A compelling feature of Sony’s PlayStation 5 is its M.2 slot, which accommodates a second internal solid-state drive to supplement the gaming console’s standard SSD. However, you need a drive that meets Sony’s exacting standards for interface, thickness, speed, and more. Fortunately, many of today’s PCI Express 4.0 NVMe SSDs qualify as PS5-compatible, even some that aren’t expressly marketed as such. We can help: We’re veteran testers of digital storage way back into the platter drive days, and we have reviewed many PS5-friendly SSDs. Below, we’ve lined up the details on our favorites, including our top pick, Crucial’s T500. Then comes a buying guide that will tell you all you need to know about choosing the right model. Installing the secondary stick may take some work—click here, and we’ll show you how—but it will let you keep a much larger game library on hand.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Best High-Performance SSD for the PS5
Crucial T500
- Available in both heatsink and non-heatsink versions
- Strong benchmark scores
- High-quality software included
- Compatible with PlayStation 5
- Fairly high cost per GB
- No 4TB version (yet)
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
TLC
Controller Maker
Phison
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7400 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
7000 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
1200 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
Micron’s Crucial T500 is among the best full-featured PCIe 4.0 internal solid-state drives you can buy for building or upgrading a high-end PC.
Learn More
Best Blend of Features and Performance in an SSD for the PS5
Acer Predator GM7000
- Slightly exceeds its blistering rated speeds
- Good all-around benchmark performance
- 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption
- Includes free cloning-software download
- PlayStation 5 compatible
- Ships with graphene-embedded foam heat spreader rather than aluminum heatsink
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
TLC
Controller Maker
InnoGrit
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7400 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
6700 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
1200 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
With blistering throughput speeds and fine benchmark results, Acer makes a splash with its Predator GM7000, the first PCI Express 4.0 SSD in its line and every bit as lethal as its gaming laptop and monitor brandmates.
Learn More
Best SSD With a Robust Heatsink for the PS5
WD Black SN850X
- Capacities up to 4TB
- Available with or without heatsink
- Exceeded both its sequential read and write speed ratings
- Aced PCMark and 3DMark storage tests
- Lacks 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
TLC
Controller Maker
SanDisk
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7300 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
6600 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
1200 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
The WD Black SN850X takes the company’s flagship PCIe 4.0 gaming SSD and makes it even better, offering higher capacity and improved test results (including a new PC Labs record in the 3DMark Storage benchmark). About all it lacks is hardware-based security.
Learn More
Best Dual-Use (PS5 or PC) Internal SSD
Samsung SSD 990 Pro
- Impressive overall performance
- Compatible with PlayStation 5
- Includes powerful Samsung Magician software
- 256-bit AES hardware-based encryption
- Mediocre gaming benchmark scores
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
MLC
Controller Maker
Samsung
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7450 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
6900 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
600 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
Samsung’s SSD 990 Pro is a zippy PCI Express 4.0 internal drive that’s a step up from its predecessor, offering excellent performance for creative tasks, if not necessarily for gaming.
Learn More
Best SSD With High (4TB) Capacity Options for the PS5
TeamGroup T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series
- Compatible with Sony’s PlayStation 5
- Available in capacities up to 4TB
- Generally solid performance scores
- Moderately priced compared with its peers
- Short of its rated sequential read/write speeds in testing
- Relatively low AS-SSD copy scores
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
TLC
Controller Maker
Phison
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7400 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
7000 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
1400 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
Billed as “Made for the PS5,” TeamGroup’s T-Force Cardea A440 Pro Special Series SSD also works well with laptop or desktop PCs, and it comes in capacities up to 4TB. The PCIe 4.0 drive proved fast in our testing, if a touch short of its rated speeds.
Best Value in an SSD for the PS5
Kingston Fury Renegade SSD
- Comes in capacities up to 4TB
- Moderately priced 1TB and 2TB versions
- Matched its sequential read and write speed ratings in testing
- Comes with Acronis True Image HD backup/cloning software
- Above-par durability (TBW) ratings
- Middling overall test scores
- Lacks hardware-based encryption
Internal or External
Internal
Internal Form Factor
M.2 Type-2280
Interface (Computer Side)
M.2 Type-2280
Capacity (Tested)
2 TB
NAND Type
TLC
Controller Maker
Phison
Bus Type
PCI Express 4.0
Rated Maximum Sequential Read
7300 MBps
Rated Maximum Sequential Write
7000 MBps
Terabytes Written (TBW) Rating
2000 TBW
Warranty Length
5 years
The Kingston Fury Renegade SSD offers good value in a PCI Express 4 high-performance gaming SSD, with benchmark scores that were solid, though out of the top tier.
Learn More
Buying Guide: The Best SSDs for PS5 in 2024
In selecting the drives featured above, the main requirement—other than proving their overall mettle as solid gaming SSDs in our benchmarking—was that they meet Sony’s official criteria for use with a PS5. Most but not all of our choices are marketed by their manufacturers as PS5-friendly.
On the other hand, a number of M.2 solid-state drives—some touted as PS5-compatible—fall short in one requirement: Their rated data transfer speed or throughput is short of the recommended 5,500MBps. This is the only spec for which Sony allows some wiggle room. However, we’re still not recommending any below the 5,500Mbps speed threshold, since many of these drives also lack a dynamic random access memory cache (DRAM), instead using a bit of your computer’s system memory as a cache. The PlayStation 5 does not support this kind of scheme, a fact that can potentially reduce drive performance when the drive is under duress.
PS5 Drive Size: How Tall and Long Can a PS5 SSD Be?
For obvious reasons, an SSD’s physical height is a critical factor in determining its PS5 compatibility. “Height,” in this case, is its thickness. Sony recommends that any SSD for the PS5 have a heat dissipation device—a heatsink or heat spreader—which will add to its bulk. But it can only be so big and still fit.
(Credit: Molly Flores)
The secondary drive must fit in the PlayStation’s M.2 bay, which allows a total thickness of 11.5mm (up to 8mm from above the board and up to 2.5mm from below it). This eliminates most drives with nonremovable, finned heatsinks, but some manufacturers are developing compact heatsinks and thin heat spreaders for use in confined spaces.
As for drive length, the PS5 supports drives from 30mm to 110mm long. In practical fact, all our picks (and indeed most consumer M.2 SSDs) are the Type-2280, or 80mm, length.
The Upgrade: How to Install an SSD in Your PS5
Installing a second SSD in your PlayStation 5 (see our how-to guide) is not difficult. The only tools you’ll need are a small (#1) Philips screwdriver and perhaps a pair of tweezers for screw handling.
Your first step is to run a system update. Then, you turn off the console’s power, add a heatsink or spreader to the SSD if one isn’t already in place, and remove the PS5’s side panel. (That can be done without tools but may require a little muscle and care.)
PS5 with an SSD in its expansion slot (Credit: Will Greenwald)
Next, remove the expansion slot cover and the M.2 screw, seat the new SSD in the expansion slot, insert the spacer as indicated, and screw the drive into place. Then you close the PS5 back up, format the new drive, and you’re good to go.
Whether you managed to nab your PS5 for close to its $499.99 list price or paid a significant premium during the pandemic, plenty of fast, affordable M.2 PCI Express 4.0 solid-state drives can fit in its secondary slot. And if you haven’t bought a PS5 quite yet, there’ll be all the more compatible SSDs to choose from when you finally get your console.
Recommended by Our Editors
So, Which PS5 SSD Upgrade Should You Buy?
Our key measure, all else being equal on the spec front, is to look at the cost per gigabyte for any drive you are looking at, using the current sale price. SSD prices tend to rise and fall, and it’s often possible to score more capacity than you might think if you shop around. If you look at the cost per gigabyte, a little math can make it easy to compare the relative value of two drives of different capacities.
(Credit: Kyle Cobian)
The PlayStation 5’s built-in SSD has a capacity of 825GB, of which 667GB is free out of the box. Generally, you should be able to fit nine or 10 AAA games on the drive—today’s titles, on average, take 50GB to 60GB of storage, although some are considerably larger. For example, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War takes the franchise’s trend toward ballooning file sizes to a new high by filling nearly 220GB, so your available space may be gone sooner than you’d think. Fortunately, the PS5 supports secondary drives with capacities ranging from 250GB to a whopping 4TB.
Here, we’ve broken out the specs on our favorite tested PlayStation 5-compatible solid-state drives outlined above. Since your console has that open M.2 slot, you might as well put it to good use. While SSD prices are moderate at the moment, it’s wise to future-proof your PS5 by getting the highest-capacity drive you can afford and loading it with your favorite games. Happy fragging!
