Best M.2 SSD for Expanding PS5 Storage

May 11, 2022 Joseph Kaminski drives, hard, internal, solid, sony, state, storage

    Samsung 980 Pro with Heatsink M.2 SSD
    $170 at Samsung
    Seagate FireCuda 530 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD
    $120 at Amazon
    Corsair MP600 PRO LPX
    $160 at Best Buy
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 M.2
    $150 at Samsung
    WD Black SN850 Gen4 x4 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    $164 at Amazon

    MHQJRH M.2 2280 SSD heatsink
    $10 at Amazon

    After scouring the web to get your hands on a?PlayStation 5, you’re probably eager to try out as many next-gen games as you can. And the last thing you want is to be forced to pick and choose which games you have room for on the PS5’s limited built-in storage. Now, you don’t have to any more. Not available at launch, Sony unlocked the PS5’s extra internal storage drive slot last year, allowing you to bump up your console’s storage capacity and experience the benefits of an M.2 SSD, as long as you have a compatible drive.?
    Before the mass availability of the solid-state drives, and before the beta, you could still add an external drive for PS4 games, but only play PS4 games from it. You could store PS5 games on a portable SSD, but you could not play them.?
    Read more: PS5 Review: Exclusive Games Power Sony’s Sky-High Space-Age Console
    However, it’s pretty hard to find super-fast M.2 drives right now, especially the best M.2 SSDs, with a built-in heatsink. That’s an essential feature required to prevent overheating, so if your solid-state drive doesn’t have one, you’ll have to add it manually. We’ve made some suggestions below to help with that process.
    Sony has listed some specific guidelines as to what types of drives the PS5 will support, but not specific model recommendations. Based on the published specs, however, the SSD options listed below should all do the job. We’re currently in the process of testing some of them, including the 4TB Seagate FireCuda 530, which we installed in this how-to feature. So, as you search for the best M.2 SSD for your PS5, you’ll want to keep in mind technology is constantly shifting and we will update this list periodically. Check back for our updates and reviews as different technology emerges and performance continues to improve.

    Joe Kaminski/CNET
    Samsung 980 Pro with Heatsink M.2 SSD
    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 heatsink, required for operation. Sure, you could buy a separate one and attach it, but that’s a few extra steps.
    Conveniently, this excellent Samsung SSD, the 980 Pro, is now available?with?a heatsink built in, 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.?
    $170 at Samsung
    $170 at Amazon

    Dan Ackerman/CNET
    Seagate FireCuda 530 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD
    I recently got my hands on a big 4TB Seagate FireCuda 530, which includes a built-in heatsink, a requirement for an internal PS5 drive. The 1TB version is usually around $250, while the 4TB version is upward of $900. Note that due to its popularity, this particular Seagate FireCuda drive has frequently been out of stock, so grab one when you can.?
    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.?
    $120 at Amazon
    $166 at Walmart
    $120 at Best Buy

    Scott Stein
    Corsair MP600 PRO LPX
    Corsair recently announced this PS5-compatible M.2 drive. This particular SSD comes with a heat sync. We’re currently testing the 2TB version and will update this soon with more details from our hands-on testing. A 1TB drive sells for $190, while the 2TB is $370.
    $160 at Best Buy

    Samsung
    Samsung 980 Pro 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4 M.2
    This is the original version of the Samsung 980 Pro 1TB drive that needs a separate heatsink. If you’ve got one and can attach it, it’s a less expensive option, and easy to find. In fact, the price on this model has even dropped by a few dollars recently.?
    The advantage of adding an M.2 internal drive to your PS5 is that you can both store and play PS5-native games from it. Regular external hard drives can store PS5 games, but not play them (but can both store and play PS4 games).?
    $150 at Samsung

    Amazon
    WD Black SN850 Gen4 x4 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD
    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 heatsink built in, which I frankly recommend as a much easier way to get your console storage upgraded.?
    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 bang for your buck, as the 2TB drive costs more than the PS5 itself.?
    $164 at Amazon

    Amazon
    MHQJRH M.2 2280 SSD heatsink
    If you’re going down the add-your-own-heatsink route, this is one of the most popular parts for PS5 owners. Gamers have reported that it’s a perfect fit for the PS5’s M.2 slot, especially when paired with the Samsung 980 SSD.?
    To attach a heatsink like this, you usually need some thermal tape to connect the heatsink to the drive. In this case, there’s an included thermal pad that sticks the two parts together. That’s important because without the right kind of thermal management, the M.2 drive could get too hot in the tightly constricted PS5 internal drive slot.?
    $10 at Amazon