The Ultimate PS4 Upgrade Guide
Make Your Console Faster, Quieter, and Cooler
Is your PlayStation 4 original, slim, or Pro sounding like a jet engine every time you boot up a game? Does navigating the menu feel sluggish, or are load times taking forever?
You might think it’s time to retire the console, but not necessarily. I’ve repaired and refurbished hundreds of these consoles, and I can tell you that with the right parts, you can often make your original PS4 run better than it did when it was brand new.
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through my four recommended upgrades to help your PS4 run cooler and drastically improve processing speed.
Speed Boost: Install a PS4 SSD Upgrade
If you only do one modification to your console, make it this one. The original PS4 shipped with a mechanical Hard Disk Drive (HDD). These are slow, prone to failure, and are the main reason your system feels laggy.
Swapping that old drive for a new Solid State Drive (SSD) is a game-changer. Since an SSD has no moving parts, your data transfer speeds skyrocket. You'll notice a night-and-day difference immediately: including faster boot times, less lagging, and faster loading.
PRO TIP: Don't waste money buying a bigger SSD than you really need. Figure out how much space you actually need for storage and use that to determine the size you need. For the best balance of performance, storage, and price, I recommend a 1TB SSD.
Samsung 1TB SSD: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/1TB-SSD
Quiet the Noise: The PS4 Fan Upgrade
If your friends complain they can hear your console over voice chat, you for sure have an airflow problem. Over the years, the heatsink gets clogged with dust, forcing the fan to spin at max speed just to keep the system from overheating.
PRO TIP: If you don't need your console super quiet, just cleaning out the heatsink may be all you need to do to get your console quiet enough.
If you want your console as quiet as possible, the stock fans in older units often just aren't that quiet. When I do a full refurbishment, I like to install an upgraded cooling fan, in addition to making sure the heatsink is completely cleaned.
These newer fans are designed to move air more efficiently with less noise. Combined with a clean heatsink, this upgrade can turn a loud "vacuum cleaner" console into a machine that is much quieter than the original fan.
ElecGear Upgraded Fan Kit: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/PS4-fan
Keeping It Cooler: High-Quality Thermal Paste
Once you have the motherboard out to change the fan, you absolutely must replace the thermal paste. The factory paste Sony used is good when the PS4 is new, but after years of heat cycles, it starts to dry up and turns into a crusty mess.
Dried out thermal paste prevents heat from transferring effectively from the APU (the processor) to the heatsink. To help your PS4 run as cool (and quiet) as possible, you need to clean that old paste off completely and apply a fresh bead of high-performance thermal paste. Do not skimp here - using quality paste is crucial for long-term reliability.
PRO TIP: In addition to using quality thermal paste, make sure you use enough to cover the chip once the motherboard is reinstalled. (See photo below for the amount I recommend using.)
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste: Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/vnBSW
The "Pro" Touch: Upgraded Thermal Pads
This is the step most people overlook. Your PS4 motherboard has RAM chips surrounding the processor that generate a lot of heat. The stock thermal pads used by the factory are often cheap and don't conduct heat as well as higher rated pads.
To do this right, I recommend removing the old pads and cutting your own new pads from a sheet of high-conductivity thermal pads.
PRO TIP: Make sure you buy 1mm thickness, as that is the standard for these consoles.
Installation: Cut them slightly larger than the RAM chips, peel off the plastic backing, and stick them on.
Upgraded thermal pads help draw heat away from the memory modules much more efficiently than the stock setup.
Gelid Solutions Thermal Pads (1mm): Amazon (paid link) https://geni.us/thermal-pad
Wrap Up
Taking apart your PlayStation 4 might seem intimidating, but with the right tools and a little patience, it’s a very doable DIY project. By installing an SSD, a new fan, new thermal paste, and new thermal pads, you are breathing new life into your console.
Not only will it look good on your shelf, but it’ll run cool, quiet, and fast for years to come.
If you want to watch the process before you try it yourself, check out this YouTube video of me doing all the upgrades above on one of my PS4s:
https://youtu.be/ItHlVMoM1og?si=ziDvdMK_QHQwevLF
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good one!
About the Author
Steve Porter is a video creator with a passion for DIY repair. When he's not making videos he enjoys hiking, working on his property, and hanging out with his friends and family.