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Buying a physical copy of a video game is slowly going out of fashion, and the size of video game downloads are growing bigger and bigger. The base memory of the PS4 may not be enough for all of your games, so here are the top 10 external hard drives available to expand your memory.
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What To Look For in an External Hard Drive
Hdd vs. Ssd
You should think about if you would prefer a hard drive disk (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD). There are a few differences between the two, so it’s valuable to see which type would work best for you.
An HDD stores data using spinning magnetic disks. These disks can be heard when they’re working, producing a slight spinning sound. HDD hard drives are often larger in physical size and slower in speed. They may not sound so luxurious, but they will provide you with the storage space you need at an affordable price.
An SSD uses NAND chips in order to store data, so there aren’t any moving parts. SSD drives often have a small and sleek design and are a lot faster than HDD drives. They are also more energy-efficient, consuming less power in order to work. Sadly, this makes them a lot more expensive, which isn’t ideal if you’re just looking for extra storage space.
Storage Capacity
How much storage do you want to have? This is widely considered the most important part to consider. As mentioned earlier, game downloads are growing in size. Consoles have become much more powerful over time, so naturally, developers are using the programming to its full potential, adding more textures and details to their games.
HDD drives are available in a wide range of sizes, with the largest available 20TB capacity. Regular SSD drives don’t have as much of a capacity, with sizes ranging from 64GB to 4TB.
A large size HDD could be just what you need for extra storage. Sadly, more memory means more money to spend, so if you don’t think you need so much extra space, a smaller external hard drive could fit better for your needs.
Speed
How fast a hard drive reads and writes data can affect the loading times and your video games’ responsiveness. The quicker the read/write speed, the quicker your games will load and respond. A modern 7200RPM HDD hard drive should have a read/write speed ranging from 80MB/sec to 160MB/sec.
If speed is important to you, you should consider buying a hard drive with a faster speed. A fast HDD drive could be good enough, but real speed can be found in SSD drives. SSDs can have read/write speeds of up to 10x or even 100x faster than HDDs. It all depends on how much money you’re willing to spend.
Durability
If your hard drive is going to hold all of your games, you’ll want it to be robust and durable. HDDs are less durable when compared to SSDs because of the moving parts. The average lifespan of an HDD is over six years, but some models could last for just over a year, so be careful in making sure the hard drive you choose has good reviews and high durability.
SSD drives are a lot more durable than HDDs because they don’t have any moving parts. The lack of moving parts also means that they can withstand different temperatures and accidental drops. The average lifespan of an SSD is around 10 years, so if durability is your concern, having an SSD drive could be the better choice for you.
The Best PS4 External Hard Drives
Seagate Game Drive for PS4
Designed exclusively for PS4, this hard drive is a great choice for your console with its easy setup guide. With a huge 4TB capacity, you will be able to download and store 100s of games with ease.
The USB 3.0 interface allows for a faster transfer rate of 5GB/sec, allowing you to quickly transfer games to this hard drive. With a slim and light design, weighing at just 225g, the hard drive is portable and can be taken anywhere. You could easily plugin and play on a friend’s console without any issue.
The 5,400RPM can give a read speed measurement of up to 140MB/sec, allowing for good loading times. Although it’s not the fastest HDD, the aluminum material used makes it sturdy and durable and is available in black and blue color, matching the color of a PS4.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 4.468 inches
- Width: 2.992 inches
- Height: 0.814 inches
Wd My Passport
The WD My Passport has good value for money with its portable design and 1TB of storage space, making it ideal for those who don’t need a huge amount of extra memory. It’s one of the most affordable options with the most capacity as there are also 4TB versions available to purchase.
With 5,400RPM, the read speed measurement can reach between 113MB/sec to 115MB/sec, making it a bit on the slower side. Although, it does have aUSB 3.0 interface, which gives a faster transfer rate of 5GB/sec, making game transfers happen much quicker.
This HDD hard drive design uses a high-quality plastic shell, making it lightweight whilst also being durable. It’s available in a range of different colors, making it more personal to you. Weighing at just 120g, this hard drive is great for portability purposes.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 4.22 inches
- Width: 2.95 inches
- Height: 0.44 inches
Toshiba Canvio Basics
One of the more affordable options, the Toshiba Canvio Basics model is a great choice of hard drive for your PS4. There are different storage options available to choose from, between 1TB to 4TB capacity, so you can pick the size that works best for you.
The design is basic but stylish with a sleek, matte finish that is resistant to smudges. Weighing up to 218g (depending on the storage capacity), the hard drive is portable and can be taken anywhere.
Like many HDD hard drives, it has a 5,400RPM speed, allowing for a read/write speed of around 119MB/sec, and a USB 3.0 interface for 5GB/sec transfer speed. This hard drive’s performance may not be the quickest option available on the market, but for its price, you won’t find many options with this much storage space.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 4.3 inches
- Width: 3.1 inches
- Height: 0.55 – 0.77 inches (depending on storage capacity)
Wd Black D10 Game Drive
A bit on the chunkier size, this HDD hard drive has a massive storage capacity of 8TB, allowing gamers to store more than 200 video games. The design is pretty large and bulky, which makes it extra durable, and it comes with rubber feet and a vertical stand so that you can store it however you like. Its unique style makes it look like more than just a hard drive, bringing some flair to your PS4 setup.
The WD Black D10 Game Drive can reach read/write speeds of up to 250MB/sec as a result of the 7,200RPM speed, making it a lot faster than other HDD hard drives. It has a 3.2 Gen 1 USB interface, which has a transfer speed of 5GB/sec, so it isn’t any faster than a USB 3.0 interface.
It’s a lot more expensive than its rival HDDs, but the speed and storage capacity is worth spending the extra cash.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 7.68 inches
- Width: 4.92 inches
- Height: 1.73 inches
Seagate Backup Plus Slim
Having a capacity of up to 2TB in storage, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim HDD is a great choice for a hard drive. The design is simple but stylish with a colored aluminum casing that has a fabric pattern look to it.
The casing used makes it feel much more durable and rock-solid. Still, the materials used for the hard drive hasn’t affected how heavy it is. The hard drive still feels light to hold, weighing in at around 200g for portable convenience.
With aUSB 3.0 interface, it has the classic transfer speed of 5GB/sec, so it doesn’t particularly stand out from the crowd. However, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim has a 5,400RPM speed, allowing it to reach up to 151MB/sec in read/write speed. As a result, it’s considered to be one of the faster HDD options available on the market.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 4.468 inches
- Width: 2.992 inches
- Height: 0.476 inches
Armoratd 4TB
Advertised as one of the best all-terrain drives, the ArmorATD 4TB was made for outdoor filmmakers, photographers, and travelers, but it also makes an excellent PS4 hard drive. With a capacity of 4TB in storage, this HDD will be able to store a lot of video games.
The device looks futuristic with a cool blue colored aluminum case wrapped around with protective rubber. Designed to be extremely durable, the ArmorATD 4TB is basically resistant against everything, including dust, water, and being crushed/dropped.
With a 5,400RPM speed, you’ll be able to reach up to 135MB/sec in read/write speed. It also has a USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C interface, which allows for a transfer speed of 5GB/sec. It may not be the most portable hard drive on the market with a weight of 360g, but it makes up for this by being super resilient.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 5.1 inches
- Width: 3.43 inches
- Height: 1.18 inches
Toshiba 1TB Canvio Advance
Another Toshiba model, the Canvio Advance, is a great hard drive choice. With a storage capacity of 1TB, there is plenty of room for your video games, although there are other options with larger capacities if 1TB isn’t enough for you.
Weighing in at around 150g, the device is portable and can easily be taken anywhere. The design is available in different colors for personalization and has a shiny gloss finish to give it that extra style. The downside of the glossy finish is that it’s not very smudge resistant, but a quick wipe should make it look shiny again.
This HDD hard drive has a 5,400RPM speed, giving the device a read/write speed of around 140MB/sec. Like other HDDs, the Toshiba Canvio Advance uses a USB 3.0 interface with 5GB/sec of transfer speed. With good speeds and a reasonable price, you can’t go wrong.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 4.3 inches
- Width: 3.1 inches
- Height: 0.6 inches
Crucial X8
The Crucial X8 is a portable SSD hard drive with a stylish black exterior that gives it a premium feel. There are different capacity options available from 500GB to 2TB, giving you enough storage for your games with the added benefit of faster loading times. Plus, as far as SSDs go, the Crucial X8 is one of the most affordable.
When compared to other SSDs, it is a bit on the larger size with a weight of 148g. Fortunately, this does give it the advantage of being more durable. It is reported to have a drop resistance of up to 7.5ft when dropped onto a carpeted surface.
Its performance is phenomenal, with read/write speeds of up to 1050MB/sec, and it’s reasonably affordable for the perks it has. It has a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C interface, giving it an insanely fast transfer speed of 10GB/sec.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 5.01 inches
- Width: 3.64 inches
- Height: 0.944 inches
Wd My Passport Ssd
An SSD option in the WD My Passport range, this hard drive is a brilliant choice with its super-fast speeds, premium design, and a capacity of 2TB in storage. It’s perfect for PS4 players who want to have extra space and extra performance.
Its incredible read/write speeds can reach up to 387MB/sec, making it ideal for players who want much quicker loading times. The USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface adds to the performance with a 10GB/sec transfer speed. Unfortunately, this does mean that the price tag is pretty high.
The design of this device looks quite stylish with its colored aluminum finish and textured line pattern. It’s very small in size, weighing around 40g, with rounded corners for that premium feel. Luckily, the small size doesn’t make it any less durable, meaning that it will still last you for many years.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 5.01 inches
- Width: 3.64 inches
- Height: 0.944 inches
Samsung Portable Ssd T5
The final option in this list is the impressive Samsung Portable SSD T5. It doesn’t have a very big storage capacity, with just 500GB available, but it does provide you with the super-fast speeds of an SSD.
This hard drive is small but mighty, reaching read/write speeds of up to 540MB/sec. Plus, thanks to its USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface, the Samsung Portable SSD T5 has a 10GB/sec transfer rate. It’s a great choice for people who want fast performance speeds with just a little bit of extra storage.
Its smooth curved rectangle design, along with the Samsung logo, gives it a professional look. The hard drive’s metallic case keeps it feeling sturdy and helps keep the inside cooled, increasing its lifespan. It’s fairly small in size with a weight of just 51g, allowing it to fit in your pocket easily.
Product Dimensions:
- Length: 2.9 inches
- Width: 2.3 inches
- Height: 0.4 inches
Final Thoughts
Whichever product you decide to go for, always make sure it will fulfill what you want from a hard drive. It’s important to know whether you want more storage, greater performance, and speeds, or the best of both worlds.