Best PS5 SSDs: Which M.2 SSDs Are Compatible?

Sony released its first beta of the PS5 software last Thursday, and with it the much-anticipated support for adding an M.2 SSD, allowing you to install more PS5 games than the fairly restrictive built-in SSD of 825 GB does not allow it. Along with the beta, Sony provided a list of requirements, making it clear that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to grab any SSD and throw it into your PS5.

The main requirements from Sony are that the SSD be PCIe Gen4 and at least 250 GB. However, Sony makes it very clear that your SSD needs a heat sink, which can complicate matters, given the limited space in the SSD bay of the PS5. The SSDs you’ll want to consider will depend on whether or not you want to install a heat sink yourself, and whether you’re the ‘play by the rules’ or ‘let’s see what I can do’ type.

I don’t want any worries – I want to buy an SSD that I know will work, install it and never think about it again.

WD told us that, based on Sony’s requirements, their WD Black SN850 drives (available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities) will work and that they are in the process of testing compatibility. The drive easily outperforms Sony’s speed recommendations, but you’ll want to make sure you buy the heatsink version – for the 1TB model, the heatsink version costs $ 20 more than the non-heatsink version and has a large orange line on the front. It is also the SSD that the The main system architect of the PS5 has redeemed himself.

Seagate says its upcoming Firecuda 530 drives, which have the option of an included heat sink, will work on the PS5 as well. When released in late August, it will be $ 160 for a 500 GB model, $ 260 for a 1 TB model and $ 540 for a 2 TB model. You can recognize the heat sink models by the orange vertical stripe. near the connector.

A useful guide to installing an SSD in a PS5.

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I’m ready to work and / or roll the dice a bit.

For an SSD that meets the speed requirements, Crucial told us that their recently announced P5 Plus SSD is compatible with the PS5, but you’ll need to install your own heat sink.

Heatsinks should be unobtrusive – for those that protrude just above the top of the SSD, Sony wants you to add no more than 8mm in height, including the heatsink and thermal interface. For this reason, low profile heat sinks like the ones below will be the way to go.

If you’re looking to go all out on speed but are still fine with installing a heat sink, Samsung’s blazingly fast 980 Pro is another option.

If you look at the 980 Pro, this heat sink from EK Water Blocks is compatible with single-sided SSDs. It also matches Sony’s height requirements (and looks pretty, even though it will be buried in your PS5).

If you’re willing to stick with 1TB of storage, Sabrent’s Rocket 4 Plus is another option. There are 2TB and 4TB capacities, but these seem to be double-sided, which means heatsinks for them are much harder to find. According to Tom’s gear, however, the 1TB version is single-sided, making PS5-compatible heat sinks readily available.

If you’re looking for something that has a built-in heat sink, but you’re ready to roll the dice on speed, Patriot’s Viper Gaming SSD fits Sony’s requirements. However, it does not reach the speed recommended by Sony, although it is still classified as a Gen4 SSD.

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I’m a cowardly cannon willing to bend the rules to expand my storage.

Some SSDs are double-sided which means they have chips on the front and back of the PCB. We reached out to StorageIO’s storage analyst and operator Greg Schulz to see if that meant both sides needed to be covered with a heat sink, and he told us that “the denser the package, the more it is. the heat must be evacuated ”. According to him, the heat should be handled by airflow (which the PS5’s SSD doesn’t seem to have much access to), or other methods ranging from “heat sinks to small fans to thermal tape, between other approaches depending on the packaging.

For this reason, we place the double-sided SSDs without heatsinks included in this category. While there are many heatsinks that are compatible with double-sided SSDs, I struggled to find many that weren’t larger than those recommended by Sony (although we’ll come back to that note in a moment) .

If you can’t find a double-sided compatible heatsink that matches Sony’s specs, you’ll either have to run the SSD with a single-sided heatsink and just hope it doesn’t overheat, or you’ll have to try MacGyver on. two ultra-thin heatsinks like the ones below.

So, with all of those caveats out of the way, here are SSDs for those who like to live to the limit:

We tested the Sabrent Rocket NVMe ourselves (but without a heatsink). It comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities, and despite being slower than Sony’s recommended speed, it seemed to perform just fine. However, it appears to be double-sided, so the heatsink situation may be sketchy. The same goes for the 2TB and 4TB versions of the faster Rocket 4 Plus.

Our contact at Sabrent told us that he had tested the company’s own heatsink in a PS5 and that it was fine – although the stated height of the heatsink is well outside Sony’s specifications (it’s a little more than double the height). He says the console can close with the heatsink on and provided images, but it still falls into that category due to how it differs from Sony’s numbers.

Finally, there is the PNY XLR8 CS3040. It meets all of Sony’s requirements and recommendations, but it also appears to be double-sided. Again, that means your mileage may vary when it comes to heat sinks.

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What if I want to find myself an SSD? What speed and what specs should I look for?

Sony says your SSD should be at least Gen4 and have at least a capacity of 250GB. It also recommends SSDs that run at 5500MB / s or more. PCIe Gen3 SSDs are not supported (we tried), and neither is SATA.

What size will fit?

The PS5 is compatible with 2280-type SSDs, which currently appears to be the most widely available size. You can see a list of all sizes supported by the PS5 on Sony’s requirements page.

What are the heatsink requirements from Sony?

It depends on whether the heatsink goes to one side of the SSD or encloses it on both sides, but Sony has diagrams on its requirements page that show the exact measurements that will fit. Basically, however, SSDs with a built-in heatsink or double-sided heatsink can be up to 11.25mm in height. If you’re using a single-sided heat sink, you’re limited to one that adds less than 8mm of height. The maximum height includes not only the heat sink, but also the heat pads that you use to secure it to your SSD.

Image: Sony

You’ll also want to make sure your SSD and heat sink are compatible; heat sinks are the same size as SSDs, and the sizes must match.

As stated earlier, you will also need to be very careful about whether your SSD is single-sided or double-sided. This can be difficult to determine from the product images, so you can either wait until you have your SSD on hand to order your heat sink or carefully review the heat sink compatibility list (if it has one).

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Beta means beta

Again, the feature is currently only available to those in the beta program, so installing an SSD in your PS5 right now will likely reward you with a message asking you to uninstall it. Plus, Sony says even a drive that meets all of its requirements may still not work. If you don’t want to face the uncertainty, it may be best to wait until there have been more SSDs tested, or until there are officially certified Sony ones available.

However, we do know that at least two models work and everything else in this article meets Sony’s requirements. If you are feeling adventurous, you can apply for the PS5 beta here and read our PS5 SSD installation guide here.