If you have a PS4 or PS4 Pro, you may be wondering how to get the best performance out of your system. While the PS4 can’t be upgraded like a gaming PC, there are a few ways to make the PS4 perform at its best.
1. Make sure there is enough free disk space left
One of the most common causes of poor PS4 performance is running on a low-capacity drive. Given the size of modern games, plus saved video recordings, the PS4 can easily fill up with space without you even realizing it.
To see what’s taking up space on your PS4, navigate to Settings > Storage > System Storage menu and you’ll see a bar broken down by category. Select Application to display a list of installed games and applications.
Next, press Options and select Sort by > Size to display items by occupancy. Select Delete from the options menu, then select all the games you no longer play and want to delete to reclaim storage space. After confirmation, the system will take some time to delete the selected data. Deleting a PS4 game’s data will not delete your saved data for that game, as they are saved separately. However, if you want to play the game again, you’ll need to reinstall it from the PlayStation Store (or disc), as well as re-download the latest updates.
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Delete unnecessary games to reclaim storage space |
Once done, go back to the Storage menu to see how much space you’ve freed up. You are also free to delete other types of data, such as old videos, from Capture Gallery. It’s best to keep the free space at least 50GB, but to keep your PS4 in good working order, about 100GB of free space is a prerequisite. Use an external drive for your PS4 if you need more space.
2. Cleaning PS4
If you’ve been using your PS4 for a while, chances are dust and other dirt has accumulated inside. This can reduce performance because the system won’t dissipate heat well as dirt blocks the heatsinks, the system’s cooling fans also have to work harder, ultimately reducing overall performance.
Take your PS4 to specialized services for cleaning, which will help the system operate at cooler temperatures and thereby run the game a little more smoothly.
3. Rebuild PS4’s System Database
If you’re wondering why your PS4 is so slow, especially when it comes to menus, this option is for you.
PS4 has a utility in the Safe Mode interface called Rebuild Database. This process is not as intensive as defragmenting a hard drive. Instead, it tells the system where your game and service related data is, for more efficient access.
To rebuild the PS4 database, turn off the PS4 completely by holding the PS button on the controller and choosing Power > Turn Off PS4 from the Quick Menu. After the lights on the PS4 go out, press and hold the physical Power button on the front panel for a few seconds. After you hear the second beep, your PS4 will boot into Safe Mode.
Connect the controller to PS4 via USB cable, then press the PS button to be able to use it. Select Rebuild Database, confirm the operation, then wait for the process to complete. Once done, the system will reboot. This process does not delete any data but the system will forget the recently played games.
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Select Rebuild Database to rebuild the database |
4. Enable Boost Mode on PS4 Pro
If you have a PS4 Pro, Boost Mode will make the PS4 run smoother by increasing the frame rate and making the graphics more realistic.
To enable Boost Mode, go to Settings > System menu. Inside this menu, you will see a Boost Mode option. Just enable the feature and it will be ready to go.
5. Upgrade SSD or HDD faster
The PS4’s 5400RPM hard drive won’t work very fast, so it will take a while for the game to load. Therefore, you might consider upgrading your PS4’s internal hard drive to a 7200RPM HDD or even an SSD.
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Hard drive replacement for PS4 |
While this will improve load times, it won’t improve graphics performance or other aspects of the game, which is especially true for the PS4 and PS4 Slim. Both use a SATA II connection for the hard disk, which is not capable of high throughput like the new SATA III connection on the PS4 Pro. So while you’ll see some benefit from using an SSD on older PS4 models, it won’t be completely optimized for performance.
6. Check the game’s settings
While most console games don’t have expansion settings like PC titles, one of them allows for changing options that can affect how the game works, or at least the interface. aspect of the game.
For example, some games allow you to change the FOV (field of view) so that you can see more of the game world without changing your character’s gaze. You may also have options to disable VSync and other graphics engines.
While the aforementioned extensive tweaking options will sometimes not be available in all games, changing these options can sometimes make your gameplay more comfortable.
Keep in mind that PS4 came out in 2013 (PS4 Pro launched in 2016), so it’s a few years old. Over time, as games become more and more demanding, and of course older hardware will have a hard time keeping up. But optimizing performance is necessary for you to have a better game experience and to keep your PS4 performing well.
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