Sony PlayStation 4 1TB Console - Black

Product Information

Right now, there are only two reasons to choose a desktop external hard drive. First, they can run to larger capacities: even the biggest portable drives max out at 5TB, while desktop drives go up to the full 8TB maximum capacity. You’d have to have a massive games library, though, to make that a deciding factor. Otherwise, some desktop drives have a 7,200RPM spindle speed, where portable drives usually only manage 5,400RPM. This can mean slightly better performance, and slightly shorter loading times. Set the PS4 on a steady surface, put a hand on the shiny top plate and move it to the side a little. This is actually a simple plastic drive cover that's not held in place with screws but a basic clip. Samsung is the king of consumer SSDs, so it’s no surprise that the firm’s solid-state products are the best options for slotting inside your PS4. The 870 QVO offers great performance levels that are several times faster than the PS4’s hard disks, and you’ll see noticeable upgrades to loading times and performance in the PS4 and PS4 Slim, plus speed improvements in the PS4 Pro, which has a better storage interface. Going beyond the extra space a hard drive provides, if you slot a super-fast SSD into your console, you'll also see a significant speed improvement. Although you'll want to read up on the pros and cons of using an SSD before you do that. You don't have permission to access "http://www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/video-games-and-consoles/ps4/c:29995/" on this server.

Another hybrid drive, the Seagate 1TB Gaming SSHD main selling point is the improvements granted by its dual SSD and HDD heritage - shorter load times, faster installs, etc- but without the price hike. The caveat, of course, is that since this SSHD does also rely on a physical disk spinning at 5400RPM, the improvements may not be as dramatic as with a traditional SSD. There are four more screws that hold the hard drive to its metal frame. These sit on its sides, and can be released using the same Phillips screwdriver you used to free the HDD frame. On the regular PS4 you'll notice the hard drive is not yet in full view. There's one screw we need to unscrew to release the frame that holds the hard drive, using a Phillips screwdriver.You can only have one extended storage drive connected to your PS4, so you really want the biggest drive you can afford. Games these days can eat up vast amounts of storage space, so unless you’re exclusively planning on playing Fortnite or Minecraft, you’re going to need a large external drive. The best PS4 SSD is either an external one, or a SATA SSD that can replace your internal HDD. Either will bring you massive quality of life updates to a console that's approaching 10 years on the market. In terms of internal options, we'd recommend the Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD, or, if you're watching your pennies, the Seagate 1TB Gaming SSHD ST1000LM014. Do PS4 games run better on SSD? And, if you’re able to use an SSD, then you can get a great speed boost as well as lashings of extra capacity. Whether you go for a hard disk or an SSD, it’s a no-brainer. You don't have permission to access "http://www.argos.co.uk/browse/technology/video-games-and-consoles/ps4/ps4-consoles/c:1028018/" on this server.

Beyond that, this is a well-built drive with a tough anodized aluminium casing, and it even comes with both a USB Type-C cable and Type-A adapter bundled in. You don’t need to spend more on an SSD for your PS4, and the pricing is nearly in HDD territory. The WD Elements is available in a broad range of capacities, from 2TB to 14TB, and on the inside there’s little to choose between this unit and the Seagate Expansion. They both offer similar performance levels to the PS4, and so this unit will add a huge amount of space without slowing the console down. Crucial is another well-known and trusted storage maker, and their most recent additions - the X6 and X8 primarily - Emake for solid PS4 SSD options - as well as cross-gen ones for when you're ready to move to PS5. (Please note: this is a USB-C drive but comes with an adapter.) We're sort of cheating (but not really) with this option. The Seagate Firecuda offers SSD-like performance but is technically a hybrid drive. This keeps the price down in the first instance, but also gets you a solid performer that brings good elements of both drive type to the party. It's a 2.5" drive, so it'll fit neatly into your console (doubling the storage of your PS4 Pro, and potentially quadrupling the size of a regular 500GB model), and Seagate is a big, well-established name in PC storage, so this model is always going to be reliable and efficient.

Too many games, not enough hard drive space? Get more the easy way with a USB 3 external hard drive for PS4

A key benefit to upgrading your hard drive is adding extra storage space to your PS4. There's only 500GB of space on the standard PS4 and PS4 Slim and a larger 1TB on PS4 Pro. On base hardware, it'll only take a few big games to completely fill up your hard drive.Games like Call of Duty: Warzone and Marvel’s Avengers need over 100GB of hard drive space, making upgrading your PS4 hard drive very tempting.