The games of today, while pretty and expansive, require some serious storage to install.
Even though your PS5 does appear to have a decent amount of space available out of the box, as soon as you begin to add some of the best titles to your library, you’re going to fill it very quickly.
Thankfully, you can upgrade your PS5’s storage by swapping out the internal SSD and here, we’ll go through our top picks for this so you can get close to those PS5 Pro storage specs.
Best SSDs for PS5 in 2024
As promised, we’ll be revealing what we think are the best SSDs for PS5 consoles below.
We’ve included five different options for you to choose from, varying in price, so you’ll hopefully be able to find the best SSD for your budget.
WD Black SN850X
Up first, we have the WD Black SN850X, one of the go-to SSDs for many PS5 owners.
This is an SSD that offers a combination of top-tier speed, ample storage, and features specifically tailored for gaming performance.
Looking initially at speed, you’re going to want something lightning quick and WD has stated that the SN850X’s reach up to 7,300 MB/s, exceeding the PS5’s required 5,500 MB/s. This ensures that it is compatible with the system and is able to keep those load times to a minimum.
In terms of storage, you can pick up the SN850X in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, with the latter two providing ample space in comparison to the 825 GB you receive in the base console model. This ensures that you’re able to keep a substantial library of AAA games readily available without worrying about deleting and redownloading when you see fit.
For optimal performance, the 1TB and 2TB versions come with an optional heatsink. This is a critical feature for the PS5 as it helps manage heat during intense gaming sessions, preventing performance throttling and ensuring the SSD operates at peak levels.
Though Game Mode 2.0 is primarily a PC feature, the general enhancements and performance improvements make the SN850X a strong candidate for maximizing gaming performance on the PS5.
Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD for PS5
Seagate is a main player in the storage game and definitely a highly regarded brand in the console storage space, collaborating with both PlayStation and Xbox on licensed drives.
The Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD for PS5 is another of those licensed storage upgrades that look to bring the usual quality and compatibility to the table, and we believe it deserves a spot in this best PS5 SSDs roundup.
With read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,000 MB/s it fully utilizes the power of PCIe Gen4 technology while guaranteeing compatibility with the PS5 specifically. This means faster load times and quicker game launches, minimizing any waiting around.
A custom heatsink is actually built into the drive to help minimize thermal throttling, allowing the SSD to maintain peak performance during long gaming sessions. This is crucial for preserving performance consistency, especially when playing graphically demanding titles, hopefully making sure there are no hiccups.
As a bonus, the Seagate Game Drive M.2 SSD comes with a 5-year warranty, providing long-term peace of mind too!
Acer Predator GM7000
The Acer Predator GM7000 SSD is another high-performance storage solution for the PlayStation 5.
Like others in this list, it leverages PCIe Gen4 technology to deliver impressive read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,700 MB/s. The write speeds specifically are above average for SSDs of this ilk, beating out a lot of the competition.
As we’ve mentioned before, heat management is crucial for maintaining peak performance, and the Predator GM7000 is designed with a custom graphene-laced foam pad that helps dissipate heat efficiently. This ensures that the SSD operates at optimal temperatures, preventing thermal throttling, and ensuring consistent performance.
Getting a little more technical, the GM7000 uses a DRAM independent cache which boasts random read and write speeds of up to 1,300K and 1,100K IOPS, respectively. This not only boosts performance but also extends the SSD’s lifespan by reducing unnecessary write operations.
With a 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB storage capacities, it provides ample space to store large game files, apps, and media, making it ideal for PS5 users who need extra storage for their growing game library.
Samsung 990 Pro Heatsink SSD
The Samsung SSD 990 Pro with heatsink is a more premium SSD for PS5 that offers an impressive performance boost with sequential read speeds up to 7,450 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,900 MB/s.
It’s also a major upgrade over its predecessor, the 980 Pro, delivering up to 40% faster random read speeds and 55% faster write speeds, making it the better option of the two.
One of the standout features of the 990 Pro is its power efficiency. It boasts up to 50% better performance per watt compared to the 980 Pro, making it an efficient choice without sacrificing performance.
Thermal management is another area where the Samsung 990 Pro excels. Samsung’s nickel-coated controller and built-in heatsink ensure effective thermal control, preventing overheating during intense use.
Although this heatsink version comes with RGB LED lighting, this feature won’t be visible inside the PS5, making it somewhat unnecessary for console users. However, if you plan on using it for a desktop or laptop setup in the future where the RGB can be showcased, it adds a nice additional touch.
XPG Gammix S70 Blade
The XPG Gammix S70 Blade is another excellent SSD for PlayStation 5 owners, offering read speeds of up to 7,400 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,400 MB/s.
One of the key features of the XPG Gammix S70 Blade is its high-temperature-resistant aluminum heatsink. This reduces temperatures by up to 20%, ensuring that the SSD maintains optimal performance during longer gaming sessions.
While not needed for the PS5, the S70 Blade offers advanced data protection features, including Low-Density Parity-Check Error Correcting Code, End-to-End data protection, RAID Engine support, and AES 256-bit encryption. So, if you plan on potentially using it on other devices post PS5 era you can benefit from these.
The S70 Blade is also one of the more budget options from this list so if you’ve not got the deepest of pockets at this current time, you’ll be able to save some cash without really compromising on performance.
The post 5 best PS5 SSDs to enhance your console’s storage in 2024 appeared first on ReadWrite.
