The Guide To Adding NVMe SSD to PS5
What I love more about the PS5 is it's now compatible with M.2 SSDs. But that wasn't always the case. Since being on the market for almost nine months now, users couldn't install NVMe storage drives, but now you can. Sony has finally enabled SSD upgrade into PlayStation 5 thanks in part to a new beta firmware; drive requirements are now confirmed listed on Sony’s website.
There are a set of requirements you have to abide by. But Judging from my research, installing an M. 2 SSD is very intuitive as upgrading a desktop PC. The only workaround is the heatsink requirement and maximum combined size of the storage drive and heat sink.
The required measurements are at 11.25mm, which equates to 0.442 inches. There are limited choices in the current market, but the options I present to your readers are exceptional choices I'll list in this post. But first, here's a list of published requirements from Sony, SSD's compatible with the PlayStation 5.
The interface needed is a PCIe GEN4 x 4 M.2 NVMe SSD, storage capacity starting from 250GB to 4TB. The heat sink is required built-in, or you can add it yourself. Form factors are 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, or 22110. The total size of the included heat sink should be no smaller than 4.33 inches in length by 0.984 inches in width by 0.442 in height.
The recommended SSD choices from Sony are.
WD Black SN850
It features the Next-gen PCIe Gen4 technology optimized for high-level gaming. Extremely fast read/write speeds up to 7000/5300. Storage capacity maxes out at 2TB. With the heat sink, the retail price starts at $209.99 on Amazon. Without the heat sink, the retail price starts at $119.
Patriot Viper VP4300
This particular storage drive includes a heat shield, so a heat sink isn’t necessary. It offers a max sequential read speed of 7,400 MBps; it has a noticeably sleek design, perfect for the PS5. Unfortunately, this 2TB option is rather pricey at $429.99 on Amazon; the 1TB option at B&H photo somewhat has a reasonable price at $244.99.
Seagate Firecuda 530
The Seagate Firecuda 530 has recently been unveiled and is expected to be launch on August 30th. Even though the drive is currently listed on Amazon, there is no set retail price or options for a pre-order. Like the other drives I listed, the Firecuda 530 has an insanely fast read speed of 7300MBs and several storage options up to 4TB. And yes, it features PCIe Gen4 technology.
Cheaper options without the heatsink
The storage drives I've listed in this post all have something in standard, heat sinks and, a very high price tag. I'm sure you don't have to install an SSD that includes a heat sink nor have to shed an excessive amount of money. The choices are the following.
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB PCIe NVMe Gen4: $199.99 Amazon
Sabrent 1TB Rocket 4 Plus NVMe 4.0 Gen4 $199.99 NewEgg
XPG GAMMIX S50 Lite 1TB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 $129.99 Amazon
