We try swapping out the hard drive of a PS4, let the Xbox One hold the beer

Our resident food writer Kuzo loves travelling the world in search of new and exotic McDonald’s food. However, he’s also been known to experiment with game consoles in between meals.

When the Nintendo Wii U came out he tested its online capability while riding nearly 300 km/h on the Shinkansen. Now with his newly acquired PS4, he’s going to attempt to upgrade the built-in hard disc drive (HDD) with a faster solid state drive (SSD). The following is his report.

***DISCLAIMER: The following is simply chronicling Kuzo’s experience with replacing a PS4’s hard drive. This is not intended to be an instructional piece, nor do we take responsibility for any damage caused by someone mimicking what he did – especially with all the food he had laying around. If you want to maximize the chances of a problem-free gaming experience you’re best to leave everything as it is.***

Swapping a PS4 HDD with an SSD
By Kuzo

My PS4 has a 500GB HDD, but I attempted to replace it with a 512GB SSD to get faster loading speeds. Actually, I could have also upped the capacity to 800GB or even 1T but my budget was limited. To get the best bang for the yen I went with a similar sized SSD.

■ Checking the official site

Before going ahead with the swap I referred again to the Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) website regarding the PS4’s hard disc drive.

“You can replace the built-in HDD. External HDD’s are not possible. The PS4 comes with a built-in SATA II 5,400rpm HDD. When replacing the HDD please use a 9.5mm thick drive with a capacity of at least 160GB. *We do not guarantee the compatibility of all types of HDD.” (SCE website)

Everything was set to go. Time to round up the equipment!

Some people would probably want to do this by-the-book and also get some rubber gloves to prevent static electricity along with some compressed air to blow away dust and a microfiber cloth for fingerprints all atop a nice sturdy table. But I figure I’ll just ground myself with sushi and work on the carpet instead.

■ Buying the HDD

To get the replacement drive I went down to Akihabara and their numerous computer parts shops. Being an ametuer at this, the staff at a place called Dosupara were extremely supportive in helping me choose the right SSD for this situation. After considering speed, price, and capacity we decided on a Toshiba SSD HG5d by CFD Sales Inc. (CSSD-S6T512NHG5Q) for 36,580 yen (US$358).

■ Prepare the USB

Before even touching the console I made sure I had the system software ready to install. I got a USB stick with at least 1GB of free space, and because I’m superstitious I made sure it was a Sony.

Then I downloaded the system software from the SCE website contained in a file named PS4UPDATE.PUP. I had to be careful though since there were two files with the same name. One was an update version (approx. 308MB) and another was a new install version (approx. 859MB). I wanted the new install since I was going to use a blank SSD.

On the USB stick I created a folder named “PS4” and inside that I made another folder called “UPDATE” which is where I saved the update file.

■ Removing the PS4 HDD

The exterior case of the PS4 had no screws. I just had to slide the shiny part of the black casing by grabbing it with both hands firmly yet gently. After that the HDD could be easily seen attached to a metal frame.

Only one screw held it to the unit and it was marked with the four symbols of the PlayStation controller (□△×○). I could easily get it out with my trusty Philips screwdriver. It was almost too easy.

■ Inserting the replacement SSD

The HDD was still attached to a metal plate with four screws. After removing that I could fit the SSD in its place. Of course, I wasn’t about to toss out a perfectly good 500GB hard drive, so I kept the old PS4 HDD for a rainy day.

Making sure it was facing the right way, I simply screwed the SSD into the metal plate with the four screws, slid it into place on the unit’s metal frame and tightened the final □△×○ screw to lock it in.

■ Installing the software

With the unit back together I hooked it up and inserted the USB that I had prepared earlier. I turned the power on and got a sudden shock at the error message that appeared on the screen. However, as I thankfully put the file in the right folders the install began after a moment. It worked!!

All in all it was surprisingly easy. I may have to try this again some time if the price of a 1TB SSD ever comes down. That being said if anyone wants to try something like this I highly recommend making sure you plan everything in advance. Research to make sure you’re using the right drive for the job and that you’re aware of the risk you’re taking with your machine.

Source: PlayStation (Japanese)
Original article by Kuzo

▼ The PS4 exterior comes off easily by sliding… and yes, that appears to be a piece of sushi on the floor

▼ It’s ridiculously easy. We also recommend using an Xbox One hold the beer and chips. Not the sushi though. It’s terrible at that.

▼ You can see the HDD right away

▼ It’s really nice of Sony to make this so easy to do!

▼ The distinctive □△×○ marks help to keep it separate from other screws.

▼ Not a lot of force was needed on the screws.

▼ Just one screw and the HDD comes out easy.

▼ The HDD was attached to a bracket with four screws.

▼ The new SSD bought for about $350.

▼ It’s important to make sure the drives are both the same size.

▼ Thanks for the help HDD! But it’s time to step aside. It’s also time for some instant udon!

▼ It’s a little hard to tell from the picture but this is the new SSD attached to the metal plate.