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Factors to Consider When Choosing the Best External Hard Drive for PS4
Top 8 Picks for the Best External Hard Drive for PS4

Users in the tech world have long grappled with limited storage, but the problem is especially acute for gamers, as game sizes continue to grow while storage remains constant. Red Dead Redemption 2, for example, requires 100 gigabytes (GB) of space, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2020) takes up a staggering 190 GB. Upcoming titles will likely require even more.

ps4

With only 1TB of internal storage on the PS4 Pro, you'll have to look outward for a solution. For now, an external hard drive is your best bet. Read on to find out the best external hard drives for your PS4 and how to get more storage on PS4.

Factors to Consider When Buying an External Hard Drive for PS4

Before we delve into the contenders for the best external hard drive for PS4, we first need to establish what makes a great external hard drive for the console. In this article, we'll be judging the external hard drives based on the following four criteria:

1. Capacity: This is probably the most important factor, as the primary purpose of a hard drive is to address storage space shortages. A hard drive with greater capacity and expandability is more favored, as it allows for easier upgrades.

2. Speed: The speed at which games load depends on the speed of the hard drive they're stored on. This difference is particularly noticeable with highly immersive and graphics-intensive games. High speed also reduces lag and game crashes. You can use specialized tools to test hard drive speed and compare.

3. Interface: These drives come with USB 3.0, 3.2 Gen 2, and Type-C ports. Since the PS4 or PS4 Pro only supports USB 3.0, you'll need an adapter if your drive has a faster interface, like 3.2 Gen 2. Each USB type is different, such as USB 2.0 and 3.0.

4. External or Desktop: Depending on the size of your game library, the best external hard drive for you might be a desktop or portable model. For a desktop external hard drive for the PS4, the maximum storage is at least 8TB, while portable hard drives top out at 5TB.

Top 8 Best External Hard Drives for PS4

While there's no shortage of external hard drives for PS4 out there, most of them aren't really worth your time. To help you pick the best one, we tested scores of them to bring you this shortlist of eight.

  1. Seagate Game Drive for PS4
  2. Toshiba Canvio Basics
  3. WD 4TB My Passport Portable
  4. WD Black P10 Game Drive
  5. Samsung Portable SSD T5
  6. Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD
  7. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop
  8. SanDisk Extreme Portable

You may also choose to upgrade PS4 hard drive. Below is a brief introduction, specifications, pros, and cons of these external hard drives for PS4:

1. Seagate Game Drive for PS4

The officially licensed PlayStation 4 External Hard Drive by Sony is an excellent choice. Designed specifically for the PS4, you won't run into any compatibility issues. This drive also comes in various PS4 game themes, such as The Last of Us 2. Its design mimics the PS4, adding aesthetic appeal to your gaming setup.

Seagate PS4 Game Drive

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: HDD
    • Capacity: 2TB
    • Interface: USB 3.0
    • Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 76mm x 114mm x 12mm
    • Weight: 149g
Pros Cons
  • Specially designed for quiet operation, it produces no distracting noise during use.
  • This best external hard drive for PS4 is slim and portable, fitting easily alongside your PS4 console.
  • It costs more per GB than some other drives with similar performance.

Buy it here: https://www.seagate.com/in/en/products/gaming-drives/playstation-gaming/game-drive-playstation/

Available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB varieties, the Toshiba Canvio Basics is the best budget external hard drive for PS4. It's not the fastest, but it gets the job done, and it's an excellent choice if you're on a tight budget. However, its low price doesn't mean that quality has been sacrificed – the drive is easy to set up, and its smooth matte black design complements the PS4 nicely.

Toshiba Canvio Basics

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: HDD
    • Capacity: 1TB to 4TB
    • Interface: USB 3.0
    • Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 109.0mm x 78.0mm x 14.0mm (1TB, 2TB), 109.0mm x 78.0mm x 19.5mm (4TB)
    • Weight: 149g (1TB, 2TB), 218g (4TB)
Advantages Disadvantages
  • Its lightweight design makes the hard drive portable and easy to carry anywhere.
  • No software installation or driver setup is required - it's ready to use upon insertion.
  • It lacks a metallic casing, making it less durable compared to other external hard drives.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-HDTB420XK3AA-Canvio-Portable-External/dp/B079D3D8NR?ref_=ast_sto_dp

3. Western Digital 4TB My Passport Portable Hard Drive

The WD My Passport Portable is probably the prettiest external hard drive out there, at least among unofficial ones. It comes in several color schemes, so you can pick one that matches your preferences. The drive has good transfer speeds, though it's a bit on the heavier side for an external HDD. It goes up to 5TB, with the 4TB version being the recommended model.

This image shows the Western Digital My Passport portable hard drive.

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: HDD
    • Capacity: 1TB to 5TB
    • Interface: USB 3.1 Gen1/3.0/2.0
    • Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 107.2mm x 75mm x 19.15mm (4TB, 5TB), 107.2mm x 75mm x 11.15mm (1TB, 2TB)
    • Weight: 210g (4TB, 5TB), 120g (1TB, 2TB)
Advantages Disadvantages
  • It offers excellent cost per GB of storage, making it one of the most affordable external hard drives out there.
  • This best PS4 external hard drive also comes with 256-bit AES hardware encryption to keep your data secure.
  • Several users have reported a dip in performance when dealing with large files.

Buy link: https://www.westerndigital.com/products/outlet/portable-drives/wd-my-passport-gaming-storage-usb-3-0-hdd#WDBZGE0040BBK-NESN

4. WD Black P10 Game Drive by Western Digital

The WD Black P10 Game Drive is another excellent external hard drive for PS4 users that offers great value for money. This high-performance drive comes with a spacious 5TB capacity to solve your storage woes, and if you need more space, its desktop version can offer an impressive 12TB. It's one of the fastest HDDs around, with average read and write speeds exceeding 130MB/s.

WD Black P10 Game Drive

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: HDD
    • Capacity: 2TB, 4TB, 5TB
    • Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 1
    • Rotational Speed: 5400 RPM
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 118mm x 88mm x 20.8mm (4TB, 5TB), 118mm x 88mm x 12.8mm (2TB)
    • Weight: 230g (4TB, 5TB), 140g (2TB)
Advantages Disadvantages
  • The black metal body and robust industrial design make it visually appealing.
  • With the USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface, it can achieve transfer speeds of up to 5 GB per second.
 There have been user reports of the drive overheating even under normal use.

Buy it now: https://www.westerndigital.com/products/portable-drives/wd-black-p10-game-drive-usb-3-2-hdd#WDBA2W0020BBK-WESN

5. Samsung Portable SSD T5

For those looking to transition to the PS5, the Samsung Portable SSD T5 with USB 3.2 Gen 2 is the best external hard drive you can get. With read speeds of up to 554 MB/s and write speeds of up to 519 MB/s, it's also the best SSD for PS4 if you can't stand long game loading times. You won't find a better solution at this price point.

Samsung Portable SSD T5

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
    • Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
    • Interface: USB 3.1 Generation 2
    • Rotation Speed: Not applicable (N/A)
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 74mm x 57.3mm x 10.5mm
    • Weight: 51 grams
Pros Cons
  • It only weighs 51 grams, making it an incredibly lightweight external hard drive that's easy to carry around.
  • It offers a storage option of 250GB, which is a good choice if you don't need a high-capacity external hard drive.
  • While its speed is decent for a PS4, it's not among the fastest SSDs available on the market.

Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-T5-Portable-SSD-MU-PA1T0B/dp/B073H4GPLQ?th=1

6. Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD

It's overkill for a PS4, but if you're considering upgrading to a PS5 soon, this is the external drive to invest in. It comes with the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface, which theoretically allows for transfers of up to 20GBps. However, its high price tag will put it out of reach for most.

Seagate FireCuda Gaming SSD

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
    • Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
    • Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2x2
    • Rotational Speed: Not applicable (N/A)
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 10.0mm × 52.5mm × 104.4mm
    • Weight: 100 grams
Pros Cons
  • It supports eye-catching fashionable designs and customizable LED ambient lights.
  • This best external hard drive for PS4 has low latency and higher read/write speeds, making games load faster on your PS4.
  • Though the drive is fast, it may be overkill since your gaming console lacks the hardware to fully utilize this drive.

Buy Link: https://www.seagate.com/in/en/products/gaming-drives/pc-gaming/firecuda-gaming-ssd/

7. Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive

The Seagate Backup Plus Desktop is the best external hard drive you can get for your desktop. It offers up to 8TB of storage space, which is perfect if you have a large library of games. It's also a high-performance drive that's as fast as most external HDDs. This drive comes with a USB-C cable for easy connectivity with your computer.

Seagate Backup Plus Desktop Drive

Specification Description

    • Type: Desktop Computer
    • Storage Type: HDD
    • Capacity: 2TB, 3TB, 4TB, 5TB, 6TB, 8TB
    • Interface: USB 3.0
    • Rotation Speed: 5400 RPM
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 179.4mm x 118.1mm x 41.50mm
    • Weight: 860 grams
Advantages Disadvantages
  • It offers the best cost per gigabyte for the same standard and capacity of hard drive.
  • It is cross-platform compatible, meaning you can use it on both Mac and Windows.
  • You need to install software and drivers to use this external hard drive.

Buy it now: https://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Backup-Desktop-External-STDT4000100/dp/B00HFRWXQ0

8. SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD

For the PS4, the SanDisk Extreme Portable External SSD is a powerful and reliable high-speed SSD with a minimum read speed of 442 MB/s and a write speed of 497 MB/s, which is plenty fast. There are faster versions available, but they may be overkill for the PS4. It also comes with a 5-year warranty from the manufacturer.

This image shows the SanDisk Extreme Portable storage device.

Specification Description

    • Type: Portable
    • Storage Type: Solid State Drive (SSD)
    • Capacity: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB
    • Interface: USB 3.2 Generation 2
    • Rotation Speed: Not applicable (N/A)
    • Dimensions (LxWxH): 8.95mm x 52.42mm x 100.54mm
    • Weight: 63 grams
Pros Cons
  • You can control this best PS4 external hard drive remotely using the SanDisk Memory Zone app on your phone.
  • It also has a durable build with IP55 water and dust resistance and drop protection of up to 2 meters.
  • There's no power indicator on the hard drive, so it's hard to tell if it's connected properly.

Buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-2TB-Extreme-Portable-SDSSDE61-2T00-G25/dp/B08HN37XC1

Conclusions

After looking at the 8 best external hard drives for PS4, it's clear that each has its pros and cons. While an HDD will give you more storage space for less cost per gigabyte, an SSD means faster game loading times and a more robust drive. Depending on your budget and needs, any of the above could be the best external hard drive for PS4.

After you pick the best external hard drive for your PS4, you'll also want to choose the right PS4 external hard drive format and then make it compatible with your PS4.

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