In case your PlayStation 5’s interior garage is beginning to really feel a little bit cramped, you’re no longer on my own. With recreation installs continuously taking on over 100GB, increasing your garage is likely one of the very best tactics to get extra from your console. The most productive SSD for PS5 is not going to handiest come up with more space on your recreation library, however it must additionally meet Sony’s pace necessities so your video games load simply as rapid as they’d at the integrated pressure.
There’s quite a lot of SSDs to choose between, whether or not you wish to have a easy plug-and-play possibility with a heatsink or a budget-friendly select the place you upload your personal. Some be offering higher cooling, others include instrument equipment for managing functionality — however all of the drives we’ve incorporated right here fit, rapid and dependable. Right here’s what to appear out for when upgrading your PS5 garage, and our most sensible choices that can assist you get began.
Learn extra: Those are the most productive SSDs in 2025
Desk of contents
Easiest SSDs for PS5 in 2025
Corsair
Capability: As much as 8TB | Sequential learn functionality: 7,100MB/s | Sequential write functionality: 6,800MB/s | Connection: M.2
The Corsair MP600 Professional LPX makes it to the highest of our checklist for the most productive PS5 SSD for being all the bundle. It’s rapid, gives very good functionality and skim speeds of as much as 7,100MB/s. It additionally comes with a pre-installed heatsink and a five-year guaranty.
Easiest of all, the MP600 is reasonably priced. After launching at $190, you’ll be able to automatically in finding the 1TB variant on sale for as low as $80, whilst the 2TB fashion fluctuates in value between $110 and $150. The 4TB and 8TB fashions are much less of a cut price. The MP600 could also be no longer the quickest NVMe in this checklist. On the other hand, so far as no-fuss choices cross, it’s onerous to overcome.
- Integrated heatsink
- Reasonably priced
- Now not the quickest Gen4 fashion
A very powerful
Capability: As much as 4TB | Learn functionality: 7,300MB/s | Write functionality: 6,800 MB/s | Connection: M.2
If you wish to save just a little of cash through putting in your personal heatsink, the A very powerful T500 is a brilliant possibility. With learn speeds of as much as 7,300MB/s, it surpasses Sony’s technical necessities, and you’ll be able to ceaselessly in finding the 1TB fashion on sale for as low as $60. A very powerful additionally gives a model with a heatsink, so it’s value including each the Corsair MP600 and A very powerful T500 to a cost watch checklist and purchasing whichever fashion is inexpensive while you’re able to improve your PS5.
- Speedy
- To be had without or with heatsink
SABRENT
Capability: As much as 8TB | Sequential learn functionality: 7,000MB/s | Sequential write functionality: 6,600MB/s | Connection: M.2
Of all of the SSDs in this checklist, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is essentially the most attention-grabbing. It comes with a novel heatsink that you just set up rather than the garage enlargement slot’s steel duvet. Sabrent claims this design improves cooling functionality. Consequently, be expecting to pay greater than you may for a fashion with a generic heatsink, with the 1TB variant coming in at round $110 and the 2TB fashion costing between $220 and $280.
- PS5-specific heatsink design
- Now not as rapid as different choices
- Pricey relative to different drives
SAMSUNG
Capability: As much as 4TB | Learn functionality: 1,050MB/s | Write functionality: 1,000MB/s | Connection: USB 3.0
As I provide an explanation for beneath, you’ll be able to’t run PS5 video games from an exterior pressure — however you’ll be able to use one to retailer any video games you aren’t enjoying nowadays, together with older PS4 video games.
Certainly one of my favourite transportable drives is the Samsung T7. It might probably write information at a rapid 1,000 MB/s. Should you plan to make use of the pressure completely for at-home use, you’ll be able to get monetary savings through purchasing the common fashion as an alternative of the ruggedized Defend variant. I’ve been the use of T7 drives to retailer my footage, track and video games for years, and they’ve but to fail me. The most recent fashion, the Samsung T9, boasts learn/write speeds of as much as 2,000MB/s.
- Reasonably priced
- Dependable
- Rugged variant to be had
- Can’t play PS5 video games from exterior pressure
How we take a look at PS5 SSDs
I’ve examined many of the SSDs really useful in this checklist, both for PS5 or laptop use. I additionally purchased and used our most sensible select in my very own PS5.
PS5 SSD FAQs
How a lot PS5 garage do I want?
The PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 5 Professional can settle for interior drives with between 250GB and 8TB of garage potential. Should you already personal a PS5, likelihood is that you may have an inexpensive concept of ways a lot garage you wish to have on your recreation library. Should you’re purchasing an SSD with a brand new PS5 or PS5 Professional, or purchasing for somebody else, it’s tougher to inform what it’s possible you’ll want for a high-performance enjoy.
PS5 video games are smaller on moderate than their PS4 equivalents, in most cases taking on between 30GB and 100GB, with some notable (and highly regarded) exceptions. Should you’re keen on the Name of Accountability sequence, putting in Black Ops 6 and Warzone 2.0 can consume as much as 240GB. In different phrases, a complete Name of Accountability set up will absorb greater than one-third of the PS5’s interior garage. Should you’re no longer a CoD fan, regardless that, likelihood is that you’ll be excellent to retailer between six to ten video games on a typical PS5 internally prior to operating into issues.
You additionally want to imagine your web pace. Should you reside in a space with gradual broadband, the “you’ll be able to simply obtain it once more” rationale doesn’t actually paintings. At my previous domestic, a 100GB obtain took me round 8 hours, throughout which era it was once tricky to concurrently watch Twitch or, say, post articles about upgrading PS5 SSDs. Retaining video games round at the off-chance you’ll wish to play them one day is smart.
Off the bat, there is principally no level in going for a 250GB PS5 SSD. Economically, 250GB drives aren’t that a lot inexpensive than 500GB ones — and almost, that actually isn’t a large number of area for contemporary video games to continue to exist. 500GB drives is usually a respectable possibility, however after years of declining costs, I feel the candy spot for the general public is to go for a high-capacity 1TB or 2TB pressure, which must run you at maximum $200. The latter will greater than double the PS5 Professional’s garage with out breaking the financial institution.
Except you’re rolling in money and wish to flex, 4TB and 8TB fashions must most commonly be have shyed away from, as you’ll finally end up paying extra in step with gigabyte than you may with a 1TB or 2TB pressure.
Whilst the 825GB PS5 handiest supplies 667GB of garage, that’s in large part because of garage being reserved for the running device and caching. Should you set up a 1TB PS5 SSD, you can have, inside a margin of error, 1TB of garage to be had for video games. Out of the field, the PS5 Professional gives 1.86TB of garage for video games, regardless that you’ll be able to eke out extra in the event you delete the pre-installed Astro’s Playroom (gasp).
Since neither the PS5 Slender nor PS5 Professional function up to date CPU structure, all of our suggestions will paintings with no matter PS5 fashion you personal.
Are you able to play PS5 video games on an exterior SSD?
Exterior onerous drives generally tend to price not up to interior SSD opposite numbers (and there’s an excellent chance it’s possible you’ll personal one already). Sadly, there are restrictions on what you’ll be able to do with them. An exterior SSD connects in your PS5 by way of USB, and is handiest appropriate for enjoying PlayStation 4 video games, or storing PS5 titles. That’s helpful you probably have anything else however the most productive high-speed web — it’s quicker to transport a PS5 recreation out of “chilly garage” on an exterior pressure than it’s to re-download it — or wish to stay your PS4 library readily available.
Because of the restrictions right here, you don’t want the highest-performing fashion, even though you must go for SSDs over HDDs for stepped forward switch speeds and cargo instances. Any fundamental transportable pressure from a credible logo will do, with the A very powerful X9 Professional and Samsung T7 being choices we’ve attempted and will counsel.
Which SSD playing cards fit with the PS5?
The legitimate solution to this query is an “M.2 Socket 3 (Key M) Gen4 x4 NVME SSD.” However even inside that apparently particular description, there are further components to imagine. The principle necessities Sony has laid out for compatibility come down to hurry, cooling and bodily dimensions.
For pace, Sony says drives must be capable to maintain sequential reads at 5,500MB/s. Early trying out confirmed that the PS5 would settle for drives as gradual as 4,800MB/s, and that video games that faucet into the SSD continuously — reminiscent of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Aside — would reason no problems. Just about the one factor the PS5 will outright reject is one that does not fit the Gen4 x4 spec.
In our opinion, regardless that, the use of a pressure slower than the specification is a possibility that, in the event you don’t have already got that pressure mendacity round, isn’t value taking. Simply because we haven’t discovered problems but doesn’t imply there received’t be video games that may be problematic someday. The associated fee distinction between those marginally slower Gen4 drives and those that meet Sony’s spec isn’t large, and it’s possible you’ll as neatly duvet your whole bases.
Rather extra sophisticated than pace is cooling and dimension. Maximum new SSDs are going to be simply wonderful; the PS5 can are compatible 22mm-wide SSDs of almost any period (30mm, 40mm, 60mm, 80mm or 110mm, to be actual). Nearly all of drives you in finding shall be 22mm vast and 80mm lengthy, so no downside there.
It must be famous that the device can are compatible a 25mm-wide pressure, however that width should come with the cooling answer. Talking of, Sony says SSDs require “efficient warmth dissipation with a cooling construction, reminiscent of a heatsink.” The utmost top supported through Sony’s slot is 11.25mm, of which handiest 2.45mm can also be “beneath” the pressure.
This prior to now supposed one of the most hottest heatsinked Gen4 SSDs, together with Corsair’s MP600 Professional LP, would no longer are compatible throughout the PS5’s garage enlargement slot. Since Engadget first revealed this information in 2021, maximum NVMe makers, together with Samsung, have pop out with PlayStation-specific fashions that meet the ones necessities. That stated, if you wish to avoid wasting cash, naked drives are continuously inexpensive and it’s trivial to discover a cooling answer that can paintings for the PS5.
The one element in an NVMe SSD that actually calls for cooling is the controller, which and not using a heatsink will fortunately sear a (very small) steak. Maximum SSDs have chips on just one aspect, however even on double-sided SSDs, the controller is perhaps on most sensible, as producers realize it must be located there to raised expend warmth.
So, head in your PC element vendor of selection and select up principally anything else that meets the really useful dimensions. A excellent seek time period is “pc NVME heatsink,” as those shall be designed to slot in the confines of gaming laptops, which might be much more restrictive than a PS5. They’re additionally in most cases inexpensive than those categorized as “PS5 heatsinks.”
One advice is that this $6 copper heatsink, which attaches to the PS5 SSD with sticky thermal interface subject material. It really works simply wonderful, and in acting pressure checks on a PC, we couldn’t in finding anything else steel that didn’t stay temperatures underneath regulate. Whilst you’re looking out, simply be certain that the answer you opt for measures not more than 25mm vast or 8mm tall (together with the thermal interface subject material) and has a easy approach of set up that’s no longer going to reason any complications.
One final thing: When searching for a PS5 NVMe, there’s no reason why to shop for a Gen5 fashion over a extra reasonably priced Gen4 fashion. As issues stand, Sony’s console can’t profit from the brand new same old, and regardless that Gen5 drives are backward appropriate, they’re dearer than their Gen4 opposite numbers. Simply purchase the quickest and highest-capacity Gen4 fashion you’ll be able to have enough money.
How you can set up an SSD into your PS5
If you wish to have steering on set up your new NVMe into your PS5 or PS5 Professional, now we have a separate information detailing all of the steps right here. Set up is beautiful easy, however our how-to allow you to in case you are caught. Simply make word: Prior to making an attempt so as to add extra garage by way of a PS5 SSD, make certain that you may have Sony’s newest instrument put in.
