The best PS5 SSDs will turn your Sony console into a true gaming library, impressively expanding on your PlayStation’s storage capacity while maintaining the blistering load times and transfer rates that we’ve come to enjoy. While Sony’s default storage offering of 825GB is a sizable amount to play with, the actual amount of that storage you can use is a different matter. After taking into account the OS, firmware and numerous console updates, you’re more likely to be left with around 667GB of space. That’s still a fair amount, but not in contrast with the rising file size of modern games.
Games like Ghost of Tsushima, NBA 2K22 and The Last of Us 2 all have install sizes that are creeping towards triple digits in gigabytes. What’s more, that’s slowly becoming the norm. As this console generation continues, expect this trend to speed up rather than slow down, and this results in your 667GB of storage being rapidly consumed by just a fraction of your game library. Expanding your PS5 storage is quick and easy, and with Sony currently allowing up to 4TB of additional storage to be fitted into the console, you can keep the majority of your digital and disc-based games installed without hassle.
Looking to expand your storage but don’t know where to start? At Laptop Mag, we’ve done some of the legwork for you, tracking down the best SSD storage options for PS5 currently available. Haven’t managed to pick up a PlayStation 5 yet? Don’t worry, we have you covered there, too. You can always check out our PS5 U.K. stock watch or PS5 U.S. stock watch pages or follow Laptop Mag on Twitter where we do our best to post any news on retail stock when available. Plus, you can check out how to install an M.2 SSD in a PS5 with our handy guide.
However, for those looking for a way to boost their console capacity without sacrificing those next-gen load times, here are the best PS5 SSDs of 2022.
The best PS5 SSDs: What to look for
When it comes to choosing the right SSD, it’s important to make sure you’re only looking at drives supported by Sony’s official guidelines. While not incredibly restrictive, the guidelines specifically point towards PCIe Gen 4×4 M.2 drives with capacities between 250GB and 4TB only. We’ve summarized Sony’s guidelines below to ensure you know exactly what to look for.
- Interface: PCI-Express Gen 4×4 supported M.2 NVMe SSD (Key M)
- Capacity: 250GB – 4TB
- Sizes: 2230 (30mm), 2242 (42mm), 2260 (60mm), 2280 (80mm), 22110 (110mm)
- Maximum dimensions: (L) 110mm x (W) 25mm x (H) 11.25mm
- Min. recommended sequential read speed: 5,500MB/s
To be considered compatible, SSDs must be fitted with some sort of heat-dissipation mechanism — like a heatsink. If you choose an SSD with a heatsink then in order to fit the expansion slot, it cannot exceed a height of 2.25 millimeters beneath the M.2 SSD, and 8 millimeters above the SSD. There are several SSDs available that use a heatsink that are too tall to fit within Sony’s recommended specs, but nothing is stopping you from removing that heatsink and replacing it with a smaller one (if the model of SSD allows for it).
While the key things you’ll want to look for are the sequential and random read/write speeds (the higher the better), along with a suitable capacity to fit your needs, you should also keep in mind the drive’s endurance (usually written as TBW, Total Bytes Written). A drive’s endurance gives a reasonable indication of how long you can use it before reaching the end of its lifespan. Even a drive with an endurance of 300TBW can write 150GB+ of data every single day for five years before it nears the end of its lifespan. That’s the equivalent of installing Cyberpunk 2077 twice a day, for 1,826 days. It’s safe to say that most PS5s won’t get that type of intensive use, so don’t feel you have to pay through the nose for the highest TBW count possible.
What are the best PS5 SSDs?
The best PS5 SSD is currently the Western Digital Black SN850 thanks to its fast random read/write performance and solid sequential read/write speeds across all capacities. There are faster SSDs available, but the WD Black SN850 has a real price-to-performance ratio that’s just hard to beat. While its endurance isn’t the best we’ve seen, it’s still a plentiful amount for the task at hand and will cater towards the vast majority of gamers without issue for the better part (if not a solid) decade.
A serious contender is the FireCuda 530, a speedy SSD from Seagate that combines high read/write speeds and up to 4TB of capacity with lengthy endurance to produce a seriously capable SSD for the PS5. With sequential read and write speeds of up to 7,000MB/s and 6,900MB/s, respectively, the FireCuda 530 is a well-balanced dynamo that will keep pace with the PS5’s internal SSD when it comes to installing or loading games. However, its biggest drawback is its price, with the 4TB option retailing for as high as $999.
The Patriot Viper VP4300 is a fantastic SSD for those looking for the best speeds possible. The Viper VP4300 is ready to install straight out of the box and features blistering speeds, solid endurance and up to 2TB of storage. Its impressive 7,400MB/s sequential read speed will help load your titles at a breakneck rate and a sequential write speed of up to 6800MB/s will make short work of transferring or installing games to the drive itself. It’s a little pricier per GB than some of our other selections, but it is one of the strongest performers and well worth it if you’re looking for a dependable 2TB drive.
The best SSD for PS5
The Western Digital Black SN850 was one of the first SSDs to meet Sony’s compatibility requirements for the PS5, and it remains one of the best options to choose from when it comes to expanding your storage. The SN850 strikes a great balance between sequential read/write and random read/write performance, which translates to faster opening and loading times for your games. The 1GB model hits the sweet spot in terms of read/write speeds if you’re after peak performance, but all models include a heatsink option — which, while more expensive, means you can install it right out of the box.
One downside to the WD Black SN850 SSD is its relatively low SSD endurance. When compared to other options on our shortlist, Western Digital’s SSD lifespan isn’t going to wow. However, while these numbers seem small, they still promise a sizable window of use. Taking the smallest capacity model (500GB / 300TBW) as an example, to max out the lifespan of the SSD you’d need to write over 150GB of data to the drive every day for five years. A final feather in the cap of Western Digital’s spritely SSD comes from PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny, who has personally recommended the WD Black SN850.
The best high-capacity SSD for PS5
When it comes to upgrading your PS5’s storage the Seagate FireCuda 530 is one of the most popular options available. Not only does it boast some of the fastest sequential read/write speeds of any PS5 compatible SSD, but the FireCuda 530 also has the best lifespans we’ve seen. Across the 500GB, 1TB and 2TB options, the FireCuda 530 doubles the endurance of similar SSDs like the WD Black SN850 or Samsung 980 Pro. With an endurance of up to 5100TBW, you would have to write almost 2.8TB of data to the drive every day for the entire five-year warranty period to reach the drive’s lifespan.
The Seagate FireCuda 530 is also one of the largest-capacity SSDs that are PS5-ready right out of the box, offering up to 4TB of storage — the maximum capacity currently allowed by Sony. While that increase in capacity also increases the size of the SSD and heatsink, with a height ranging between 9.84 and 11.04mm, the FireCuda 530 will still fit the PS5 expansion port without fuss, keeping the double-sided SSD cool over even over long periods of play.
The best premium SSD for PS5
Samsung is well known for making some of the best SSDs the market has to offer, and the 980 Pro is at no risk of tarnishing that reputation. At a glance, Samsung’s SSD might not seem overly impressive, its sequential read and write speeds are good, though the slower write speed does hamper its overall potential. Where the 980 Pro begins to shine is in its random read and write speeds, offering above-average performance that can impact gaming performance considerably — especially when it comes to loading times.
Purchasing the Samsung 980 Pro with the optional heatsink means you can install the SSD right out of the box. Even with the heatsink attached, the 980 Pro measures in at a height of just 8.6 millimeters — comfortably below the 11.25mm limit. The endurance of Samsung’s SSD might not match that of the Seagate FireCuda 530, but even with its lower count of 600TBW, you can expect to write well over 300GB per day for the entire five-year warranty period before you approach the end of the drive’s lifespan.
The best 2TB SSD for PS5
Picking up the Gigabyte Aorus 7000s will net you some solid performance, especially with the 2TB model’s 6,850MB/s sequential write speed almost parallelling the 7,000MB/s sequential read rate. Drive endurance is also good with a lifetime of up to 1,400TBW, or 750GB+ per day throughout the five-year warranty period.
The Aorus 7000s comes pre-fitted with a heatsink, which means you won’t have to make any adjustments before installing it in your PS5. The heatsink does add considerable height to the SSD, raising its profile to the 11.25mm height limit. While that’s still within the acceptable measurements laid out by Sony, the heatsink is replaceable and a smaller one can be used in its place if preferred. However, the nanocarbon-coated aluminum heatsink is more than capable on its own and should pose no harm to your PS5 system.
The fastest SSD for PS5
The Patriot Viper VP4300 is one of the best SSDs you can buy if you’re looking for a fair balance between speed and endurance. It features some of the best sequential read rates available with both the 1TB and 2TB models allowing speeds of up to 7,400MB/s, and also impresses in the other direction with the 2TB model able to reach sequential write speeds of up to 6,800MB/s. This sort of performance easily places the Patriot Viper VP4300 at the top of our list when it comes to sequential performance, but middling random write/read speeds do take some of the shine away from its otherwise great showing.
Thanks to a sizable lifespan of up to 2,000TBW, the VP4300 can easily handle over a terabyte of data written to the drive daily for the entirety of its five-year warranty before its lifetime is up. As with our other listed items, the Patriot Viper VP4300 is already outfitted with a heatsink and slides well under the 11.25mm height limit at just 8mm tall — making it a fantastic no-fuss solution to those seeking a speedy SSD that’s good for years of service.
The best value SSD for PS5
The Corsair MP600 PRO LPX is a great option for those looking at a high-capacity storage upgrade for the PS5. While the Corsair MP600 PRO LPX is available in densities from 500GB, the 2TB and 4TB options are where it showcases some excellent speeds and endurance. Both of the higher capacity options allow write speeds of up to 6.800MB/s, which will make for speedy installs and data transfer. In terms of endurance, the 4TB option has a sizable lifespan of 3,000TBW, which would allow over 1.5TB of data to be written to the drive every day throughout the five-year warranty period before further writing is an issue.
Squeezing in just below Sony’s height limitation at 11mm tall, the Corsair MP600 PRO LPX comes outfitted with an aluminum heatsink to dissipate any heat buildup and prevent performance throttling throughout play sessions. With no assembly required, the Corsair MP600 PRO LPX can be immediately fitted into the PS5 and used to house dozens of your favorite titles.
The best 1TB SSD for PS5
A little assembly is required with the super-slim ADATA S70 Blade, making it the only one of our picks that isn’t ready right out of the box. Thankfully, this assembly isn’t very taxing, requiring some backing film to be placed onto the SSD before applying the temperature-resistant aluminum heatsink on top. Once the heatsink is in place, you’re good to go, and the S70 Blade can be fitted into the PS5’s expansion port without hassle.
ADATA’s S70 Blade is capable of lightning-fast sequential read speeds of up to 7,400MB/s across all capacities, though sequential write speeds will differ. The 500GB model does have a particularly poor sequential write speed of only 2,600MB/s, which could noticeably slow installs or data transfers to the drive. However, the 1TB and 2TB options allow for much healthier speeds or 5,500MB/s and 6,700MB/s respectively. Drive endurance ranges from 370TBW (500GB) to 1480TB (2TB) which translates to 200GB-800GB+ per day for the five-year warranty, which is more than enough for the vast majority of gamers to enjoy this SSD for years to come.
The best PS5 SSDs: Honorable mentions
Our shortlist for the best PS5 compatible SSDs focused on the no-fuss, straight out of the box options that are currently available. However, for those not worried about doing a little extra work, there’s a host of other options available that could see you saving money. We’ve highlighted a few Gen 4×4 M.2 storage options that require some adjustments from stock to be PS5 ready, which may mean adding a heatsink of choice or replacing one to ensure it meets Sony’s SSD height limits.
- Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus: Sabrent’s SSD comes in capacities up to 4TB and offers a unique cooling solution that, instead of applying directly to the board, switches out the PS5’s expansion port cover for a CNC’d aluminum lid. That sort of solution isn’t recommended by Sony, so you may want to fit your own heatsink onto the SSD and leave the native PS5 cover as is. The Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is an otherwise zippy SSD with read/write speeds of 7000MB/s and 6600MB/s respectively.
- Crucial P5 Plus: The Crucial P5 Plus is a fantastic Gen4x4 M.2 SSD that offers decent speeds and capacities of up to 2TB. One thing the P5 Plus lacks is a fitted heatsink, though Crucial does have a compatible heatsink for sale separately (or bundled). It requires a bit of assembly, however, you will save money as the cost of the SSD and heatsink as separate components are much lower than similar pre-assembled drives.
- T-FORCE Cardea A440: With sequential read/write speeds of up to 7,000/6,900MB/s the Cardea A440 is undoubtedly fast. It also has a decent lifespan of up to 1,400TBW and capacities of 1TB and 2TB available. The only issue stopping the Cardea A440 from appearing on our shortlist is its copper heatsink which pushes above the 11.25mm height limit imposed by Sony. Luckily, this heatsink can be removed and replaced with a smaller option fairly easily, but as a pricier option,it may not be worth the additional work for some.
