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. 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.) 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. 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. The design and build are as you'd expect from Seagate: robust,solid, and compact. The looks, however, are truly next level. The colour scheme is on point for Ragnarok's branding, and match the limited edition controller beautifully. Meanwhile the intertwined patterning on the edges is a really nice finish. Topping all that off is some tasteful RGB on the front edge which shines out a gentle blue when plugged in.

Bundled with two years of Seagate Rescue Data Recovery Services, this drive is protected for two years against any mechanical, accidental, or natural disaster

The best external hard drives for PS4

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? 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.

The best way to narrow down your selection is to decide on how much capacity you need – naturally, the bigger the better generally applies, and getting the largest space for the lowest price should be your goal. Next, you need to work out if you'd prefer an SSD or an HDD. If you didn't know already, even the fastest HDD is massively outperformed by the speed of an SSD. If you know for a fact you're in the market for one, we've collated a more specific list of the best PS4 SSDs for folks who want to modify their console into a PS4.5.This particular drive is specifically meant for gaming use, making it perfect for serious gamers. Let’s look at some of the benefits you will get with this hybrid drive.

Take NBA 2K for instance, When it was first introduced to the Sega DreamCast loading times were a matter of seconds. Fast forward to NBA 2K18, and you can experience loading times upwards of an entire minute now. This is a direct result of our games having a lot more detail, therefore needing more time to load. Flash accelerated technology gives you loading times up to five times faster than your original ps4 hard drive. Solid state hybrid drives are the next step in the evolution of hard drive. It adds quite a bit of speed to your system, giving you better loading times and smoother gameplay with less frame rate drops. If your PS4 is anything like ours, it's probably getting louder with every boot. A bit of expanded storage never goes amiss, but in particular, that launch model's 500GB of HDD won't fit many contemporary games. While you might not be able to get the performance we've come to know from the best SSDs for gaming, or even the best PS5 SSDs, there are plenty of great PS4 options that will work.

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) The only problem is, this is meant for professionals, not necessarily gamers. Its short cable is almost as annoying as its high price tag. Regardless, this is definitely one of the best external hard drives on the market if you want a portable solution for gaming, work, or content creation. Best PS4 SSD: FAQs Is PS4 better with SSD? 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. 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?

It comes with a USB-C port into the drive but this can be implemented as a USB-A or USB-C connection depending on what device you're using it on. In our testing, we got the same speeds through either port so it shouldn't matter which you have free or available, or if you change the device it's used with during its lifetime. There's a small but clear LED indicator on one of the short ends which is always a help, but one small downside is that it does get a little warm when in use so it'll pay to keep that in mind when positioning it. 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 When loading PS4 games and their saves, the Canvio Gaming still can’t keep up with the SSDs, but we’re talking about 31.4 seconds to launch God of War rather than 26 to 28 seconds – hardly a night and day distinction – while the time to load save games is in the same ballpark as the slower SSDs. Compatible with Creative pros systems, Desktop or all-in-one PCs, Home servers, Entry-level direct-attached storage devices (DAS)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) This is a hard drive that is meant for the most serious gamers out there. If you own a PlayStation 4 Pro and you want to take your gaming to the next level, the 850 Pro is a drive that will let you accomplish just that. Not only that, but it gets you in and out of your games faster as well. Imagine all those hours you sit waiting at loading screens throughout the year. Now imagine you can cut that down 20 to 35 Percent. Better hard drives offer you that opportunity. 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 There aren't any specific types of external hard drive you'll need to use with the PS4. Any USB 3.0 HDD or SSD will work, and capacity shouldn't be an issue either. Although, it's worth noting that you will need to format whatever drive you get to make it compatible with the PS4's software and storage type. Once you do format a drive to this type, you most likely won't be able to use it for any other purpose, which is a bit of a shame. Are PS4 external hard drives worth it?