[SOLVED] Would a dying HDD.have any impact on my ps4s frame rate?

Apr 26, 2021
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So basically I’ve asked this before on a few other websites but I’ve never received a clear answer. I’ve seen people get into full blown arguments over the answer .
 
Solution
Yes, a failing/defective HDD can impact overall game performance, in general. Even if just in terms of accessing stored files during game play. "Waiting" for files/access can definitely impact FPS rates.

Not really a topic of great dispute.
If you can get into games at all then the HDD isn't dead enough.
If the game couldn't access the data it needs then it would just stop running until it got the data, but getting lower fps than usual is not something that would happen due to a bad hdd, it doesn't downclock if it's on its way out like a CPU or GPU would, it either works or it doesn't.
 
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Apr 26, 2021
47
0
30
So basically I’ve asked this before on a few other websites but I’ve never received a clear answer. I’ve seen people get into full blown arguments over the answer .
 

COLGeek

Cybernaut
Moderator
Yes, a failing/defective HDD can impact overall game performance, in general. Even if just in terms of accessing stored files during game play. "Waiting" for files/access can definitely impact FPS rates.

Not really a topic of great dispute.
 
Solution
Apr 26, 2021
47
0
30
Yes, a failing/defective HDD can impact overall game performance, in general. Even if just in terms of accessing stored files during game play. "Waiting" for files/access can definitely impact FPS rates.

Not really a topic of great dispute.
Is there a certain degree to how bad it can be and if this only happens in open world games?
 
Is there a certain degree to how bad it can be...
it can be as bad as the game(s) failing to load at all, having corrupt save files, or even burning out the port on the system it is connected to.
or it could be as minor as only randomly losing a few frames per second or textures & models taking longer to load.

there are many types of drive failure.
and if this only happens in open world games?
ANY game with data on the drive.
 

Paperdoc

Polypheme
Ambassador
My opinion is different, BUT I do not have a PS4.

A HDD may have early malfunctions before complete failure. Sometimes, for example, the first attempt to read a sector may generate faulty info that is caught by the software in the HDD itself. For may HDD's this results in a series of re-tries. IF that results in a reliable read of data, it is returned to the system that requested it with no notification of failure, but that process may have taken longer than normal. Within the hard drive, such a re-try process ALSO may trigger a default remedy used by most HDD's in a computer. That is, if the "faulty" Sector involved can be re-read with success, then the HDD may mark that Sector as faulty and never to be re-used, then "replace" it with a spare known-good Sector and write the reliably recovered data to that new Sector. This self-repair mechanism generally is completely beyond the view of the host system and NOT reported as an error or failure. If this kind of error continues to happen to other Sectors, eventually the HDD runs short of its initial inventory of spare known-good replacement Sectors and DOES generate a warning of this low count of available replacements, so you can plan to replace the HDD before it is completely unable to self-repair.

Another type of problem might arise that is not really a HDD error, but does result in faulty data returned to the system. This can happen if the connections between the system mobo and the HDD (at the two data cable connection points) become contaminated in a way that interferes with clean signal transfer. This could be from foreign dirt, or simply from accumulated oxidation of the metal contact surfaces. There is a simple process you can use to try to remedy this, and it costs nothing. You just need to be careful in manipulating components. With power off and NO static electric charge on you, open the case to get access to the cables (especially the data cable, but maybe also the power input connection of the HDD). Carefully unplug the cable, then re-connect it. Repeat several times. Do this at both ends of the data cable, and at the power cable input. (Most power cables do not have a socket they are plugged into at the PSU.) Check that you have not disturbed anything else by accident, then close up, re-connect power and turn on. IF there was a dirty contact issue, this may "scrub" them clean and resolve the problem.