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

Sony released its first PS5 software beta last Thursday, and with that came the much-anticipated support for adding an M.2 SSD that lets you install more PS5 games than the rather restrictive built-in 825GB SSD allows. In addition to the beta, Sony has provided a list of requirements that make it clear that you can’t necessarily grab every SSD and plug it into your PS5.

The main requirements from Sony are that the SSD has PCIe Gen4 and at least 250 GB. However, Sony makes it very clear that their SSD needs a heat sink, which can complicate things given the limited space in the PS5’s SSD bay. Which SSDs to consider depends on whether or not you plan to install a heat sink yourself, and whether you are a “game by the rules” type or a “let’s see what I can get away with” type.

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

WD announced that the WD Black SN850 drives (available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities) would work according to Sony’s requirements and that compatibility was being tested. The drive far exceeds Sony’s speed recommendations, but you should make sure you buy the heat sink version – for the 1TB model, the heat sink version costs $ 20 more than the heat sink version and has a large orange line on it the front. It’s also the SSD that the PS5’s leading systems architect bought for himself.

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

A helpful guide to installing an SSD in a PS5.

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I am ready to put in some work and / or roll a little.

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

Heat sinks should have a low profile – for those just going beyond the SSD, Sony doesn’t want you to add more than 8mm in height, including the heat sink and thermal interface. Because of this, low profile heat sinks like the following will be the way to go.

If you want to sacrifice speed but still want to install a heat sink, Samsung’s lightning-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 meets Sony’s height requirements (and looks pretty despite being buried in your PS5).

When you’re ready to stick with 1TB of storage, Sabrent’s Rocket 4 Plus is another option. While there are 2TB and 4TB capacities available, these appear to be double-sided, which means heat sinks are much harder for them to find. Accordingly Tom’s hardwareHowever, the 1TB version is single-sided, so PS5-compatible heat sinks are readily available for this.

If you’re looking for something that has a built-in heat sink but is ready to roll the dice at speed, Patriot’s Viper Gaming SSD meets Sony’s needs. However, it falls short of the speed recommended by Sony, although it is still classified as a Gen4 SSD.

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I’m a loose cannon ready to bend the rules to add to my camp.

Some SSDs are double-sided, meaning they have chips on both the front and the back of the board. We reached out to Greg Schulz, storage analyst and operator of StorageIO, to see if that meant that both sides had to be covered with a heat sink, and he told us, “The tighter the packaging, the more the heat needs to be be discharged “. According to him, the heat would have to be processed by a stream of air (which the SSD in the PS5 doesn’t seem to have much access to) or other methods ranging from “heat sinks to small fans to thermal tape” on the packaging. “

For this reason, we classify the double-sided SSDs without the supplied heat sink in this category. While there are many heat sinks out there that are compatible with double-sided SSDs, I struggled to find many that weren’t taller than Sony recommended (though we’ll come back to that in a moment).

If you can’t find a double-sided compatible heatsink that meets Sony’s specs, you either have to run the SSD with just one heatsink on one side and just hope it doesn’t overheat, or you have to try MacGyver on two ultra-slim heatsinks like the following.

So with all of these warnings out of the way, here are the SSDs for those who like to live on the edge:

We tested the Sabrent Rocket NVMe ourselves (but without a heat sink). It’s available in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities, and despite the fact that it’s slower than the speed recommended by Sony, it seemed to work fine. It does appear to be double-sided, however, so the heatsink situation can 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 heat sink in a PS5 and that it fits – although the stated height of the heat sink is well outside the Sony specification (it is a little more than twice as high). He says the console can be closed again with the heatsink on and has provided pictures, but it still falls into that category as it is different 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. This, in turn, means that your mileage may vary with heat sinks.

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What if I want to find an SSD for myself? What speed and specifications should I watch out for?

According to Sony, your SSD must be at least Gen4 and have a capacity of at least 250 GB. It also recommends SSDs that run at 5,500 MB / s or faster. PCIe Gen3 SSDs are not supported (we tried) and neither is SATA SSDs.

Which size will fit?

The PS5 is compatible with Type 2280 SSDs, which appears to be the most widely used size right now. For a list of all sizes that the PS5 supports, please visit Sony’s requirements page.

What are Sony’s heat sink requirements?

It depends on whether the heat sink sits on one side of the SSD or wraps it on both sides, but Sony has diagrams on their requirements side that show the exact dimensions that will fit. In principle, however, SSDs with an integrated or double-sided heat sink can be up to 11.25 mm high. If you are using a single sided heat sink, you are limited to one less than 8mm in height. The maximum height includes not only the heat sink, but also the thermal pads that you use to attach it to your SSD.

Image: Sony

You should also make sure that your SSD and heat sink are compatible. Heat sinks are the same sizes as SSDs and the sizes must match.

As mentioned earlier, you should also pay very close attention to whether your SSD is single-sided or double-sided. This can be difficult to determine from the product images, so either wait until you actually have your SSD in hand to order your heatsink, or take a close look at the heatsink’s compatibility list (if you have one).

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Beta means beta

Again, the function is currently only available for beta programs. So if you install an SSD into your PS5 now, you will likely just be rewarded with a message asking you to uninstall it. Additionally, Sony says that even a drive that meets all of its needs may still not work. If you don’t want to deal with uncertainty, it might be best to wait until additional SSDs have been tested or until those officially certified by Sony are available.

However, we know that at least two models will work and the rest in this post will meet Sony’s requirements. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can apply for the PS5 beta here and check out our PS5 SSD installation guide here.