How To Upgrade Ps4 Slim Hard Drive

Swapping Your Playstation’s Drive

As with any hard drive swap, adding an empty disk into a platform means reinstalling your operating system. Before you begin that process, though, you may want to back up your saved games or make sure they’re synced to PSN Plus. Your favorite titles naturally need to be reinstalled as well, and you can do that from discs or PSN. Sony doesnt limit the number of times you can grab a game from its network, fortunately.

Make sure you have a USB-based flash drive, to which you’ll copy the operating system install file. Sony simply grab it and make sure it’s in the directory PS4/Update/. Also, take note of the operating system version you’re running, since Sony won’t let you revert to a previous build.

The console maker posts two software update packages, including a full install that weighs in around 880 MB and a smaller update in the 315 MB range. You want the bigger file for a complete installation.

The physical drive swap is easy. All you need is a small Phillips screwdriver. Sony hides the PlayStation’s hard drive under the glossy black accent cover, which slides off with minimal effort. Once you remove it, there’s one screw that secures the drive cage. Kudos to Sony for adding the square, circle, triangle, and rectangle controller pattern on the screw.

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Restore Your Data And Reinstall Your Games

You will need to log into your PlayStation account again, as if you were setting up a new PS4 for the first time. Before continuing, though, you need to restore the data you backed up by inserting the USB drive and heading to Settings > System > Back Up and Restore > Restore PS4.

If you backed up via PS Plus, head to Settings > Application Saved Data Management > Saved Data in Online Storage > Download to System Storage instead.

You then need to re-download and/or re-install your games, but once thats done, you should be able to hop back in like you never leftand with shorter loading times getting you in to play as fast as possible.

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. Its a great 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 wont let you down in most capacities. For that reason, its worthy of being in your consideration for PS4 hard drive replacement.

With increased affordability, plenty of storage space, and lightning-fast processing speeds, youll quickly find that its 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 positions 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

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Toshiba 2tb Ps4 Hard Drive

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. , a committed technology leader, produced a great PS4 hard drive replacement designed basically 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 of storage capacity in a compact 2.5-inch, 9.5mm height form factor. The drives 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 Toshibas 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

• Single-layer caching system

Ps4 Hard Drive Upgrade Minitool Shadowmaker

First of all, we will show you the first method to upgrade your PS4 hard drive. To upgrade PS4 hard drive without data loss, you can take a piece of third-party software. Thus, MiniTool ShadowMaker is strongly recommended.

MiniTool ShadowMaker can help you to upgrade your PS4 hard drive without data loss with its Clone Disk feature.

MiniTool ShadowMaker is also a piece of file sync software to sync your files to two or more locations so as to keep your data safe.

So, as for PS4 hard drive replacement, MiniTool ShadowMaker is capable. You can download MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial from the following button to try upgrading PS4 hard drive. The Trial edition can be used for free within 30 days.

We will show you how to upgrade PS4 hard drive with a step-by-step guide.

Step 1: Connect the PS4 hard drives to your computer

Step 2: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker

Step 3: Choose Clone Disk feature

Step 4: Choose the disk clone source

Step 5: Choose a target disk

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How To Upgrade Hard Drive For Ps4

• Turn off and unplug your PS4 and place it, facing you, on a flat surface, so that the PlayStation logo is on the right.
• Move the panel on the left until you hear a click and move it less than a centimeter to the left.
• Now, you can remove the panel, revealing the hard drive in its mounting bracket. Use the screwdriver to remove the screw holding the bracket in place, then remove the bracketed hard drive.
• The mounting bracket is held in place by four screws, which you need to remove.
• Once the screws are out, remove the old hard drive and replace it with the new one, then replace the screws.
• Place the hard drive back in the console and replace the screw that held it in place then put the panel back on the console.

Best Hard Drive Upgrade Solutions For Your Ps4

With the advent of the current generation gaming consoles, gamers have had some new obstacles to overcome.

Sure, the games are infinitely better than what they once were . But all of the extra content that has been stuffed into these games has to lead to much longer loading screens.

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.

Im not suggesting that we go back to the early 2000s when video games were riddled with glitches, had terrible graphics, and open world environments were nothing more than a figment of our imaginations. Not even close, I love todays gaming landscape.

Instead, what I am suggesting is making an upgrade to your PlayStation that will allow faster loading times, less frame rate drops, and an overall better and smoother gaming experience.

I am talking about upgrading your consoles internal hard drive.

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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 have to learn how to pick a PS4 compatible hard drive in case you want to make your own research.

So, in order to choose the right hard drive upgrade for your PS4, you need to make sure its 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 160gb and not more than 8tb. This is also mandatory. This helps you know what size of SSD to get if you want a cheap option. 128gb SSD doesnt work with PS4.
• Drives height is not more than 9.5mm. This is optional if you have the standard model of 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 by using a Data Bank solution. PS4 Pro and PS4 Slim models dont have this option, so its a mandatory condition.

Once the drive meets all these standards, youve to relax its relevant to be a DIRECT hard drive upgrade for PS4.

The Harder Way: Replace The Hdd Inside Your Ps4

Another way to expand the storage of your PS4 is to replace the hard drive inside the machine. It’s not as complicated as it sounds and could be ideal if you, say, want to add a solid state drive for speedier access.

You will have to take at least part of the console apart. Sony makes it very simple for you, but you will still find the process a little long-winded. The easy part though is choosing a drive.

The PS4 uses a 2.5-inch SATA HDD, the type of which you’ll find in a laptop. However, not any old 2.5-inch drive will work. To fit a PS4 it will need to be no greater than 9.5mm in depth or it will be too big for the hard drive enclosure drawer.

There are some out there that will meet the specifications, at around the £50 mark. We opted for a Western Digital WD10JPVX – an older 5400RPM Blue drive with a 7mm depth which fits nicely – but there are plenty of more recent SATA III alternatives.

You can even opt for an SSD/HDD hybrid drive, such as the 1TB Seagate FireCuda gaming drive that’s .

Some have also suggested pure SSD equivalents, which ramp up load speeds dramatically, but can be prohibitively expensive if you’re trying to increase storage rather than shrink it.

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Ssds Vs Mechanical Hard Drives

Before we swapped out the PS4s hard drive with an SSD, we tested the hard drive that the system came with by measuring the amount of time the PS4 needed to boot up to the screen where the OS asks you to press the PS button on your controller. We tested it twice and got times of 27 seconds and 24.9 seconds.

Once we replaced the PS4s stock hard drive with an SSD, we ran the boot tests again and got boot times of 19.2 and 19.4 seconds with the SSD in there. So, boot-up is roughly 5-8 seconds faster with an SSD than with the mechanical hard drive that the PlayStation 4 ships with.

If you dont think thats significant, remember that loading save games, levels, and more will also get substantially faster. Over time, those shaved seconds will make your PS4 feel a lot faster.

How To Upgrade Your Ps4 Hard Drive

You can replace your PS4’s internal hard drive or use an external hard drive to expand your storage.

Finding extra space on your PS4 hard drive is almost as difficult as finding a PS5. But, if you do have one, you may notice the memory filling up quickly. Once you install Red Dead Redemption 2, , and a few more of the best PS4 games, your PS4 will likely be running low on available space. As a result, you may find a 1TB hard drive filling up surprisingly quickly, especially if you play live-service games with frequent updates. Thankfully, you can upgrade your PS4 hard drive by either swapping for a higher capacity internal drive or using an external portable drive.

Adding an external drive is the easiest and most convenient option, but you’ll also want to consider upgrading the internal drive. The benefit with an internal drive, specifically an SSD, is that it improves boot times and make your PS4’s operating system run a bit quicker and more smoothly. You can, however, get the benefits of faster load times with internal or external SSDs. You could even swap out the internal drive and add an external SSD to really maximize both key points: speed and capacity. The PS4 supports up to 8TB of internal storage and 8TB of external storage. We’ve outlined the steps for upgrading your PS4’s hard drive below.

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Six: Swap The Hard Drives And Replace

Once you’ve freed up the original hard drive, it’s simply a case of putting your new hard disk or SSD inside, then reversing the process you’ve just performed. So put those four screws in the sides, get the caddy back in the PS4, fasten it in place with the large screw and put the shiny plastic HDD cover back on the PS4.

If you have the PS4 Slim or PS4 Pro, the process will be the same. Place the hard drive or SSD into the caddy, secure, then slot it back into the Slim or Pro console, screw it in, and replace the plastic cover.

If the hard drive or SSD doesn’t fit, are you sure you checked it was a 9.5mm-tall or less 2.5-inch SATA drive before buying?

Should the process go as swimmingly as it went with us, you should be done within 15 minutes.

Ps4 Hard Drive Upgrade Minitool Partition Wizard

In the above part, we have introduced the first method to upgrade PS4 hard drive without data loss. And now, we will introduce the second method to upgrade your PS4 hard drive.

Fortunately, to upgrade PS4 hard drive, there is another program of MiniTool that can help you. It is MiniTool Partition Wizard that can also help you to upgrade PS4 hard drive without data loss.

MiniTool Partition Wizard is a piece of professional partition manager which can be used to optimize partitions and disks without data loss with its various powerful features, such as repairing hard drive or partition, fixing MBR, converting MBR to GPT, cloning hard drive and so on.

Therefore, in order to upgrade PS4 hard drive without data loss, MiniTool Partition Wizard is competent.

Just get MiniTool Partition Wizard Free edition immediately and we will show you how to upgrade hard drive PS4 with step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Step 1: Connect the PS4 hard drives to your computer

Step 2: Install and Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard

Step 3: Start to upgrade PS4 hard drive

Step 4: Choose a target disk

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Using An External Drive For Ps4

If you want something more convenient , an external drive requires significantly less work, and you can still get faster load times with an external SSD. There are two kinds of external drives: portable and desktop . Virtually all portable hard drives work with all PS4 models, and if you want the added storage that comes with a desktop drive, many are compatible with PS4 as well. We’ve included a few recommendations here from popular brands like Seagate and Western Digital.

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Quick Start Installation Guide.

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Five: Releasing The Hard Drive

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.

It’s just the screws we need to take off, though. You’ll also notice some rubbery bits the screws rest against to absorb any shocks to the drive: leave those there.

This is pretty much the same process for replacing the hard drive of the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro.

How To Clone Ps4 Hard Drive To Larger Drive Safely

Upgrading PS4 hard drive to bigger one is a nice way to solve the low space problem, and cloning PS4 hard drive with AOMEI Backupper should be the best way. AOMEI Backupper, the powerful disk imaging software, can help you clone PS4 hard drive without losing data in Windows 11/10/8/7. The next content contains the detailed steps of how to upgrade PS4 hard drive to larger drive with AOMEI Backupper.

Before you do, you need to prepare for it:

• A larger HDD or SSD.

• AOMEI Backupper Professional. You can download the free trial edition by clicking the download button below and then install it.

• A PC installed with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.

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