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Gooners guide to HDDs on PS4 Pro and Stock/SSHD/SSD comparisons

G

goonergaz

Member
Ok, so I put the hours in I feel I deserve a thread about this...these are my findings, they are not scientific but hopefully this will help some folk...this is version one, happy to listen to feedback and improve :)

Things you need to know;

1) Activating a PS4 as primary actually activates the HDD
2) You can switch your old HDD back in case you forgot to do something so keep it for a few days at least
3) A direct transfer of data via Ethernet is quicker but I had no end of issues so I suggest backing up to an external HDD after pruning unwanted data

Things you will need;

1) Small cross head screwdriver
2) A UBB stick (2gb)
3) A USB lead (for connecting the DS4)
4) An external HDD

Follow these steps;

1) Download the latest version of re-installation firmware (https://www.playstation.com/en-us/support/system-updates/ps4/#newinstallation)
2) Format USB stick in exFAT (Not NTFS)
3) Place the file in the following folder structure; PS4>UPDATE
4) Sync your trophies (go to the 'Trophies' menu and it will autosync)
5) Deactivate primary accounts
6) Delete anything you don't need or can install easily once migration complete
7) Backup your data via to an external HDD (formatted in exFAT) via Settings>System>Backup (250gb took around 2-3 hours)
8) Shut down PS4 and replace the HDD (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXhtFP5RFdI)
9) Insert USB stick and connect DS4 via USB lead
9) Power on PS4 and select to install the new firmware
10) Once installed go into Settings>System>Restore backup (again, a 2-3 hour wait per 250gb)
11) Make PS4 Primary and enjoy your new HDD!

Now onto my results so far - stock on PS4 to follow;
loadingfinal.jpg


Edit;

Did some SSHD tests, GTAV, U4, LoU and RotTR all (after repeat loads) got very similar to SSD speeds. I then went back to GTAV and then U4 and both stuck to the fastest time. I switched the machine off fully and then rebooted into GTAV and the time was still on par with SSD times.

The only down side to SSHD is that it takes a few loads to get these times so if playing a game which loads areas as you progress you won't get the initial fast load but certainly it's very impressive bang for buck.
 
N

No Love

Banned
You forgot to add this:

Best high quality cheap SSD for PS4/Pro: Crucial MX300.

Best SSHD for PS4/Pro: don't buy an SSHD.
 
Z

zephry

Member
No Love said:
You forgot to add this:

Best high quality cheap SSD for PS4/Pro: Crucial MX300.

Best SSHD for PS4/Pro: don't buy an SSHD.
Click to expand...

I've testes both Samsung Evo 850 and the new 2TB SSHD in the Pro. It's far more snappier than the stock as well as noticeable improvement in loading in most games I tested. The new SSHD is worth the price in my opinion.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Pro SSD times will be added very soon, just got a few things to do but essentially Pro SSD times about the same as standard PS4
 
C

crimilde

Banned
ktroopa said:
Step 2. First ive seen mention of exfat being required. Im sure fat32 has worked in the past for me.?
Click to expand...

> 4GB files cannot be stored on FAT32, and it's an old FS, better go with exFAT at this point. Partitions are also limited to 32GB on FAT32.
 
K

ktroopa

Member
crimilde said:
> 4GB files cannot be stored on FAT32, and it's an old FS, better go with exFAT at this point. Partitions are also limited to 32GB on FAT32.
Click to expand...

ok maybe im confused, the reinstallation file is approx 850MB in size. not sure what that being used for here.
 
C

crimilde

Banned
ktroopa said:
ok maybe im confused, the reinstallation file is approx 850MB in size. not sure what that being used for here.
Click to expand...

Sorry I think I'm the one confused, haha. Long day at work. I misread that. Yeah FAT32 should do the job for installing the firmware off of it.
 
Dommel

Dommel

Member
tim.mbp said:
Your image only show as a small thumbnail for me. Needs a large version.
Click to expand...

Same here, publishing it as a read only Google Doc is probably a better idea (also for further edits OP, no need to re-upload the image) .

Great work though, thanks for this!
 
S

StrongBlackVine

Banned
ScatheZombie said:
An SSHD is a sizable improvement over stock and you get 2 TB for $50 less than 750 GB of a cheap SSD.
Click to expand...

Yep. Obviously SSD is the best but the speed does not seem to justify the price per GB I need. If all games were loading in 10 seconds or less I could more easily take the storage hit, but that isn't the case.
 
foxdvd

foxdvd

Member
The thing I have seen though is games will be all over the place...going forward there will be games that having a ssd will offer huge improvements. You can focus on a gamer here and there and think 5 or so seconds faster is not worth the money...and then a game will come out that shaves 50 seconds off the load time.

I think a 750gb ssd is the sweet spot for performance vs cost. Sure there will be games where the performance is nearly unnoticeable...but over the next couple of years you will save a LOT of time. It may not seem like a lot but cutting the new Tomb Raider load times in half really is amazing. I would bet that we will see games here and there that will shave 40-50 seconds off the load times and it will be then that I will be happy I payed the extra 50-60 bucks for that bit of performance.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
OP updated with Pro SSD times.

So I think it's fair to say both upgrades are worth it. Interestingly the Pro loads generally quicker however it's clear SSD was already performing at it's best on OG PS4.
I am currently restoring the OG PS4 (20th anniversary edition FTR) and will run those test either later or tomorrow.

michaelius said:
How many times were you running SSHD tests ?
Click to expand...

There's a little footnote about that - running multiple times helps.

tim.mbp said:
Your image only show as a small thumbnail for me. Needs a large version.
Click to expand...
StrongBlackVine said:
I can't read that.
Click to expand...
Dommel said:
Same here, publishing it as a read only Google Doc is probably a better idea (also for further edits OP, no need to re-upload the image) .
Click to expand...

Its a link to a bigger picture - I've now linked to a bigger version...no idea about the google doc stuff but its all but done now anyway.

ktroopa said:
Step 2. First ive seen mention of exfat being required. Im sure fat32 has worked in the past for me.?
Click to expand...

I didn't have a FAT32 option, and rather than saying FAT32 and then exFAT I thought I'd just stick to one type.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Gator86 said:
Feeling no need to update my old 2tb HDD with an SSHD now. Thanks, OP.
Click to expand...

Remember, those SSHD times are one run (note the note about the GTAV & U4 times getting quicker with each load). If you can afford it SSHD is worth it IMHO but having said that the Pro is definitely a quicker loader - interested to see the stock OG PS4 results.

The_Hitcher89 said:
What was he thinking, bringing Walcott on that early?
Click to expand...

lol, maybe he has a spreadsheet to explain why he did!?
 
P

PaNaMa

Banned
Just wanted to thank OP for doing this. Well done, sir!
I don't regret picking up a PNY 1TB SSD for my Pro (on the cheap) tho I admit it miiiiiiiiiiiight not have been the best money I ever spent. Like the Pro itself, HAH.
(just kidding <3 my Pro)

Thanks OP. =)
 
holygeesus

holygeesus

Banned
Thanks for the effort put into this. Have to say though, my times seem faster with my SSHD. Could it be because I'm only playing one game at a time?
 
G

goonergaz

Member
PaNaMa said:
Just wanted to thank OP for doing this. Well done, sir!
I don't regret picking up a PNY 1TB SSD for my Pro (on the cheap) tho I admit it miiiiiiiiiiiight not have been the best money I ever spent. Like the Pro itself, HAH.
(just kidding <3 my Pro)

Thanks OP. =)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm really pleased with my drive and it effectively cost me £125 after some wheeling and dealing so very chuffed.

holygeesus said:
Thanks for the effort put into this. Have to say though, my times seem faster with my SSHD. Could it be because I'm only playing one game at a time?
Click to expand...

Yes, well the SSHD showed that with repeat loads times did come down. Don't also forget my SSHD is only 5400RPM so not the fastest - I think I must have gone for that one because the stock drives are 5400 and there was some concern that 7200 drives might create issues down the line.
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
holygeesus said:
Thanks for the effort put into this. Have to say though, my times seem faster with my SSHD. Could it be because I'm only playing one game at a time?
Click to expand...
Very much so. I've noticed significant improvements over time as I tend to play the same game for a while rather than jump around. I think you would need a handful of loads to start noticing peak performance out of sshd. And other tests have shown that developing.
 
G

George Claw M.D.

Member
Thanks for the effort, OP. So with your limited data, the Pro SSD is 24% quicker than stock, on average. And even better if you ignore "into rest" and "into off" since those should rarely matter.

An SSD should also help with things you can't list on a spreadsheet, like quicker texture streaming.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
George Claw M.D. said:
Thanks for the effort, OP. So with your limited data, the Pro SSD is 24% quicker than stock, on average. And even better if you ignore "into rest" and "into off" since those should rarely matter.

An SSD should also help with things you can't list on a spreadsheet, like quicker texture streaming.
Click to expand...

Yes, in theory SSD could help performance in other areas like menu navigation being less 'laggy'. As pointed out SSHD is a nice compromise, I used to have one in my OG PS4 - but if you can deal with less space and can afford it then an SSD is a very nice upgrade because the faster speeds are more consistent...as you mention # around 28% faster on average sometimes nearly half the loading time (GTA & U4 in my small sample)...but also making games where lots of little loading fast (like Mantis Burn Racing).

I wish I had more time to get more data, but this alone took around 2 days. I have the data now for the stock drive in the PS4, what it's shown is that I probably didn't give the SSHD enough time (ie re-loads) but where do you draw the line?
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
Is there any reason to deactivate and reactivate primary? I didn't do that, and I haven't had any problems, though I used Backup and Restore.
 
E

EmeraldSwords

Banned
If you have disposable income get an SSD.

For people on a budget, the SSHD is still an improvement over the stock drive and I've noticed games loading in pretty quickly in GtaV, FFXIV, Destiny.
 
G

Gamerman1

Member
FireCuda 2TB is new and could be shit down the road for all we know. This is Seagate afterall. Hopefully in six months to a year we don't see them failing. I have a 1TB HGST 7200rpm drive in my Pro and its quite a bit better than the stock drive. Cheap carry over from my PS3. I do have a $100 dollar Newegg gift credit so I may just Get a 1TB SSD when they go on sale for 199 or lower. Stacked NAND shortage isn't helping prices drop faster.

Thank OP for doing the legwork.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Septimus Prime said:
Is there any reason to deactivate and reactivate primary? I didn't do that, and I haven't had any problems, though I used Backup and Restore.
Click to expand...

TBH honest I'm not 100% sure, but best to be safe than sorry.

If you do the fancy new direct data transfer the system will ask if you want it to deactivate old and reactivate new for you. What I will say is I'm fairly certain activation is linked to the HDD & PS4 in combo and not just the PS4.

For example as I said, you can swap back the old HDD - however it'll remember the activation...so if you activated the PS4 then swapped the HDD back to the old one then the PS4 would no longer be activated...you'd have to switch back, deactivate and switch again!

The only reason you might not be affected is if you're the only one that uses the PS4 - if that's the case you need to activate if you want things like remote play, automatic downloads and updates (etc).
 
S

Septimus Prime

Member
goonergaz said:
TBH honest I'm not 100% sure, but best to be safe than sorry.

If you do the fancy new direct data transfer the system will ask if you want it to deactivate old and reactivate new for you. What I will say is I'm fairly certain activation is linked to the HDD & PS4 in combo and not just the PS4.

For example as I said, you can swap back the old HDD - however it'll remember the activation...so if you activated the PS4 then swapped the HDD back to the old one then the PS4 would no longer be activated...you'd have to switch back, deactivate and switch again!

The only reason you might not be affected is if you're the only one that uses the PS4 - if that's the case you need to activate if you want things like remote play, automatic downloads and updates (etc).
Click to expand...
I actually did both, as I was boneheaded and accidentally bought a 3.5" SSHD initially, so I used the stock HDD for a few days and then swapped to the SSHD later. Transfer did, indeed, automatically switch the primary consoles after if asked me if I wanted it to. After that, there was no need to do so with Backup and Restore, since your account data is preserved in your backup.
 
E

EmiPrime

Member
Gamerman1 said:
FireCuda 2TB is new and could be shit down the road for all we know. This is Seagate afterall. Hopefully in six months to a year we don't see them failing. I have a 1TB HGST 7200rpm drive in my Pro and its quite a bit better than the stock drive. Cheap carry over from my PS3. I do have a $100 dollar Newegg gift credit so I may just Get a 1TB SSD when they go on sale for 199 or lower. Stacked NAND shortage isn't helping prices drop faster.

Thank OP for doing the legwork.
Click to expand...

Seagate are fine, have been for a good while now.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Septimus Prime said:
I actually did both, as I was boneheaded and accidentally bought a 3.5" SSHD initially, so I used the stock HDD for a few days and then swapped to the SSHD later. Transfer did, indeed, automatically switch the primary consoles after if asked me if I wanted it to. After that, there was no need to do so with Backup and Restore, since your account data is preserved in your backup.
Click to expand...

Ah, well I was backing up from one console to another...whereas you were doing it to the same console so maybe that's the difference?
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Ok, the final results are now uploaded.

I will probably try to do some more SSHD tests because they look bad as I only ran one load (U4 and GTAV times were actually 2nd load) and SSHD times decrease with multiple loads...
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Did some SSHD tests, GTAV, U4, LoU and RotTR all (after repeat loads) got very similar to SSD speeds. I then went back to GTAV and then U4 and both stuck to the fastest time. I switched the machine off fully and then rebooted into GTAV and the time was still on par with SSD times.

The only down side to SSHD is that it takes a few loads to get these times so if playing a game which loads areas as you progress you won't get the initial fast load but certainly it's very impressive bang for buck.
 
C

Cartho

Member
Very tempted to go for an SSHD for my Pro, mainly for increased storage capacity - starting to get alot more on digital now. Just hope to god PS5 is backwards compatible!

I saw there was a Seagate BarraCuda 2.5" SSHD on Amazon UK which had a whopping 5TB of storage. Luckily I spotted that it was 15mm form factor which won't work will it? Is 2TB pretty much the maximum we can find at the right size for now?
 
S

SMD

Member
Cartho said:
Very tempted to go for an SSHD for my Pro, mainly for increased storage capacity - starting to get alot more on digital now. Just hope to god PS5 is backwards compatible!

I saw there was a Seagate BarraCuda 2.5" SSHD on Amazon UK which had a whopping 5TB of storage. Luckily I spotted that it was 15mm form factor which won't work will it? Is 2TB pretty much the maximum we can find at the right size for now?
Click to expand...

Also want to know this, since Google isn't being very helpful in this search.
 
A

AndyD

aka andydumi
goonergaz said:
Did some SSHD tests, GTAV, U4, LoU and RotTR all (after repeat loads) got very similar to SSD speeds. I then went back to GTAV and then U4 and both stuck to the fastest time. I switched the machine off fully and then rebooted into GTAV and the time was still on par with SSD times.

The only down side to SSHD is that it takes a few loads to get these times so if playing a game which loads areas as you progress you won't get the initial fast load but certainly it's very impressive bang for buck.
Click to expand...

Can you update the spreadsheet? And thanks for your time.
 
G

goonergaz

Member
Just by way of a mini update, the Uncharted to menu load is now just 16 seconds (Pro SSD)...that's less than half the stock drive!
 
H

Hyperfludd

Member
Holy crap at the improve on the stock drives between PS4 & PS4 Pro for coming out of rest mode. That's a big cut. Thanks for this data.

I'm not going to be upgrading to a PS4 Pro just yet, but I do want to see if I can nab a decently priced 2TB drive for my current launch PS4 right now. (and for future PS4 Pro use, too.)

I keep seeing the Seagate Backup Plus 2TB pop up as the go to option in some older threads, but is there currently a better drive around the same price range?
 
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