Topic: Dealing with a 500 GB HD

Wolfenstein, witcher 3, nba 2k16 weigh in at 157gb between them including save files. Games files are huge these days.

I just delete when applicable, but more space is taken with every firmware update and there's unusable hdd at the back end so in essence it should be called the 400gb hdd.

@Tasuki: true i mean how big is The Witcher 3 now with all the patches and DLC?

i know people say "just put a 2TB HDD in it" but the way things are going soon even that won't be enough, the PS4 NEEDS external HDD support

I play and delete games have about 100gb left on the hard drive at the moment. Most games I would play once and never go back to. RPGS which are large in size like the witcher 3 play it and delete. I guess its different if you have multiple play through of one large game. The patches are real problem. Otherwise it would be easy if you are playing off disc to just delete and reinstall as required. I have lost count of the number of patches for witcher 3.

Yeah, same here, it took a while to get past my neurosis of "what if i want to play it again, but the patches aren't there and I can't cope without a bug fix in 2020?!" but I have to be realistic, I enjoyed playing through Fallout 4 and Witcher 3, but I'm not playing them again anytime soon, and if I do, I'll just re-install and download patches.

@Tasuki: replacing your hard drive is not hard at all. I was in the same situation as you. I had no idea how to replace it and was paranoid that I would break my $400 machine. I am not that handy with electronics either. I didnt even own a flash drive before doing this.
After watching some YouTube videos I decided to bite the bullet. I saved some money in the process too by watching the videos. I ended up buying a Seagate 2 terabyte external hard drive and removing it from its casing and using that for my internal hard drive. The external hard drive cost 40% cheaper then buying the same drive as internal only. I copied the latest ps4 update on a flash drive. Replaced the hard drive by unscrewing a couple screws, put the flash drive in and waited hoping to death i didn't just destroy my machine. It worked!
If you are too worried and can afford it, wait for a neo, but honestly it is an easy process to change it. I think I was done in 30 min or less. Hope this helps.

If you have a launch model and still have the standard 500gb hard drive, I feel very sorry for you
I upgraded mine to 2TB last month and it is just amazing!

@ZeD: i would be updating but it's a cost thing for me, i don't have a lot of expendable income you see, i even have to save in advance for games, i can't drop over £150 on both a internal HDD for the PS4 and an large enough external one to back up all my data

yeah it might not sound much but to some of us,it's a lot to drop all at once

@FullbringIchigo: I totally understand but you only need a usb memory stick to back things up. The only things you really need to save are your save files and maybe a few recordings, screenshots etc but every one is different.
I have to save in advance for games as I cannot afford to drop £50 on the spot and it was the same with my external (cost around £60 i think).

@ZeD: but i would lose a few games like P.T and Dragons Crown, i NEED to do a full backup

I'm with @FullbringIchigo: as although I can afford a hdd, do I need to buy 2 new hdd? I now want to upgrade my hdd due to this thread. So what do I need and what hdd is the best? I don't want to buy 2 though.

@themcnoisy: this is the hdd and video I used and it works great. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xqJm7la6JKI
I did this about a year ago with lots of research online. Ill be happy to help if you have any questions.

@mcnoisey I posted a link near the top of this article. if you ewant to fully backup your PS4 hard drive then you need an external drive equal or above the size of your PS4 data. If you are not bothered about the backup you will just need a USB drive for the firmware and the new drive for the PS4 it needs to be 2.5 inch and you can go for 1tb, 1tb hybrid or 2tb. I went for the1tb hybrid because it makes some processes faster. But will soon upgrade to 2tb. You need a few different screw drivers and bobs your uncle. Your save games files should be backed up to the cloud but you can also do a backup yourself if you are unsure.

As for makes of drives depends what you read about some hard drives being better than others but the next one I will buy will be samsung.

So I would need to buy a 500GB storage to transfer my current HDD over to, a new internal HDD drive for the PS4 and a adequate sized 'flash' drive to redownload the OS from a PC. I know I could always re-install, redownload everything again, wait for all the patches to redownload too etc and forego the 500GB storage, but would still need to buy a flash drive and new internal and be left with a flash drive and the old 'internal' as just surplus to requirements.

Amazon are currently selling a Samsung 2TB for £75 and further down, the Screwdriver (if needed for £5) and 32GB Flash drive (£11) - making the combined cost up to £90.90. Obviously the cost can be reduced if you already have an adequate screwdriver/flash drive as well as increased if you want to back up everything first.

From my perspective, I probably have a screwdriver but don't have a Flash drive, don't have something to back-up everything on and don't have need of a 'flash drive' or the old 500GB internal either and so would be just more clutter.

Like I said, it would be far easier to buy a 4-5TB external and just plug that in. Not only would the cost be similar, it offers a greater storage capacity too. Its so much easier to just plug and play - no dismantling, downloading of OS and reinstalling, reupdating that OS etc. No loss of games or reinstalling. No surplus items (like the old internal or a flash drive) and when the Neo comes out, a simple case of just plugging in the external and away you go - no need to swap internals (if you can), no need to reinstall any games etc. USB 3.0 is faster than SATA 2 at data transfer so it should be adequate for running games from the external - certainly hasn't impacted negatively on my XB1 (maybe slightly faster because my External is slightly faster than my internal). I can understand that some people may want to replace their internal for an aesthetic point of view - not having an external plugged into their PS4 and the positioning of the USB ports aren't the best either but others are not so bothered and would prefer the freedom to have the alternative option. However simplistic it is, its still not as simplistic as just 'plug and play' - especially if you have a full internal HDD with numerous games, patches, DLC etc all stored on it. You are still only increasing your storage by 1.5TB for £75 and that is the maximum. External effectively gives you unlimited storage - you can just buy additional externals and swap them over - although I think it could take a while to fill up a 4-5TB external.

The firmware is only a small file so the usb stick could easily be picked up for less than £10 probably £5 if you are happy with an ebay product. Sell your 500gb drive after you take it out of the PS4 for £20ish. You can pick up a 2nd hand 2tb 2.5 inch drive which is covered by a 24 month warranty from CEX for £55. The external drive which you buy can be used to backup all your files on the computer after you are done with it so still has a use. Or if you already have one for backup purposes use that then transfer the files back afterwards.

The benefits of upgrading far outway putting up with a 500gb drive where you have to manage your games all the time. 2tb gives you breathing space. The external drive option is not available so no matter how good the reasoning from anyone is it can not currently be used. Would people be happy if Sony said yes then brought out their own external drive that was way over priced like the memory cars for Vita? I would see that as a more likely move rather than allowing any external hard drive to be used on the system.

As far as I was aware. you didn't have to buy 'Sony' memory cards and I can't see Sony making an 'external' HDD which is the ONLY option - especially as they can't lock out others and allow you to use any manufacturer of internal that fits. I could see them bringing one out that was aesthetically designed to compliment the PS4 that's 2-3x more expensive than others with the same storage capacity but they couldn't stop you using an alternative - not the way its designed. The only way to connect it would be via USB which is the same as all others. Its either a flaw in the design, the way the USB's are connected to the internal board or a software flaw. If its the first then it can never happen and a mistake on Sony's part, if its a software flaw then there is something wrong with their OS, programmers etc. Its ridiculous!!

I upgraded to 2TB, and....

I just ran out of space this morning with Banner Saga 2 and Metal Slug Anthology.

Yep. 2 terabytes- gone with the wind. I had to make a few rounds down the install list and delete everying from Infamous Soundtrack, to demos like both of FFXV, any games I doubt I'd play (like Metro Redux), etc.

I finally managed to free up 277gb. But uh, that's like 5 AAA games. It'll be full again before year's end, easily. Sony has GOT to figure something out for us. It's only their systems I have this issue with. Wii U and X1 both take external drives and 3DS takes microSD with no size limit (long as you format FAT32). But Vita? 64gb hard limit. PS4? 2TB hard limit (they just don't make 9mm HDD any larger). Idk what to do.

@JaxonH:
Yup, even 2TB doesn't cut it. Freaking ridiculous. I also put part of the blame on the devs as there is no f**king reason a game should have to be 50+ GB to install but the 2TB limit and the fact you can't use external harddrives, a BASIC feature that the competition has had from day one, is insane. There needs to be an update by year's end that allows for external harddrives and allows you to use up to at 5TB at bare minimum.

@Gamer83:
I don't understand. Why would they not allow externals? There's USB drives on the system. And running out of space will prevent people like me from spending as much as usual. Now I'ma be extra careful with what I buy knowing I must delete a game for every one I purchase.

I'm hoping this new "Neo" or whatever, comes with stock 2TB and expandable via externals cause otherwise, I may just have to stop buying PS4 games and go X1 from here on out. No choice.

@Kidfried:

That's fine as a workaround, but it shouldn't be the default method of storing purchased games. Every game nowadays comes with updates. And save data. And deleting a game deletes the updates too.

What happens in the future when certain games don't renew their lease and get yanked from the store. No game means no updates. And nowadays, many games are dang near unplayable without their updates.

It's just not how it should be. Every other system I own, I buy games, and I never, never, never have to worry about them again. One and done, forever. I don't like the insecurity of not having all my games installed, with updates. As it should be.

Obviously we're having to make due with what we have, but... as I was just saying to @Gamer83 it matters. It matters enough that I may start buying my games on Xbox where wont ever have to worry about deleting and reinstalling.

@JaxonH:
Yeah, it definitely matters and the most obnoxious part is it's such an easy fix. But Sony doesn't have to care because the fanbase is willing to just take it. People never complain about stuff that makes sense, they'd rather cry that they don't get the latest multi-million $ AAA game free through PS Plus.