The WD Black D10 Game Drive is the best I could do to my PS4 Pro

This is not a disk. It's a beast. After connecting WD BLACK D10 Game Drive to my beloved PlayStation 4 Pro, I stopped worrying about something like capacity. I just forgot that such a problem may exist. I download what I want and when I want it. That's the way to live.

PlayStation 4 is my favorite family of eighth generation consoles. The best exclusive games, the most interesting digital store offer, the most convenient software and great support from the Polish branch - everything sounded like clockwork. Except for one element ... storage capacity. A few months after the release of the first version of PS4, it was clear that 500 GB is not enough. We knew already on the day of the launch of PS4 Pro that 1 TB is not enough for all players.

I choose the storage tab on PS4 and see as many as 6 games over 100 GB of data!

Battlefield V - 102 GB. Assassin's Creed Odyssey - 103 GB. Red Dead Redemption 2 - 107 GB. The Division 2 - 109 GB. Star Wars Battlefront II - 112 GB. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - 156 GB. Adding these six titles, we get 689 GB. This means that PS4 owners with basic storage capacity cannot afford such a collection. And these are just six random titles that I found after starting my own console.

Video games need gigantic disk space. It is getting bigger every year, and it will get worse. Already at the end of 2020, we will enter the era of 4K native games for good. Therefore, even in the age of Ultra Blu-ray media, storing local data is one of the biggest challenges in the gaming industry. Challenges that PS4 and Xbox One consoles are not ready for. Fortunately, both of these platforms offer the possibility of connecting additional external drives.

WD BLACK D10 is the highest, most expensive shelf aimed at the player on the console. And yet HDD.

This must be noted at the very beginning, clearly and clearly: we are talking about an HDD. The D10 is a disc model with 7200 RPM. At this point, computer players can explode: - how is that, a top disk with plates? Good - such outrage would be fully justified if we talked about playing on the PC. Western Digital, however, promotes its line as dedicated to consoles and it is with them that WD BLACK D10 Game Drive develops wings.

We must remember that neither PS4 nor XONE uses the benefits of SSD as much as a computer. Sure, time differences during loading screens are noticeable. However, there is no breakthrough in the computer style, where the transition to SSD is twice as good performance. Consoles were designed with HDD in the same way as their programming was written. Hence, buying a capacious SSD for PS4 or XONE is partly throwing money away. It will be better, but not as much as we would expect. The bottleneck is even the USB 3.2 Gen 1 socket (max. 640 MB / sec).

We must remember that the factory disk installed in PS4 Pro is HGST Travelstar 5K1000, behind which stands Hitachi. We are talking about SATA II (!) Media with a rotational speed of 5400 RMP and a maximum write and read speed of about 120 MB / s. In turn, WD BLACK D10 Game Drive is a 7200 RPM drive with a maximum write and read of 250 MB / s. Theoretically, we are dealing with twice as fast carrier. And with eight times more capacity.

WD BLACK D10 Game Drive vs PS4 Pro factory drive.

I compared the loading times of the same games installed on the factory Hitachi and tested D10. For testing I used the games Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Need for Speed ​​Heat, Death Standing, Hunt: Showdown and The Division 2. It turned out that higher revolutions matter. The disc from Western Digital managed to save from one to nine seconds depending on the loaded title. However, as for the gameplay itself: here I could not notice any visible difference.

If textures were read in front of the player at 5400 revolutions per minute, the same happens at 7200 revolutions. Objects magically appearing in the distance, fast camera operation resulting in performance degradation - WD BLACK D10 Game Drive has not eliminated the troubles troubling some of the games on PS4. The disk is faster. It is more roomy. It is more efficient. However, it is not a panacea for restrictions on consoles or the laziness of creators.

Even those few seconds make a difference. Feel it especially when playing with friends on the network. By counting time in Hunt: Showdown I always appeared on the map in front of my friends. I stared at their dead avatars for a few seconds, while they declared via voice chat that they were still seeing a black screen. Of course, a faster debut in the arena does not give you a real advantage, because the scripts are always waiting for latecomers.

The most important thing is not speed but capacity.

WD BLACK D10 Game Drive is 8 TB or 12 TB capacity for video games, depending on the model chosen. When choosing a cheaper option, I still have 5 TB at my disposal, even after installing all the titles that I play for business and hobby. Almost sixty installed titles take up almost 2 TB of external disk. I finally feel comfortable. After all, I feel that the issue of capacity is no longer a problem. It was permanently eliminated until the end of the life cycle of my PS4 Pro.

It is worth adding that of the 8 TB declared on the box, we have 7.35 TB in real use. Even less, considering how badly PS4 manages disk space. The console reserves giant disk areas for unpacking and installing updates. Let's be honest: with an additional 8 TB for games, movies with gameplay and screenshots we can have it completely in our nose. Bartender, funnel, account opened. I don't care about anything.

For players , but in a good sense. WD BLACK D10 looks like he's back from Iraq.

Western Digital has closed the Game Ready series drives in unique, distinctive enclosures. Fortunately, there were no rainbow-colored LEDs and prints with the logo of e-sports teams. Instead, WD designers sought inspiration in the military and contemporary conflicts. Hence the WD BLACK D10 Game Drive is somewhat reminiscent of an ammunition box, acquiring a military character. On the other hand, the design is so non-invasive that the drive without shame will be attached to the console in a modern living room.

When connecting and connecting rooms, WD inserts a special stand into the box. Thanks to it we will set the D10 vertically. Although the foot is plastic and of low quality, its presence can save the situation if you have little space next to the TV. That was my case. If I had to lay the disk horizontally, I wouldn't find space for it on the shelf next to the console.

- Honey, I didn't know we had an aquarium at home.

All the time we are talking about an external disc disk with a rotation speed of 7200 RMP and its own cooling. This type of unit needs a separate power source. A USB cable connected to PS4 is not enough. You must organize an additional network socket. WD as if he felt guilty about this, offering as an apology two USB 7.5 A sockets on the disk housing. Thanks to them we can, for example, charge the controller. A nice addition.

Less nice is the fact that the operation of the discs is associated with a side effect in the form of noise. And although it is inaudible from a distance of almost 2 meters from the console, the work of the HDD generates one more effect: vibration. Combining one with another creates a specific sound that reminds me of the sleepy work of the aerator in the aquarium. As if from time to time a bubble of water floated and burst over the surface of the waves. I love white noise and ASMR, so for me such a sound is quite pleasant. However, not everyone is me.

The second problem is the cable included in the kit. Short, braided, prone to breaks. And when placing the disc next to the PS4, it is obvious that the cable will be bent. That is why I am afraid how long this element will work before the first cracks appear on the rubber material. Such a good disk, and such a poor cable. It doesn't fall out. It is also surprising that such an expensive carrier (PLN 979) does not have a USB-C socket. The console would not sell anything on this account, and the disk would gain practicality.

And what happens when PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X come?

WD BLACK D10 Game Drive is unlikely to work with the next generation of consoles. Both PS5 and XSX will be machines based on expensive, efficient SSD memory. In turn, the Western Digital drive is an HDD model designed for use here and now. This does not mean, however, that after switching to PlayStation 5 we will throw the expensive toy in the bin.

The D10 is obviously compatible with personal computers. The media gets along great not only with Windows 10, but also macOS. And although HDD is not the same as SSD, an additional 8 TB for data is a very nice addition to any stationary machine. The WD BLACK D10 will install less demanding games, and the drive will allow you to watch 4K movies without jams.

The biggest advantages:

• The issue of capacity completely ceases to matter (8 TB)
• Good work culture: low noise, gentle vibrations. ASMR fans will be in heaven
• Faster than the disk in PS4 / XONE
• It also works seamlessly with Windows 10 and MacOS
• Two USB-A to compensate for taking the console socket
• Great look, solid performance
• It doesn't heat up, the cooling system works
• Leg included

The biggest disadvantages:

• Space price: PLN 979
• Requires a separate power source
• It's still HDD - SSHD for consoles are even faster
• Low quality short cable
• No additional functions when connected to a PC

Meanwhile, I have no doubt that WD BLACK D10 Game Drive is the best that could have happened to my PS4. No more deleting games. No more downloading them again. I just play forgetting about such a problem as disk space. And although the device should be a bit cheaper, I do not blink to recommend it to every PS4 fan with more cash to distribute. Given the ratio of capacity to speed, it's the best gift you can give your console.

The WD Black D10 Game Drive is the best I could do to my PS4 Pro