We tested the best M.2 solid-state drives for the PlayStation 5. Here are our top picks for improving your storage and enhancing your PS5 gaming experience.
With so many awesome games available for the PlayStation 5, the console's 1-terabyte solid-state drive can quickly fill up with all that gaming goodness. Luckily, you can easily bulk up your storage and speed by adding an internal SSD. Not all SSDs are equal, though. For instance, the drive needs a heat sink -- an essential component to stave off overheating. If your solid-state drive doesn't have one, you'll have to add it manually (I've made some suggestions below to help with that process). Also, while my testing for the best SSDs is done with a PS5, the speed results in the charts below will give you an overall look at their performance, even if one of these is destined for a desktop. ssd 120 gb
You are likely to get strong performance from all the top choices for SSDs, but some of them are more cost-efficient than others. The best value doesn't mean the best speed. While searching for the best SSD, we landed on the Lexar NM790, which offers 4TB for less than $300. After all our tests, it was either in line with our other top performers or it was better. The other options on this list were so comparable that if you find a good deal on one of them, they'll do just as well for your PS5.
We've been testing SSDs for years, especially since 2021, when Sony unlocked the option to add more storage. If you're ready to expand your game library, keep reading. We've tested several drives, including the 4TB Seagate FireCuda 530, which we installed in this how-to feature . You can find the results of those performance tests below.
The Lexar NM790 SSD has a built-in heat sink, letting it hit up to 7,400MB/s read and 6,500MB/s write speeds. Lexar’s optimal thermal management also helps keep it cool during intense workloads.
The Samsung 990 Pro with Heat Sink showcases cutting-edge advancements in exclusive NAND memory (which reduces erase and write times and requires less chip area per cell), controller and software tech. The SSD is tailored for PC and console gamers and creators searching for storage solutions with exceptional performance, power efficiency and thermal management.
The price listed is for the 2TB drive, but it also offers 1TB for $90.
Samsung's high-end M.2 drive was a logical first choice for a lot of PS5 modders, but the original version didn't include a built-in heat sink -- which is required for operation. You could buy a separate one and attach it, but that's a few extra steps.
Conveniently, this excellent Samsung 980 Pro SSD is now available with a heat sink, which makes it an all-in-one package. There are two current configurations, a 1TB model and a 2TB model, with the price roughly doubling for the larger model.
The big 4TB Seagate FireCuda 530 includes a built-in heat sink, which is a requirement for an internal PS5 drive. There are 1TB, 2TB and 4TB models.
After I installed and set up the drive, I tried transferring a few games from the default drive to my new SSD. Call of Duty, which is nearly 200GB, transferred in about 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Returnal -- around 50GB -- transferred in about 40 seconds.
Corsair's PS5-compatible M.2 drive comes with a heat sink. We tested the 2TB version, but there's also a 1TB version.
Normally I'd stick with M.2 drives with built-in heat sinks to make the entire upgrade process easier, but I'll make an exception for this PNY XLR8 drive because PNY also makes a separate PS5 SSD cover panel for $20, complete with a built-in heat sink.
Just slot the slim M.2 drive in the slot, screw the new cover panel over it and you're all set. We've tested the drive and added its transfer time scores to the chart below.
This is the PNY heat sink and cover combo, which makes it easy to install an M.2 drive that doesn't have its own heat sink.
Besides the Samsung and Seagate versions, this Western Digital drive is probably the most popular M.2 choice for the PS5. It also includes the needed heat sink built in, which I recommend as a much easier way to get your console storage upgraded.
pci ssd drive The WD Black comes in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes, although I can't see going through all the effort required to open the PS5 and install these for a mere 500GB of extra space, especially with some games getting close to 100GB in size. 1TB seems like the best value for your money.