If an option for you, consider upgrading models to the Pro. I have a 1TB capacity and over time need keep only a passive eye on where I'm at. It's a nonissue.
If an option for you, consider upgrading models to the Pro. I have a 1TB capacity and over time need keep only a passive eye on where I'm at. It's a nonissue.
i've got one of those 4tb seagate hard drives pictured above, works great and like said, all you do is plug it in
you should be able to find it cheaper on amazon, around 80 or 90. with the size of some newer games, upgrading to a 1tb internal hard drive isn't gonna get you far
The PS4 runs an operating system known as Orbis OS which is a modification of a free, open-source fork of Linux called FreeBSD. The benefit to this is that the PS4 supports traditional 2.5" hard drives internally (up to 4TB), and also traditional external hard drives (up to 8TB).
There are three classes of performance in a drive, and the main benefit for the fastest class is faster game loads. This is more significant for the initial launch of the game, but this also includes instance loads (a new level, entering a new region or territory, fast travel, etc.), and sometimes also for relaunches of checkpoints after a death. It can add up. Theoretical: SSD > SSHD > HDD
Within the respective SSD & HDD classes there is a large disparity in performance potential depending on the drive, but Digital Foundry (among others) have run general analysis on real-world impact for the PS4. Their analysis concludes the following, and this held true for both internal and external drives: Real World: SSD >> SSHD = 7200 RPM HDD > 5400 RPM HDD
Conclusion: In PCs (and IIRC also the Xbox One) the SSHDs have been a value-performance winner, but with the PS4 they are a waste of money. You want to go with an SSD or a 7200 RPM HDD. For individual games it doesn't matter if this is an external drive. That's as easy as buying one and plugging it in. Unfortunately, almost all external HDD drives run at 5400 RPM, so they won't improve performance. They'll only expand your storage. For the best prices the links below will updated by the day:
If you want to take your upgrade to the next level by reaping an SSD's general snappiness for navigation of the operating system you'll want to replace that internal drive that ships with the unit with an internal SSD. It's not a challenge, but it does require a bit more gear (a USB 3.0 thumb drive, and a PC or laptop to download an update file to that USB thumb drive). HyperX did a nice little tutorial vid. Their first step is to back up your data with your external drive before installing a new internal drive. This isn't necessary, but obviously a very good idea, especially if you want the new SSD to have all of your files exactly as they were via a Restore when you're done. The actual physical installation only requires a screwdriver. However, it also requires a USB thumb drive to install the latest update of the PS4 firmware to your new internal SSD so that the PS4 recognizes it.
Technically, you could use an external USB drive to install this update, but it can't do both; store your backup and provide this update function. It has to be read as an empty boot drive to provide the update. If you already have a USB thumb drive or external drive you can wipe it, and use it for this (stick it into a PC, and just reformat it to FAT32-- that will wipe it). Below is the link to where Sony stores the latest update file (currently 6.72): https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/
Know that not all SSDs are created equal. From the above linked list, below are recommended series categorized into three classes. Each series comes in various sizes; the bigger, the faster. 1TB sizes are the current sweet spot for bang-for-your-buck, right now, but there are exceptions. Lesser SSDs would also certainly be an improvement, like the Samsung 860 QVO that tested well in one of the load time comparison videos, but I'm setting the cutoff starting with these. I don't recommend spending above the Performance class.
If I was buying today, 8/22/2019, my personal choice would be the ADATA SU800 (1TB = $100; 2TB= $210).
Budget
ADATA SU800
ADATA SX850
ADATA SX950U
Crucial MX300
Gigabyte UD Pro
HP S700 Pro
Kingdian S280
Kingston UV500
Micron 1100
Mushkin Reactor
Mushkin Reactor LT
Plextor M8V
Plextor M8VG
PNY CS1311
Seagate Barracuda
TC Sunbow X3
Team Delta RGB
Team L5 Lite 3D
Transcend SSD230S
Transcend SSD430S
Transcend SSD830S
WD Blue 2D
Performance
Crucial MX500
Intel 545s
Lexar NS200
SanDisk Ultra 3D
Team Vulcan
WD Blue 3D
Prosumer
Samsung 860 Pro
You can get more bang-for-your-buck with a 2.5" internal 7200 RPM, but there's an added hassle. Most HDDs are formatted in NTFS when they ship. It isn't technically difficult to reformat them into FAT32 or exFAT (I recommend exFAT), but it does require a PC, and that you first hook up the new drive to that PC. If it isn't a barebones drive, you'll also have to remove the outer plastic shell before seating it in the mounting bracket as you did with the SSD above (requiring the screwdriver again). You'll then need to install the latest update via the USB thumb drive the same as for the SSD above.
ASFAIK people aren't suffering heat issues, but it wouldn't hurt to do some Googling. 7200 RPM drives produce significantly more heat than 5400 RPM drives, and PS4's aren't designed to offer a great deal of cooling. I would strongly advise avoiding 10,000 RPM drives for this reason. They aren't cost effective, anyway, in comparison to the budget SSDs above. Pocket Lint: How to upgrade your PS4 hard drive to 4TB or more (Dec-2018)
Finally, if you do replace the internal drive, you don't have to relinquish it. You could sell that on a used market, but you could also buy this external enclosure I've linked immediately below, slide that drive into it, and use it like one of the external 5400 RPM HDD drives above. I haven't looked into whether there are any stability issues with this method. Generally, consoles don't play nice when you do this stuff. They want to read a SATA HDD as a SATA HDD, not a USB HDD. But...totally might be okay since the PS4 is built on those Linux roots accommodating PC processors running on nearly identical architecture. ($9.80) AmazonBasics 2.5-inches SATA HDD or SSD Hard Drive Enclosure - USB 3.0
maddildo covered it, but for my .02 - you might be better off with installing a 2.5" hdd over an external, but it would largely depend on your plans for post-ps4. obviously, an external gives more versatility, though.
if the ps4 wasn't nearing end of life, the 2.5" is a no-brainer.
Thought I would flag this sale, here. With the APP2SAVE or AUGSAVE19 codes you get an additional 20% off. Under 10 hours left. The $159 start point before that additional discount via Google Express is already a sale price (it's $194 normally at Newegg).
While this is a 10TB drive, which exceeds the officially supported 8TB limit, users have reported it works perfectly with the PS4. All you have to do is plug it in, and the PS4 will prompt you with a message to reformat it. No need for a PC or Mac desktop with external drives. I expect this will be compatible with the PS5 (or Xbox Scarlett) when they come out next year.
This is not technically correct. Generally, thanks to that Linux foundation, just about anything should work, but as far as official support, it's wise to stay inside these specifications unless you can find confirmation from owners (as in the Amazon reviews comment section) that a drive works with the PS4. PS4 Storage Expert: PS4 Compatible External Hard Drive List
Good rules of thumb:
The external hard drive you want to use as an extended storage on PS4 must conform to the following standards:
Configured with USB 3.0 or Higher. Unlike the backup storage standard, PS4 system won’t approve any external HDD as an extended storage unless it supports USB 3.0 connectivity.
Capacity Ranges from Minimum 250gb to Maximum 8tb. Note that there’s a limit on the minimum storage capacity, unlike the backup storage standard.
No Hub Connection. Whether the USB hub is built in your external HDD or you just use an additional hub to connect to PS4, both won’t work. (Note that recently some users had good experience with hub external hard drives on PS4 with the latest system software updates. I haven’t personally tested that and once I confirm it I’ll update this content.)
Not a NAS drive. Network Attached Storage (NAS) external hard drives are NOT supported by PS4. So just pick a regular USB drive instead.
Wired Connection. PS4 system doesn’t approve wireless external hard drives.
Single-Layer drives. If a dual layer external hard drive connects to PS4, only the first layer will be recognized and the other PS4 system will ignore.
Full Dedication. Note that PS4 system will totally format and encrypt your external hard drive with special file system that only works on PS4. So, unlike the backup storage solution, you cannot use this drive on a PC or MAC.
I suck at tech but was able to install my own hard drive, I changed the default 500gig to a 2gig I bought online, then when I upgraded to a PS4 Pro I swapped out the 1gig for the 2 gig I had, the only thing that takes time is the backing up of the content on your old drive, but if you have fast internet just save your saves on PS plus cloud and fresh install all the other games you have. The PlayStation website has a step by step instruction how to do it. You need a usb thumb drive also to do this installation.
need a little hard drive help, my seagate 4tb is not being recognised by the ps4 (slim 500gb) and if you listen closely it's making a "beeping" noise. not exacly a beep but that's the easiest way to describe it. tried a different port and cable, nothing. plugged into laptop and the device manager says the driver is up to date. uninstall/reinstall did nothing.
i've redownloaded a few essential games to the system storage for now, but with ff7 remake looming i'll run out of space and be restricted for choice, plus according to the videos @Madmick posted i'll have slower loading than the external seagate.
ideally i'd like to fix my current external hard drive and i'm considering an internal SSD for my favourites (plenty of info on that in thread already)
i didn't see a repairs/help thread so here seems best bet
need a little hard drive help, my seagate 4tb is not being recognised by the ps4 (slim 500gb) and if you listen closely it's making a "beeping" noise. not exacly a beep but that's the easiest way to describe it. tried a different port and cable, nothing. plugged into laptop and the device manager says the driver is up to date. uninstall/reinstall did nothing.
i've redownloaded a few essential games to the system storage for now, but with ff7 remake looming i'll run out of space and be restricted for choice, plus according to the videos @Madmick posted i'll have slower loading than the external seagate.
ideally i'd like to fix my current external hard drive and i'm considering an internal SSD for my favourites (plenty of info on that in thread already)
i didn't see a repairs/help thread so here seems best bet
I'm not clear. Was this external hard drive previously working with the PS4, and it stopped working? Or was it an external hard drive you've used in the past with your laptop that you tried plugging into the PS4? It sounds like the first, because your post makes it sound like you resorted to plugging it into the laptop only to troubleshoot it, but it's not perfectly clear.
When hard drives start beeping it is usually their way of telling you there is some sort of failure or imminent failure. When you plug it into the laptop you should run a Disk Check. See if that turns up an error. https://neosmart.net/wiki/chkdsk/
I'm not clear. Was this external hard drive previously working with the PS4, and it stopped working? Or was it an external hard drive you've used in the past with your laptop that you tried plugging into the PS4? It sounds like the first, because your post makes it sound like you resorted to plugging it into the laptop only to troubleshoot it, but it's not perfectly clear.
When hard drives start beeping it is usually their way of telling you there is some sort of failure or imminent failure. When you plug it into the laptop you should run a Disk Check. See if that turns up an error. https://neosmart.net/wiki/chkdsk/
to be clear, i'm relatively computer illiterate, but can follow instructions. tried to do a diskcheck yesterday, sounds stupid but i don't even know which letter the external drive is using, it doesn't pop up in file explorer so i'm unsure how to find out . if i enter chkdsk alone in command prompt it does a check of what i assume is the C: drive of the laptop.
other googling led me to youtube videos of guys taking the case off and the head was stuck. the noise coming from mine could be a mechanical thing, it's not a high pitched beep, maybe the spindle motor trying to turn
ordering a 1tb samsung ssd (yay/nay?) but would still like to fix this external for lesser played games, and save myself downloading my library all over again. two games i d/l'd to console came in at nearly 200gb
I think irregular shut downs via ragequitting might cause problems with the harddrive and prompt needing a PS4 version of defrag and checkdisk. Did you try running the PS4 safe mode for these things? Rebuild Database?
I think irregular shut downs via ragequitting might cause problems with the harddrive and prompt needing a PS4 version of defrag and checkdisk. Did you try running the PS4 safe mode for these things? Rebuild Database?
not a rage quitter but a few times the PS4 has been stuck inbetween the user sign-in screen and the main menu, so i've had to shutdown by pulling the plug
i've done a database rebuild recently so the one i've just done was quick. now the games on the hard drive are available to download from the library but the drive is still a paperweight. looking like it could need opening up and then maybe throwing away
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. if i enter chkdsk alone in command prompt it does a check of what i assume is the C: drive of the laptop. 
