drive.
That drive is a tried and true Western Digital product that won’t let you down in most capacities. For that reason, it’s worthy of consideration for PS4 hard drive replacement.
With increased affordability, plenty of storage space, and lightning-fast processing speeds, you’ll quickly find that it’s still a good choice for a hard drive.
The WD 2TB mobile drive is a decent data storage solution and will serve you well. It comes with a two-year warranty and is PS4 compliant.
Basic Features
- Fully compatible with all models of PS4
- Features 128MB cache, 5400rpm spindle speed, and SATA III interface.
- NoTouch Ramp Load Technology: Safely position the recording head off the disk surface to help protect your data
- 2-year manufacturer limited warranty
- Package includes a hard drive only – no screws, cables, or manuals included. Please purchase mounting hardware and cables separately if necessary
- Ships in WD-certified box for safe transit during shipping
5. Toshiba 2TB PS4 Hard Drive
Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC), a committed technology leader, produced a great PS4 hard drive replacement designed for use in notebook PCs, all-in-one and slim-line desktop systems, and other applications requiring high-capacity storage and 2.5-inch mobile-class durability.
The MQ04ABD200 dual-disk model delivers 2tb storage capacity in a compact 2.5-inch, 9.5mm height form factor. The drive’s 6 Gbit/s SATA interface and 5,400 rpm performance, combined with a large 128 MB buffer, result in a 34 percent increase in maximum transfer rates and a 50 percent improvement in power efficiency compared to Toshiba’s previous 1TB mobile-class model generation, MQ01ABD100.
You can use this drive as an external hard drive for PS4; it will work pretty well. Moreover, Toshiba offers a 3-year limited warranty on this drive. This makes it a very appealing deal for PS4 users.
Basic Features
- Fully compatible with PS4 standards and a great PS4 hard drive upgrade.
- SATA III Interface
- 9.5mm height that fits seamlessly into the PS4 hard drive cage.
- 2TB of storage capacity
- 5400rpm spindle speed
- 3-year limited warranty
- Single-layer caching system (128MB cache buffer)
Choosing the Right PS4 Internal Hard Drive (HDD) Replacement?
Many PS4 users keep asking about the best hard drive (HDD) upgrade for PS4, not knowing how to pick the right one. The answer to that question is not the same for everyone. Depending on several factors concerning your situation, the best hard drive for PS4 is determined.
For instance, if you’re just a lightweight/mediocre player, not an enthusiast, you better get a “good” drive only. Leave extreme power for power users. You can get an external hard drive instead for PS4 if the console’s performance pleases you.
As for enthusiasts who play graphics-intense, resource-demanding games, the most potent drive suits them better. They even get a powerful external hard drive for their PS4 alongside an internal hard drive upgrade.
You can learn more about all aspects you need in this regard before making up your mind on a specific drive in the above list. Just choose the drive model you feel best suits your needs, and remember to make reliability a priority.
What’s PS4 Hard Drive?
PS4 hard drive (HDD) is the storage device inside PS4 that holds the system’s and user’s data. The PS4 HDD is a non-volatile storage device containing magnetic disks or platters rotating at 5400rpm. It is a secondary storage device that stores data permanently, with random access memory (RAM) being the primary memory device. Non-volatile means data is retained when the PS4 is turned off.
Some people refer to the external hard drive used for PS4 as a PS4 hard drive. This is also valid, but it’s not the everyday use of that term.
PS4 HDD Specs
So, to better understand the PS4 hard drive, you must know its specifications first.
The PS4 uses a hard drive with 500 GB storage capacity in the earlier version and 1 TB in the updated versions (aka PS4 Ultimate Player Edition). It’s configured with a SATA II interface and designed in a 2.5-inch form factor. The table below gives you a better overview of PS4 HDD specs.
This table combines the specifications of both hard drives (500 GB and 1 TB) in one place to make it easier to compare.
| Brand & Model | HGST Travelstar Z5K500 (500gb model) HGST Travelstar 5K1000 (1tb model) |
|---|---|
| Capacity (Size) | 500gb (Initial PS4 version) 1tb (Updated PS4 version) |
| Spindle Speed | 5400 RPM (both drive models) |
| Interface | SATA II (3.0 Gbps) (both drive models) |
| Form Factor | 2.5-inch (both drive models) |
| Thickness | 9.5mm (both drive models) |
| Memory Cache | 8mb (both drive models) |
| Warranty | 2 Years Limited (both drive models) |
| Year of Manufacture | 2011 (both drive models) |
Additionally, if you need more details on the specifications of the PS4 internal hard drive, please visit this page.
PS4 Hard Drive Replacement Types
When you replace the internal hard drive of the PS4, remember that there’re three types of storage devices that fit this purpose.
These three types are:
Solid State Drive (SSD)
The fastest-in-history ever. You get a blazing-fast speed that you could never imagine a storage device could have.
A solid-state drive (SSD) is a new generation of storage device used in computers and, recently, game consoles. SSDs replace traditional mechanical hard drives (HDD) using flash-based memory, which is significantly faster. Older hard disk storage technologies run slower, often making your PS4 run slower than it should.
SSDs speed up PS4s significantly due to low read-access times and fast throughputs. Additionally, solid-state drives are much more reliable and durable than traditional HDDs. That means you will avoid many performance issues that occur to HDD users. Therefore, you have to expect a smoother and more enjoyable gaming experience when you replace the PS4 internal HDD with an SSD.
The only disadvantage of SSD compared with the traditional HDD is the high price. While you can get a 2tb HDD for PS4 for just $65, the PS4 2tb SSD would cost you more than $200.
For more details on using an SSD in PS4 and the advantages you’ll gain, please visit our PS4 SSD upgrade guide.
Note that you can also get an external SSD for PS4 for the maximum possible performance. If you have already upgraded the PS4 internal hard drive to an SSD, it is recommended to use an external SSD for extended storage.
Traditional Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
The style of this storage device is just like the one inside your PS4. So, you shouldn’t expect any significant performance boost when replacing the internal hard drive of PS4 with another one of the same type. A modern hard drive offers slightly better speed, larger capacity, and higher reliability. But not that tangible when it comes to performance.
This type of storage is widely used as a PS4 external hard drive.
A hard disk or a hard drive is a data storage device that uses magnetic recording to store and retrieve digital information. Unlike a solid-state drive (SDD) that uses non-moving interconnected flash memories, a hard disk drive (HDD) is essentially composed of a metal platter with magnetic coating. This coating stores the data. A paired magnetic head reads and writes data on this coating while the platter spins.
The real problem with HDDs
The main problem with this kind of storage device is mechanical. Thus, users have to expect varied performance issues with it. For that reason, the PS4 hard drive begins to fail after a few months of use. Also, now you can understand why PS4 becomes slow and starts to lag. A faulty hard drive often causes this. All of that is because the movable mechanical parts of an HDD make it physically vulnerable to mechanical damages due to drops and shudder. The close spacing between the read head and the metallic platter makes HDD prone to scrapes across the platter as the head grinds the thin magnetic coating. For that reason, HDDs are more prone to integrity failure or data loss and overall device corruption.
Some Errors Caused by a Faulty PS4 Hard Drive
There are several errors happen to the PS4 system that a defective hard drive causes, such as:
- PS4 Database Corruption.
- PS4 Update File Error (CE-34788-0)
- Data is Corrupted – Error (CE-36244-9)
- PS4 Error Code (CE-34878-0)
- Cannot start the PS4 | Cannot access system storage.
- PS4 Error Code CE-36329-3
- Cannot Start the Application (CE-30005-8)
For this reason, we don’t recommend using classical hard drives for upgrading the PS4 internal storage. You can use them as external hard drives instead.
Solid State Hybrid Drive (SSHD)
This is an innovative solution meant to be a compromise between speed, capacity, and price. With this hard drive solution, you’ll get nearly the performance of SSD and the spacious space of HDD. All for a good price that’s usually not $10 higher than a regular hard drive.
Solid-state hybrid drives, or SSHDs, blend the traditional hard drive and the new solid-state drive technologies. If you have been considering upgrading your PS4 internal hard drive, you may have come across the term SSHD. This new marketing term was coined by Seagate to essentially label what had previously been referred to as hybrid hard drives. This new term can lead to confusion in the market as buyers can mistake these for entire solid-state drives (referred to as SSDs).
So an SSHD is a hard drive and SSD in one, which is why it’s called a hybrid. The drive appears as a single device to the PS4 system, and the SSD part is just used for temporary storage to speed things up: your data is stored long-term on the mechanical disks.
SSHD for PS4
An SSHD is still slower than any SSD, but it’s a good chunk faster than a plain old hard disk. If you want lots of storage at a reasonable price, an SSHD is a good choice. If your priority is speed and you want the PS4 system to be more responsive, go for an SSD.
The SSHD is the best PS4 hard drive replacement for most users. As for enthusiasts and power users, an SSD is the priority.
Generally, if you want the highest overall performance, buy an SSD. If you want the biggest amount of storage, buy an SSHD. (If you want to spend the absolute minimum amount of money, buy neither – go for a traditional hard drive.
We published a special article on PS4 SSHD and the great benefits it offers to its users. Please have a look for more details.
PS4 Compatible Hard Drive Upgrade
Be sure that all the PS4 hard drive replacements included in our list are fully compatible with all models of PS4. But eventually, you must learn how to pick a PS4-compatible hard drive in case you want to do your research.
So, to choose the right hard drive upgrade for your PS4, you need to ensure it’s compatible with the PS4 storage upgrade standards. These standards are specified by Sony. Only the drives that meet all of them can be used for the upgrade purpose. They are:
- Support of SATA interface. This is mandatory as PS4 motherboard only accept SATA connection.
- Storage capacity is not less than 160 GB and not more than 8 TB. This is also mandatory. This helps you know what size of SSD to get if you want a cheap option. 128GB SSD doesn’t work with PS4.
- Drive’s height is not more than 9.5mm. This is optional if you have the standard model PS4. You can bypass this standard by using a Data Bank accessory. As for PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim, meeting this standard is mandatory.
- Designed in 2.5-inch form factor. This is optional for the standard version of PS4 as it can be worked around using a Data Bank solution. PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim models don’t have this option, so it’s a mandatory condition.
Once the drive meets all these standards, you’ve to relax. It’s relevant to be a DIRECT hard drive upgrade for PS4.
Why Upgrade PS4 Hard Drive
Many PS4 users ask the question: should I upgrade PS4 hard drive in the first place? Is not just getting an external hard drive, or even external SSD for PS4 a much better option?
From an expert technical perspective, the answer is YES, you have to upgrade the PS4 internal HDD. The reasons for that answer vary from one user to another, but the main reason that everyone agrees on is that the stock hard drive of PS4 is just a piece of garbage. Not only that it’s small and doesn’t offer enough storage capacity to a wide variety of users, but also it’s an outdated, slow drive that will start generating errors after months of hours of regular daily use.
The only one that doesn’t need to upgrade the PS4 HDD is the casual/lightweight user that doesn’t play much or doesn’t have graphics-intense games to play for a long time. But even such a user may need to upgrade to avoid potential errors with that old hard drive.
So, what about getting an external HDD/SSD instead? is not that a good option?
If you’re serious about improving PS4 performance and enhancing your gaming experience, upgrading your PS4 internal HDD is inevitable.
As for getting an external hard drive for PS4, mostly you’ll only gain additional storage space, that’s all. Furthermore, you can read this quick comparison between PS4 external HDD vs. internal to find out the pros and cons of each option.
Choosing the Best Hard Drive for PS4
The next thing you’ve to think about at this point is how to choose the best internal hard drive upgrade for PS4. Although I have abridged the way for you and other readers and laid out the top 4 hard drive replacement options for PS4, you can still do that on your own. You only need to understand how this selection is done and based on what standards.
The first thing you must look at is YOURSELF. Are you an average/lightweight PS4 player? Or do you consider yourself an enthusiast/power user?
If you consider yourself an enthusiast who plays heavy, resource-demanding games, an SSD is the best PS4 HDD replacement for you. Otherwise, go for an SSHD; it offers a decent performance boost with up to 2 TB storage capacity.
Secondly, what do you not like about the PS4 stock hard drive? Is it its limited capacity? Or it’s the poor performance it offers? Or maybe both?
If you are content with the performance of the stock hard drive of PS4, yet you want additional storage space, you better go for a PS4 external hard drive. Otherwise, upgrading the internal HDD of the PS4 offers a significant performance boost and a smoother gaming experience.
You can dive into more details on how to choose the best hard drive for PS4 by reading this post. But generally, the basic standards will help you find the right hard drive for your PS4.
The Standards of Choosing a New PS4 HDD
- The hard drive you choose for PS4 must meet your expectations and fulfill the needs you want from upgrading PS4 HDD. Although we have already determined the best PS4 HDD upgrade in terms of high performance and the storage capacity limit that should suit the overwhelming majority of users, there’re still exceptions that don’t find our top recommendation their best option.
- When gauging a hard drive’s quality, you must consider its brand. Also, the manufacturer’s history regarding reliability and failure rate is important. The drive we picked as the best HDD for PS4 is a highly-reputable drive that offers high performance and long reliability to the extent that its manufacturer offers a 5-year limited warranty, which is a too-long warranty for a consumer-level hard drive. This factor is important to determine which hard drive is best for PS4.
- To make sure whether the HDD is worth your consideration for upgrading PS4 storage, you need to read the reviews of experts and even ordinary users to see how it performs in the real world and what complaints users have against it. Seagate Firecuda 2TB Gaming SSHD, our top selection for a PS4 storage upgrade, has been praised and recommended by IT professionals and even so many savvy. Therefore we do not doubt that it is the best fit for upgrading PS4 internal HDD.
- The hard drive price matters a lot. If you don’t care about price and have an overall budget, go for an SSD, as it’s undoubtedly the best storage device ever, whether for a PC or PS4. But because it’s too expensive compared to traditional hard drives, we didn’t include it here.
How to Upgrade PS4 Hard Drive
Before upgrading the PS4 hard drive, ensure you have everything ready.
- Screwdriver: To unscrew the hard drive casing and remove the hard drive from PS4.
- External Hard Drive: To take backup.
- USB Flash Drive (at least 1 GB capacity): Install PS4 system software from scratch.
- The New PS4 compatible HDD replacement.
Once you have everything above, you’re ready to start the PS4 HDD upgrade process. But first, let’s make this precautionary step and back up the original PS4 HDD data, just in case.
Begin the Backup Process
To get the ball rolling, you’ll need to plug in your external drive over USB. It needs to be formatted using FAT32 or exFAT, and if you want to back up a full drive, the external drive should have at least the same capacity as the internal drive.
To learn how to format the external hard drive as a PS4 backup storage, please visit this page.
Now, once the external HDD is formatted and properly set up as backup storage, let’s start with the backup process.
- Connect the External hard drive of the USB storage device to one of the PS4’s USB ports.
- Now Go to Settings > System > Back Up and Restore.
- Choose what data you’d like to back up. Note: If you do not take the backup of the applications, you have to reinstall them again.
- Name the backup you are taking and then press the X button on the controller.
It’s important to note that the trophies can’t be backed up. Of course, trophies sync over PSN, so that’s not a problem. If you’re sure that everything is already synced, select “OK” and begin the backup. If you want to ensure that all of your trophies are properly synced, you should back out, launch the Trophies app, and ensure that everything is copacetic before continuing.
Download the PlayStation 4 system software
You can grab a copy of the latest version from Sony here. Just follow the instructions at the bottom of the page, under “Update using a computer,” to download the correct full system install file—it’s nearly 800MB—and create the requisite USB install key.
You can do that by following these steps:
- Plug the USB flash drive into your computer and format it using FAT32.
- Create a directory named “PS4” and create a sub-directory inside it named “UPDATE.”
- Move the update file to the UPDATE folder.
That’s it all.
Open your PS4
Once you have your drive ready to go, power down your PS4, and unplug everything. Move it over to a large open surface, and slide off the shiny part of the PS4’s case. Set it aside.
- Extract the old PS4 hard drive by removing the sole Philips screw at the lower left, then gently pulling the hard disk drive cage forward (toward the front of the system) and out.
- Remove the four Philips screws from the hard disk cage and pull the old hard drive out. If you need more details on removing PS4 HDD, please visit this page.
- Replace the stock PS4 HDD with the new one, then slide the cage back into the PlayStation 4 and re-secure it with the remaining screw.
- Replace the hard drive cover, and that’s it!
Initialize PS4
When you boot up the PS4 with a new drive, you’ll need to initialize it.
So, connect your PlayStation 4 gamepad (with a micro USB cable) and plug the USB stick you just created into the console’s second USB port, then power on the system. Button-through the menu and follow the on-screen prompts. If everything goes as planned, the PS4 should boot to the main menu once the initialization is finished. Now you can log into your PSN account again.
Restore backed-up data
Once the PS4 operating system installation is complete, the console will reboot. Follow the prompts until you are back at your home screen. From there, go to [Settings] > [System] > [Back Up and Restore].
Now, reconnect the external drive that your backup is saved to if you haven’t already. Select Restore PS4 and choose the image you named previously. Depending on the drive and size of the backup, this process could take a very long time to complete. Follow the prompts, don’t turn off your PS4 during the process, and have patience. Once everything is finished, everything will be back where it belongs.
Conclusion
Upgrading the internal hard drive of PS4 to a new modern drive is mandatory for every serious gamer that looks forward. That’s to enhance their gaming experience with PS4 in terms of speed and reliability. That’s it. You’ll get a new speedy hard drive and a drive with solid reliability that lasts for a long.
If you have picked Seagate Firecuda 2TB SSHD, you’ll gain remarkably higher speed, larger storage space, and better reliability. That is for a reasonable price (less than $100) that fits most users’ budgets. You’ll get, in fact, the best hard drive for PS4. It means your gaming experience will surely go better than before.
On the other hand, we don’t recommend using an SSD for upgrading PS4 stock HDD due to significant loss in performance when an SSD is used within the PS4 system. You can, though, try it with PS4 Pro but indeed not with PS4 standard or PS4 Slim.
General FAQ
What Size Is The PS4 Internal Hard Drive?
The Ps4 internal hard drive comes in either 500gb or 1tb storage size, depending on the PS4 edition you have.
What Speed Is the PS4 Hard Drive?
The speed of the PS4 internal hard drive is 5400RPM in all models, whether it is PS4, PS4 Pro or PS4 slim.
How to Format the PS4 Internal Hard Drive?
You have first to remove it from the PS4, connect it to a PC and run the format utility on it.
How to Remove the PS4 Internal Hard Drive?
It is a very easy operation. All what you have to do is to uncover the hard drive cage, unscrew the internal HDD, and pull it out.
How to Change the PS4 internal hard drive?
After removing it, you need to have a new hard drive replacement. Just insert the new HDD and fix it inside the cage with the screws. Eventually, follow the upgrade steps in this guide.
Help: What internal hard drive should I buy to replace my current, damaged drive?
– Samsung SSD 860 EVO – Boosted endurance.
– WD Blue 3D NAND – For PC enthusiasts.
– Seagate Barracuda Fast – On-the-go ready.
– SanDisk SSD PLUS – Faster boot-ups.
Hello everyone, I posted about a month ago about a problem with a used PlayStation I’d recently purchased. It was suggested that it was the hard drive, and when I took it out of the back slot, I discovered a surprise in the form of two little bugs that had decided to die on top of the hard drive. I’m not sure if that caused it to go out, but I have a question now. What internal hard drives would you recommend as a replacement for my current faulty one? Many, if not all, suggestions are welcome.
If you plan to use your PS4 for the next couple of years, I strongly recommend you get an SSD. Otherwise, a regular HDD can serve you decently until you buy a PS5.
My boyfriend’s PS4 needs a new internal hard disk because the current one is full. Even though I’ve done some research, I’m not sure which one is the best. I’m not really sure what specifications and other variables differentiate one product from another. Help?
The Samsung 850 Pro 1TB Internal Solid State Drive is the best overall hard drive for the PS4. The most dedicated gamers out there should use this hard disk. The 850 Pro is a drive that will enable you to advance your gaming if you have a PlayStation 4 Pro and wish to do so.
My husband’s PS4 needs a new internal hard disk because the current one is full. Even though I’ve done some research, I’m not sure which one is the best. I’m not really sure what specifications and other variables differentiate one product from another. Help?
If you want more capacity and your boyfriend’s PS4 always has a free USB port available, think about getting an external SSD instead. It’s simpler to install (just plug it in through USB, and the console will guide you through the rest), and it adds storage capacity on top of what the internal hard drive already offers.
Although SSDs are a little more expensive, the games will load really quickly, and I can guarantee that he’ll notice a difference right away.
If money is short, an external hard drive offers the same advantage of extra storage without the faster load times. In place of replacing the internal drive, I still advise doing this.
Sorry, I know this has been asked before, but I don’t understand the answer and I’ve read several responses. The difference in the responses for HDDs and SSDs seems to be where I get confused.
I currently own a PS4 with the base model’s 2TB internal storage upgrade. Looking to upgrade as this is now nearly full.
According to several responses, an external HD is required if you want more storage space than the 2TB limit for internal storage.
Which is true? I’ve also noticed that the PS4 can support up to 8TB of internal storage, so I’m not sure. This is what I believe I saw on ps4storage.com.
I’m looking to eventually upgrade to a PS4 Pro separately. The Pro’s internal maximum storage capacity is either 2 TB or 8 TB, same as the base model.
I recall reading that if you want to use more internal storage space on a Pro, you can either purchase an SSD (which seem to be very expensive) or “physically change” the drive to fit (which doesn’t appeal to me).
What is the maximum internal capacity for the standard PS4 and PS4 Pro, for those who are aware of it or who have upgraded their PS4s?
Please excuse the lengthy post. Thank you!
The maximum internal storage capacity of PS4 is 8TB. You can read more here.
What internal hard drive would be the best to replace the one in my PS4 Pro?
You can pick up a 1TB SSD (SATA III) for about a hundred bucks, like the WD Blue. Makes a big difference in loading times and general system speediness.
Hello,
My PS4 is experiencing several running issues, such as delayed game loading, laggy gaming (even when offline), and the need to reload the database on occasion.
This is almost certainly due to the internal hard drive (if you think it might be something else, please suggest what you think it might be).
So I’m looking to replace the old hard drive with a new one. I want to make sure I buy one that will work with my PS4, therefore I’m seeking for some recommendations.
I’d like to spend less than $90 if possible (I don’t need the most advanced hard drive available because I’m a casual gamer). I was looking at the Seagate 1TB internal hard drive, but nothing expressly states that it will be compatible.
All recommendations are appreciated, and I appreciate everyone who responds.
Hi Julie,
Yes, the biggest reason for the slowness of PS4 is a bad hard drive (you can read more on PS4 slowness and how to fix it in detail.) What I suggest to everyone who wants to change their PS4 internal HDD is to decide whether they want to keep their console for more than a year or if it is just a temporary and short solution until they buy the PS5.
If you want to use your PS4 for too long and don’t plan to buy a PS5 any sooner, I recommend getting an SSD (Read why you need an SSD for your PS4.) Otherwise, just choose any HDD brand listed above in the article and it will do the job perfectly.
Hi. I recently purchased a used PlayStation that was having issues. It was indicated that the problem might be with the hard drive, and sure enough, when I removed it from the back slot, I discovered two tiny bugs that had decided to pass away on top of the hard drive. I’m not sure whether that is what caused it to go out, but I do have a question right now. Would you suggest any internal hard disks to replace my present damaged one? I’m open to most ideas, if not all of them.
Hi Jason and welcome to our website,
All the drives listed in this article will serve the purpose you want unless you plan to keep your PS4 for more than a year, then I strongly recommend upgrading your PS4 internal HDD to an SSD.
Thank you very much for this great article on the PS4 internal hard drive. It’s very rich with information and tips, I really like it.
I want to ask you though. Do you advise buying a new SSD for the PS4 or just I just have to go and buy a PS5 instead?
Thanks
Currently, I don’t advise buying a PS5 until PS5 Slim and PS5 Pro are released. Instead, upgrade your PS4 with an SSD and wait a year or two until the new PS5 models are released, then you can get one. This is my point of view.
I want to get a new internal hard drive for my PS4 to improve performance and provide more storage space. But I am not sure if it’s a better idea to get a PS5 instead. Any advice is very appreciated.
Internal hard drive replacements don’t improve the performance of your PS4 unless it’s an SSD. It all depends on whether you plan to continue playing the same games or not. What about the updated Call of Duty? Or do you prefer to continue playing the current games? Buy the most recent console if you want the newest games; otherwise, continue with the PS4 and get the hard drive if you just want to play your current games.
That is such a great piece of information that helps a lot. Thank you very much.
I am glad to know that Sarah. Thanks for your nice words.
Is this info updated? What about using a 4TB 2.5 SSD inside PS4 pro. Or an M2 SSD drive with an M2 to Sata converter?
You can use up to 8TB of internal storage inside a PS4, whether it’s an SSD or HDD. But we don’t recommend going for that huge capacity as it will be very costly for a nearly outdated system.
I have a ps4 slim and am looking for a reliable but cheaper hard drive than the ones mentioned above and with 1TB capacity. I want to remove the current hard drive from my ps4 slim and put that into my pc, reformat it, and make it useable for windows 10. Next, I want to use a new hard drive, plug it in, and only use it to store photos and videos from my mac as it is running out of space. This new hard drive will have the sole purpose to only store a few games for use here and there while storing lots of photos and videos. Can you please recommend a hard drive that will suit my needs?
You can check out this article for the cheapest available internal hard drive replacements for PS4.
My ps4 doesn’t have my extended storage connected. It’s plugged in and all. But on the screen it says no device connected. Now the extended storage device is beeping? Help
Can you please first connect your external storage to a computer and verify if it’s well recognized there or not. Once done, come back with your feedback for further assistance. Thanks
Hi
Is the original Ps4 Pro hard drive better or BarraCuda 2.5 ST1000LM048?
no, Barracuda is better.
I have an question, will Western Digital Black Performance Hard Drive fit my ps 4 slim ? As I tried looking for it online and I saw that is quite big and chunky, you know much bigger than the my ps 4 internal hard drive slot
There are two models of Western Digital Black Performance, one for laptops and another for desktops. Click here and see the models that fits for your PS4 Slim.
My ps4 turned off due to my unstable power supply so it forced me to safe mode so I had to initialize my ps4
So when i did that most of my disc games were not working again only few were working when I’m installing the disc game it would load to an extent and show x cannot start the application or ce-30005-8 then I rebuilt my data base
It isn’t still working I also cleaned my discs very well and cleaned inside of my ps4 very well but it isn’t still working and my discs are in good condition please what can I do I really need to get back to gaming
Thank you
Hi Thomas,
It seems the hard drive was affected by a power surge and hence got bad sectors that have caused these problems. What you can do here is to full format the PS4 internal hard drive on a PC which, in most cases, will fix these bad sectors and restore the original performance of your PS4 HDD.
Hey PS4 Storage, I’ve stumbled across your article while searching for compatible HHD for my original PS4. After 7+ years of gaming, the PS4 started saying corrupted files for a game (digital copy) or either for a streaming app (Netflix/Hulu). I’ve deleted & reinstalled like the PS4 said to do. It still didn’t work not to mention I’ve initialized & rebuild as well. At this point it’s safe to say I need a new HDD. I know you mentioned from a comment awhile ago that it’s not necessary to get an SSD instead for the original. Do you still stand by that? & also I don’t have a computer to get that reinstalled PS4 software but I did see on YouTube that I’m able to do it on my Iphone with a USB Adapter. Will I have any issues doing it this way instead?
Hi Dave,
If you own the base PS4 model and don’t plan to buy PS5 any sooner (not before one year from now), I advise you to buy a regular HDD not an SSD. Otherwise, get an SSD for your PS4, as it is more reliable and lasts longer than HDD.
As for your last question, if you do that process as described, hopefully, it will go smoothly without any hassle.
Thank you so much for your time, really appreciate it. Will take it in and have a look at it. So happy with the great assistance I got from you, helping me not to spend unnecessary money. Its amazing to know that there is still people out there willing to help, even if they don’t even gain anything out of it. Keep it up and stay awesome!! Thank you.
You’re very welcome. Honesty is an essential principle in our work.
If you can do us a little favor, you can come back after repairing your console and tell us how you got it fixed. This will help us in the first place and many users who have the same issue as yours.
Good day
At the end it was my chip, they tried to “Flush” the board (apparently to get the soldering to stick the chip back to the board) but unfortunately that also didn’t work and they we not able to replace it, I ended up buying another PS4 for my son unfortunately, at least now we know and I hope this will help other players in the future. Thank you and stay awesome.
Welcome back Mark,
I am very pleased to read your feedback and sorry to hear about your PS4. Eventually, it’s good you’ve saved your money from buying a new hard drive that you don’t need.
Have a good day and enjoy your new console.
Good day
I have a original PS4, sometimes it doesn’t boot up, the blue light comes on but then nothing, it wont even allow me to go into safe mode. I also get errors telling me that my external is corrupted but I don’t have one plugged in. I replaced the HDD but with an extra one laying around (date on the HDD was 2015) so it might be old, it works every now and again, my son plays Minecraft or Fortnight in the morning but in the afternoon I get an error again. My question is, do you think its my HDD causing all of this? Will it be beneficial to spend money on a new one (i am just scared it wont solve the problem). Thank you.
Hi Mark,
Let me better understand your case. You replaced the PS4 internal hard drive and the issue was resolved temporarily (can you tell me if it’s a matter of days or just hours?), until it occurred again. Is that correct?
That is correct, it was a matter of hours. After I installed Fortnight it worked but when I restarted the PS4 it gave me an error (after i eventually got it to boot up), i still hope its the 2nd hand hdd I used to replace it, it might be that its not the right specs for the PS, I am from South Africa and hardware is quite expensive, should it be the hdd will the Seagate BarraCuda 1TB-7200RPM 64MB Cache HDD work (its not the PRO though)? my boy uses the PS4 and I am waiting for the PS5 so dont want to spend too much on it.
I don’t think it’s the hard drive that caused the problem. But let’s be sure about that first. Can you please put the original hard drive back inside the PS4 and check if it works “temporarily” or not. This is an important step to carry out in order to well-diagnose the problem.
I changed the HDD back, initialized it but with the same result, when it reboots after initializing, the light stays blue (pulsating slowly) but it doesn’t switch back on, if i plug it out for 10 minutes I then manage to get it to start, games work but when i switch off and back on, I get the error codes again. I even went so far to strip it and clean it, there was a lot of dust but this too did not help.
Thanks for taking your time to try and assist, really awesome of you and its also much appreciated!
That’s it. You could “initialize” the PS4, which means the storage device is still working fine. Then you said: “if i plug it out for 10 minutes I then manage to get it to start“. This indicates you have a problem with the power supply, not the hard drive. Apparently there’s an electric deficiency with your PS4 that your console can’t get enough power to run all its hardware parts properly.
On the other hand, it might not be the power supply itself, but one of the circuits on the motherboard that fails to deliver the sufficient power share to your HDD.
The solution? Only an electronic technician can help you here. You better take your console to a computer repair shop that does electronic works, that’s the best person who can help.
Thanks for your compliment, it’s much appreciated. You’re very welcome on our website if you have any further inquiry. We’re here to help.
Cheers for the help, Modern Warfare 2019 is too much for any PS4 no matter the size and I needed my issue sorted before it spread to the rest of the console so I’ve used this guide to help determine the best one for me. Thanks!
You are most welcome. I truly appreciate your nice feedback.
What is the Maximum size of internal HDD i can put on PS4 Pro ?
I only saw 2TB as the maximum available Internal 2.5″ HDD.
Any idea where i can find 3 or 4 TB of internal HDD and if a PS4 Pro support it ?
Thanks
You can get a 4tb SSD instead. That’s the only 2.5-inch that fits into PS4 Pro, but that’s too expensive.
Hi, I followed your guide to complete format the HDD because it had faulty sectors. I downloaded the full system install (not the update) onto a FAT32 USB drive. When I boot in safe mode only step 7 is available, which makes sense. However, when I select step 7 the system freezes on the safe mode screen. I can’t get past it. I even tried with a fresh wiped 500 gb SSD and the same thing happened. I’m thinking it’s something else on the internals. Any ideas? Thank you for your time!
Hi Evan,
It’s still early to decide which causes the problem. In such a case, the USB drive itself might be corrupted, or even the system update file. Try another USB flash drive and see if this works for you or not. Also, try to download the system installation file again.
We are always here to help.
Thank you for the reply. I tried a couple of other USB flash drives formatted for FAT32 and redownloaded the system installation file again (the ~1gb file). Also followed the folder path -> PS4 -> UPDATE. However, the same issue happens where I can’t get past step 7 and the screen freezes. Some other troubleshooting I did was to switch HDMI cables and try it on a different monitor. I also tried both USB ports on the PS4. I also tried to power cycle the PS4. Any ideas? Thank you!
Oh, you don’t seem a newbie. You already have done what a savvy would do in such a situation.
Anyway, I am afraid that the problem is with the RAM. It gets defective sometimes and needs to be fixed. Only a technician can do that for you.
is a seagate barracuda 2tb hard drive compatible with ps4 ?
Yes, it is. Make sure it’s the 2.5-inch model, not the 3.5″ one.
will all hard drives work in the databank ive got and old 3tb does it have to be a particular speed or sata type. found stats from amazon 3TB, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA 6.0Gb/s
This would work with the data bank
So I just bought a used PlayStation 4 Slim 1tb from a friend who says it’s about a year old. I got it for my son for Christmas. He was playing fortnight when it started to lag and freeze a bit. We turned the system off and then came back to it later that light and now it won’t turn on I’m just getting this error code ce-34335-8. System can’t recognize my hard drive. It was working fine earlier that day! Does this mean my drive is more than likely shot?
Yes, 99% it’s the hard drive and you just need a new one.
But first, please read this article as it offers other solutions that might work in your case.
Also, I put my ps4 in rest mode every night, could this be the reason for my ps4 trouble? From now on I’m going to power it off every night. Guess I live and learn lol
It is not good to often put any system on rest mode, whether it is a computer, tablet, smartphone or even a game console. You have to eventually turn it off completely (at least once a week) in order to maintain the performance of the device.
Hello, thank you so much for the wealth of information regarding the ps4 hard drive. I’ve had my ps4 since last Christmas(2018) and two days ago I started getting data corruption errors on my games. Red dead redemption 2 even started lagging and glitching, which never happened to me before. Then I moved the ps4 from my bedroom to the living room and when I powered it on it was in safe mode and said I needed to download the software to a usb device and reinstall it on my ps4. I did a database rebuild and it started working again but then I keep getting data corruption crashes on all my games. Do I need to replace/upgrade my hard drive? I am 46 years old and play offline in the evenings after work, what do you recommend for someone like me with a limited budget should I need a new hard drive? I saw Best Buy had a western digital 1tb hd for 49.99 but I’m not very tech savvy and am afraid of making an uninformed decision. That’s why I love your website, thanks again.
Hi Stephen, and welcome to my website.
Well, we always recommend to upgrade the PS4 hard drive if you want more power out of the new replacement drive (i.e. extra speed and reliability). BUT if you have a limited budget, and you don’t deem yourself an enthusiast who wants the utmost power, you can try to repair the PS4 HDD and you’ll get it back to the time when you first bought it.
Sounds appealing, no? That will not cost you anything if you know how to do things right.
In fact, what happened to your PS4 hard drive is that it suffers from bad sectors that cause this issue you described. All what you need is to pull the PS4 hard drive out and connect it to a PC where you have to perform a FULL format (not quick). Please learn how to do that by reading this guide.
If you still don’t know how to do it, just go to any computer repair shop, take the PS4 hard drive to them, and just tell them you need a full format (emphasize on that lest they do quick format instead). This will only take 5-7 minutes and it’s such a very easy process, so don’t let them deceive you and take more than $5-$10 for this whole process.
Just in case you want to do it yourself, you will have an external hard drive enclosure for this. If you already have an external HDD, you can disassemble it and replace the inner hard drive with the PS4 HDD, then connect it to your PC and follow the steps illustrated in that guide I referred to.
If you need any further assistance, be sure we’re always here to help. 🙂
Cheers.
Is changing my 1TB HDD for a 320G SSD on my ps4 pro a good solution?
Will it give me any trouble in the future?
Yes it is good as long as you don’t have lots of data to store internally (games, apps, and movies).
hello, i have a ps4 pro and think i’m in need of a new hard drive. i play for more than average hours (online gaming) and would like to know if i should go for the samsung evo (ssd) or go with the firecuda (sshd) as a replacement for my internal hdd?
In our PS4 SSD guide we already stated that SSDs are better than HDDs/SSHDs in online gaming, only if your rivals have SSDs as well. Additionally, the SSD is more reliable with lower failure rate than mechanical drives like HDD and SSHD.
If you can afford it, go for it. Otherwise, the SSHD is the second best option in terms of performance, but it’s the first choice in terms of overall aspects.
Hi
I need to buy a new hard drive for my ps4 and I was looking at getting the Seagate FireCuda 2TB SSHD for it. I was wondering about the online gaming part of it. Will it work just the same as the original ps4 hard drive when it comes to online gaming or not. I know we didnt have any issues when we played online with the original hard drive.
It will be just slightly and unnoticeably better. If you want to improve your online gaming, the best go is an SSD. But it’s high price should make you think twice before getting one for your PS4.
Hello,
I’m having some trouble with my external HDD and I don’t know what else to do, I was hoping I can relate my issue and you can help me out to figure out what can be done.
Thanks,
Hi. Yes, no problem. You can explain your issue on this post, and I shall help you as much as I can.
Thanks,
My problem is, I got an external HDD for my PS4, everything was working correctly, I was playing Spider Man and decided to start playing Fallout 4 so I installed the game on the hard drive, everything was good, the game installed and loaded correctly, the problem started when I create a new game file, the game freezed for like 5 minutes, then a message telling me that the game couldn’t load because of corrupted data.
Now, the problem is, everytime that the external HDD is connected to the PS4, the PS4 won’t start, it only start if I disconnect the drive from the PS4.
How can I fix that? I know the HDD now has a PS4 format so my PC won’t recognize it.
I already did some test and the HDD powers everytime I connect it to any source.
This is a symptom of having serious bad sectors on your external hard drive. Connect your external hard drive to your PC and use the TestDisk utility to fix bad sectors. It should recognize the PS4 extended storage filesystem so you can fix your external hard drive with ease.
Has this resolved your issue? Please provide us with your feedback in order to help others who have the same problem. That would be much appreciated.
It was 8 months back I must have read the article. That anyways the baracuda and firecuda both series keep failing after 1 odd year of usage. And thus assumed that if its gonna anyways fail and I had a baracuda unit from company as replacement packed one not open replacement so i did not want to sell and then buy firecuda. Anyways sshd will always load more data in ssd cache in the loop. So more chance that whatever I will be doing it will be on ssd while playing and not on hdd so if there is a power failure which happens since there is a Metro Line construction in my area and will be for 10 more years. So it will not be able to restore the last new data. Ssd to hdd wont transfer as it will suddenly loose power.
Anyways on 2nd thought I have always wondered why ps4 don’t gave that little tiny lithium power so in case of power failure the system has enough time to shut down. Like in my LG tv if the tv is shut or power failure then the hdd light still keeps blinking and it shuts.
Thanks for the information provided here. I appreciate your opinions and thoughts, although I don’t fully agree.
After 8 months. Upgraded my 1tb internal Toshiba original drive which came with PS4 slim. To new baracuda 2.5 2TB 0015 model. I have had no issues. I play VR and normal. And online overwatch and H1Z1 and so many more games. The ps4 runs faster smoother. Load times actually depends on the servers of the PS4 playstation store. My internet is 100mbps so not an issue. Its all about the server loads. Not ps4 or hard disc. I have have faster load times with this hard drive and also have had couple of power failure but still the hard drive restored automatically all the data. No issue as of now. No I did not buy firecuda price difference was not much but I think if there are power failure then the fire cuda mite not survive. That’s why i went with the baracuda. I m same person king 20 up there.
Thanks for this nice addition. There’s no difference between Firecuda and Barracuda regarding power failure. How did you assume that in the first place?
My PS4 is original console bought in 2014. Never had one issue until two days ago it fell upside down =( on the hardwood floor. It immediately shut off and displays error on start up stating it can’t access storage. This is really frustrating because I don’t want to have buy a whole new console just for one year until the PS5 releases. Would upgrading my old hard drive, which is most likely busted from the fall, fix this issue? If so, which one is reliable enough to work with the first gen ps4?
Yes, it will fix this issue if the culprit is the hard drive, which is in most cases. In some cases the problem is with the Serial bus interface that connects the hard drive to the motherboard, but that’s rare.
Before upgrading the internal hard drive of PS4, try to verify whether it’s working or not by connecting it to a PC. If you’re not savvy enough, try to get help from others. Otherwise, you can just “venture” and try your luck with a new hard drive upgrade.
If you have eventually made up your mind to get a new storage upgrade for your PS4, I strongly recommend Seagate Firecuda 2tb SSHD.
Ok, so you were right changing the HDD was the reason for the boot up error. I ended up purchasing and installing the Seagate Barracuda 1TB. Thanks again!
You’re most welcome. And thanks for coming back with a feedback. That’s much appreciated.
Good thread
Samsung 860 EVO 4TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD as an upgrade would that work
Yes, sure it will work.
Ok. I have an original ps4. I run r6 mainly and now division 2 . Always in party chat and network play. I almost bought the sshd but came back one last time and read your recent posts about ssd is better for online and the sshd is better for offline. My stuff is original parts so im seeing a lag and im obviously out of storage haha so its time… but if im going to spend the money i would rather get the right equipment. So if i understand you right you think the ssd even though it only runs sata II would be better for online gaming vs sshd for offiline?
Hi Kristopher,
Yes, an SSD is better for sure for online gaming, only if your opponent/mate has an SSD also. SSDs process data much faster than mechanical hard drives, and have remarkably higher I/O rate. Moreover, mechanical hard drives in general can halt occasionally for moments when processing data, according to the nature of mechanicality. That’s why if you are a regular user of computers you’ll surely notice some lag/halt while working on it, even if the hard drive is totally healthy.
So, for a smoother and seamless overall experience on PS4, you better get an SSD (if you can afford the price). Here’s a list of SSD recommendations for PS4 if you wish to pick one.
As for what you’ve said about SSHD, that’s also totally true. SSHD’s main performance boost is based on caching, not on the original architecture of the device. It’s originally a classical hard drive with an integrated SSD cache. If you work offline mostly, it’s the best option in the overall terms. But if you exclude the high price of SSD, SSD is the ultimately best, even for offline gaming.
Hi
Looking to buy the seagate firecuda drive but after reading this comment im not sure, is the difference between SSD and SSHD that noticeable for online gaming? as i play online every now and again, maybe couple hours a night after work, otherwise abit of farming simulator etc offline
Im not looking to spend lots on a SSD as im just after a bigger more reliable hard drive to replace my stock PS4 drive to store more games to play with friends, standard model PS4, also saw that SSD will be no good in this model, is that right? PS4 is pretty old now, think i got it within first year of release in UK
Thanks
An SSD to the standard PS4 is just a useless luxury. PS4 won’t benefit much from the speed increase an SSD offers, unlike the PS4 Pro model. I, personally don’t see it’s worth to spend a premium to get the performance improvement SSDs offer for PS4 Pro, whereas there’s a good alternative with a reasonable price than offers 80% of what an SSD does.
Yes, an SSD is king when it comes to online gaming, BUT (a BIG but) if you’re happy with the performance of your online gaming, why to spend lots of money on an SSD? The PS5 will come already with an SSD next year, you better save your money for that.
That’s my mere opinion. Some will still disagree, but this is what I recommend and see right.
Yh that’s wat I thought, I’m not getting a ps5 straight away, gonna give it a year or two so some decent titles can be released, so sshd would be best option for me, my online gaming is fine so sshd won’t really make it any different, just a bit better really over time.
Thanks for your help!
You’re very welcome. Yes, overall, an SSHD is the best storage upgrade for the standard PS4.
Perfect, ordered this morning from Scan, here tomorrow, can’t wait!!
Thanks
If it’s possible, can you come back here later and tell us your experience with the SSHD? I would really love that.
Hi, yh I will do after I’ve used it to be able to compare it with old drive, should be good, anything is better than the old hdd in my opinion
Thanks. I will much appreciate it.
After using it for a day there’s a noticible difference already, dark souls 3 loads up in half the time, and farming simulator 19 runs quicker too!! Definitely worth doing as I’m not getting ps5 straight away
Thanks!!
Wow, that’s quite nice. Thanks a lot for your feedback.
Id definitely recommend it, still need to use ps4 more and try more games on it like red dead and gta, but it loads up OS much quicker, and after playing a game for a while it loads up loading screens quicker, worthwhile upgrade to last me for a few years then get ps5!!
Yes, apparently it’s the best storage device for PS4 standard, in terms of price, capacity and performance, all together. Thanks again for your nice feedback. Cheers!
Hi! I’ve HDD 500GB and is almost full. I can’t update SW Battlefront 2 (u_u).
I’m looking HDD upgrade for my PS4 to 1TB.
I would like some opinion about these HDD because I can’t decide which HDD is better for the next 2 years minimun:
Comparation in everyone:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?CompareItemList=-1|22-235-089^22-235-089%2C22-145-881^22-145-881%2C1Z4-002P-009M2^1Z4-002P-009M2%2C22-179-108^22-179-108
I’ve investigated some points to consider:
WD Black 1TB 2.5″ (WD10JPLX) is like the same speed like HGST Travelstar 7K1000: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?CompareItemList=-1|22-235-089^22-235-089%2C22-145-881^22-145-881%2C1Z4-002P-009M2^1Z4-002P-009M2%2C22-179-108^22-179-108
FireCuda 1TB is like more focus to 4k, HGST Travelstar have more speed: https://hdd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Seagate-FireCuda-25–1TB-vs-HGST-Travelstar-7K1000-25–1TB/m193028vsm975
But also I see BarracudaPro 1TB is like more speed than the others at 160 MB/s even than FireCuda 1TB. Here comparation with Travelstar: https://hdd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Seagate-ST1000LM049-2GH172-1TB-vs-HGST-Travelstar-7K1000-25–1TB/m397372vsm975
I hope you can help me decide very well for my PS4!
I appreciate your research!
Regards!
Hi George,
Seagate Firecuda works best when it caches the game inside its SSD memory, which happens after you run that particular game 5 times. But before the game goes to the SSD cache, Firecuda works like any ordinary hard drive. If we exclude the SSD cache advantage, Firecuda is LESS in performance than HGST and WD.
As for Seagate Firecuda Pro, it is for desktop computers and it cannot be used with PS4 unless you do some tweaks to the body of your game console.
As for the comparison between WD black and HGST, bear in mind one important fact that WD acquired HGST company since 2011 and WD has ceased releasing any new 2.5″ hard drives branded with the HGST name.
So, as a conclusion, the 1tb WD black is surely better than HGST, because WD implemented in its drives the latest storage technologies with the advantages that HGST drives used to boast. Furthermore, HSGT suspended its development since 2011 and, accordingly, their technologies are quite old to meet today’s standards.
Additionally, depending on how you use your PS4, I can tell you what drive suits you best.
If you play online a lot, or play many VR games, WD black is what I advise you to go for, as Firecuda will let you down here. Better than that, consider having an SSD instead for your PS4.
But, if you only play with your friends/family members offline, I suggest to go for Firecuda.
Just a last note. If, and only if, you can afford it, go buy an SSD for your PS4. It’s the best storage device in terms of reliability and performance. Now the price is quite cheap for 1tb SSD. You can get a premium SSD (Samsung 860 EVO) for less than $130 on amazon!
Hi
My ps4 keeps going into a safe mode loop the only option that works is the initialize ps4 and then maybe a day later it will do it again then I have to do it again it sucks so I just wanted to know could this be a hard drive issue?? will replacing maybe help this issue??
Most probably (99%) yes. It’s because a faulty hard drive that cannot keep the system files of PS4 intact and safe. So PS4 system behaves weird.
Hey,
Thank you so much for your quick and detailed response. And you’re right; I shouldn’t put too much weight on the negative reviews because I do know that there is a much higher percentage of happy customers that don’t ever write a positive review. I am one of those people, haha.
In regards to just biting the bullet and going with an expensive SSD:
I was originally drawn to your site because I was researching about upgrading my ps4 to an SSD. But, from what I read from posts like yours and others, is that the PS4-Original (what I own) can’t really support the true potential of an SSD. So, ultimately I need to go with a Hybrid to try and get, not only the storage capacity, but also a somewhat faster drive than that of the “stock” HDD?
Why recommend the Samsung 860 EVO? Would I actually get the actually feel of an SSD from that in my PS4? Because, woo-wee, it’s pricey for the 2TB option, haha.
Thanks again for your insight.
Scott
Hi again Scott. Compared to SSHD, SSD is not worth it at all for PS4 standard (big waste of money). But some users have kind of “panic” about reliability and they make it their top priority. I just thought you were one of these guys. And for them, only an SSD will alleviate their “panic” as it’s the most reliable storage device that can last 10 years without any kind of failure. But again, nothing is absolutely reliable on Earth and there’s no guarantee that it will last that long. It’s life my friend, nothing is guaranteed at all. 🙂
What I sincerely suggest for you is to get a 2tb SSHD as well as a backup solution. That way if it happens that your drive fails, you are on the safe side with your backup copy.
A backup solution is mandatory when dealing with digital data, as failure may happen at any time without any warning. So you must be ready for that always.
Hope I have successfully answered your questions.
I noticed a lot of negative reviews (Amazon) on your acclaimed Seagate Firecuda 2tb SSHD due to a high failure rate after a couple of months. Any experience or issues with this? I’m interested in purchasing said Seagate Firecuda 2tb SSHD, but am worried about it crapping out on me in the near future. Say what you will about the stock HDD, but the thing is a tank in reliability…
Hi Scott.
There’s a fact that you must be considering here. All mechanical hard drives (with no exception) have reliability issues, no matter how “solid” they are. It’s all about the mechanicality thing. If reliability is what concerns you the most, I advise you to go for an SSD. Samsung SSD 860 EVO is a great and very reliable choice. It has been picked by many IT professionals as the best SSD on the market. But it also has its own bad reviews from customers!
Lots of bad reviews on a product doesn’t mean the drive is bad it self. It means those who have got their drive failed, they came back and provided bad reviews. Otherwise, Seagate has sold tens of thousands of this drive on Amazon alone, most of them didn’t come back for a review (which implies that they were content), and only the small percentage came to complain and show their discontent. And remember one important thing here. The motivation for writing a good review is weaker than that of writing a bad review. It’s a psychological fact. Just imagine it yourself. What impels you to writing a good review if you are happy with your purchase? You’ll gain nothing. But if you feel angry and disappointed, the urge here will be stronger to say something as a move to “vent” and “revenge”.
What I am trying to tell you is that to avoid being driven by the rating thing. But I don’t dissuade you at all from going for an SSD if you can bear the additional cost of it. Seagate Firecuda is the most suitable drive for the wide variety of users who want a good compromise between capacity, speed and price.
I hope I have answered sufficiently your question.
Thanks so much for this site, first of all, it’s such a handy resource! Now, my situation is: I have an original PS4 (not exactly from launch but about six months after), and only recently with games like Destiny 2 have I started to notice performance issues. I’ve always put off getting external storage, so I finally did – an HDD. But I think I read here that even with external storage, it is subject to the speed of the internal HDD. And performance has not improved. So my question is, would it be worth it for me to get a relatively small (like 500GB) SSHDD/Hybrid drive to pop into it internally, if only to improve the speed of the external storage? Thanks for your time and insight!
Hi there,
If you’re using a classical external hard drive, the performance improvement will be little, even if you use a fast internal hard drive. But if your external hard drive is fast, like you’re using a high-end, 7200rpm desktop external hard drive, or an external SSD, then you can see a noticeable improvement when you upgrade the internal HDD of PS4.
So my answer is that I do NOT advise you to upgrade the internal hard drive if your ONLY wish is to improve the performance of your external HDD. It’s NOT worth it.
Hey, my PS4 is basic one, 2 years old, and out of warranty. I bought it from UK, but right now I’m in Saudi Arabia. Now due to this problem with Update 6, i am not able to update my PS4 and have been told by service centre here that they have to replace the whole PS4, as they don’t have a suitable HDD available here, which i think is complete bollocks. so after reading your article, i am thinking of buying Seagate Firecuda 2tb HDD from Amazon. Can you please tell me whether this will work in my PS4?
Hi there,
Yes, surely it will work flawlessly. It’s fully compatible with PS4 and it should, most probably, fix your problem.
Just in case you want to read more about Seagate Firecuda 2tb SSHD and the improvements it offers for PS4, please view this article.
I am confused internal 2tb or external 4 or 5tb. As both prices are same. 2.5 internal firecuda and external my passport 4tb 5tb or backup plus 2.5 same price.
For the sake of performance you cannot dispense with upgrading the internal hard drive of PS4. You’re going to use your console in VR which means your hard drive will be running at high speed to meet the needs of this process. I doubt the stock hard drive of PS4 can last for too long under this situation.
So, honestly speaking, if you’re a serious gamer who spends too long on your PS4, you MUST replace the internal hard drive with a performance drive.
Firecuda SSHD is the most relevant for the overwhelming majority of users. Maybe you need to think about an SSD, but that is too expensive and we only recommend it for exceptional uses.
Thanks a lot. Ok I have seen these also. But 1 silly q. If i put databank with 3.5 hdd will I require a separate power supply? I will still check the video on YouTube
Hello
I really liked this article. Thanks
Yes I am in the middle of all the confusion too. Yes I am also trying to increase the space of my PS4 but I am confused whether I should put internal or external hard drive. I have a PS VR and I really download a lot of digital free games coming up as you can see in you have lot of free games warface etc. I just have a thought that if I actually use external drive then I will have to connect one USB all the time to the drive and the thing is that I have for PS VR which also takes the second USB and I also have a cooler be like a bear with the fan so that fan takes another USB which can be powered by an external mobile charger that’s fine so basically I need to see that there are so many charges attached because I have same controller and move controller and that’s the whole setup some confused to take the external route at the moment but of course internal drive will only give me 2tb maximum right now I am on 1 TB and I am almost over on that hard drive so I am thinking that if I put an external would that really really help for the price the external 4tb of it be is almost similar to buying a internal 2tb 2.5 or external 4 to 5 TB 2.5 is almost same price
Hi Kingaj.
If this is your case, I strongly advise you to upgrade your internal hard drive with Western Digital 4tb Performance Black with the help of the so-called Data Bank. That will cost you around $225, and that’s probably too much. But believe me, for your case it is the best option for the price. You’ll get a cutting edge performance with 4tb capacity.
I am telling you that because I don’t recommend playing heavy resource-demanding games from an external hard drive for a long time. In many cases that caused serious defects to the external hard drive or to the USB port itself. If you don’t believe it, have a look at the tons of complaints in this article.
If you find it expensive, then go for the internal hard drive upgrade solution. If you still need an external hard drive, don’t go for portable drives. You better opt for desktop external hard drive.
Hope I have given you a sufficient answer.
I have a PS4 slim. I don’t think databank come for ps4 slim
Oh yes, it won’t work. I am sorry for that.
Haha Then what’s your final take on this internal 2tb or 2.5 external 4tb or 5tb.
It depends on how you identify yourself. Are you an enthusiast/power-user who plays for long hours? Or just a casual or regular user?
If you consider yourself in the first class, then you MUST upgrade the internal hard drive. I told you why. VR poses a heavy burden on the hard drive and keeps it running all the time. If the hard drive is external, this will make it more vulnerable to electrical shorts and might shorten its lifespan.
Otherwise, if you’re a mediocre gamer, I would recommend an external hard drive in your situation (choose it as desktop drive not portable).
Any ideas how to format the seagate firecuda to Fat32 on a windows10 PC? I used cmd prompt and after about 5 hours it finally got to 100% and hit me with “The volume is too big for FAT32.”
You don’t really need that my friend. Just insert it inside PS4, and PS4 system will format it automatically with the relevant file system.
okay thanks I’ve ordered one of the hard drives you recommended unfortunately I am not that tech savvy and am not too sure how I would go about replacing the hard drive on a ps4.
In all cases you better replace the stock hard drive of PS4 because it’s an obsolete, low-quality drive.
As for how to go through the replacement process, please visit our PS4 hard drive upgrade guide.
My ps4 keeps deleting all its storage and then i have to use a usb stick to redownload the software on the ps4 I’ve had to re-do this about 12 times and it doesn’t usually last more than a day. The warranty on my ps4 has run out so sending it sony isn’t really an option I was just wondering if replacing the hard drive would fix this problem?
Never handled such a problem before, but according to my experience your hard drive is malfunctioning and gives serious errors that force PS4 to do that.
You can do one last step before replacing the internal hard drive of PS4. Go connect the hard drive to a PC and perform a FULL format (not quick format). Now give it a last chance and see if this has fixed the problem or not.
I have the same issue. Works fine for a few days-week, then the blue light flashes and instructs me to download the newest software. I lost count of how many times I’ve had to initialize. Tried rebuilding the database however the PS4 won’t actually proceed.
Taking it into a local store for their expertise. Might have to purchase a new HD.
Hey harry, I’m having the same exact issue with my PS4 original. I was wondering if replacing the hard drive fixed your issue or if it’s still doing the same thing.
I’m lucky if mine lasts more then a couple days now before I need to re download the software 🙁