Give your gaming console more storage space without sacrificing speed.
The PlayStation 5 is one of the best gaming consoles you can buy right now, but it just doesn’t come with enough storage space if you plan to keep a lot of games installed. Thankfully, you can upgrade the amount of storage that your PS5 offers by adding in your own SSD. Choosing from the myriad of great SSD options out there isn’t easy, but if you’re looking for some of the best PS5-compatible M.2 SSDs, these four will help narrow things down.
Those looking for a great SSD that won’t break the bank will find a lot to love with the Acer Predator GM7000. This M.2. SSD is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB storage options, giving you a lot of room to work with. It offers read and write speeds up to 7400 MB/s and 6400 MB/s, respectively, and comes with great heat dissipation to help ensure your PS5’s internals keep running smoothly no matter how hard you push it.
Acer also backs the GM7000 with a 5-year limited warranty. This SSD typically retails for $78 for the 1TB model, though you can often find it on sale for as low as $49.99 on Amazon.
Samsung remains one of the most trusted electronics brands, and for good reason. The company continues to deliver solid products, often at affordable prices, and the Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD is no different.
Typically priced at $154.99 for 1TB, the 980 Pro can be purchased in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variations. It’s a great SSD with read and write speeds up to 7,000 MB/s and 5,100 MB/s, respectively. It also features a reliable heat spreader label, which helps provide great thermal control within your PS5, ensuring great temperatures even during long gaming sessions.
Another trusted name in the SSD game, Crucial remains one of my personal go-to options for new SSDs. These SSDs offer great speed and reliability while also remaining relatively affordable, depending on the model. The Crucial T500 Gen 4 NVMe M.2. SSD typically retails for around $143.99, though it is often found on sale for as low as $80.99.
With read and write speeds up to 7,300 MB/s and 6,800 MB/s, respectively, the Crucial T500 Gen4 is one of the absolute best SSDs you can buy for your PS5. The T500 is available in a 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB options, and if you want a no-frills, easy-to-install SSD that you can count on, this is the place to look. Our friends at PCMag also love the Crucial T500, calling it an outstanding SSD that “shines at both general storage and gaming tasks.” There’s also an option to buy it with the heatsink already installed, making it even easier to upgrade your PS5.
Those who want to ensure they’re getting the absolute best temperatures while gaming intensively will find that the Samsung 980 Pro with a Heatsink is a great go-to option. It’s slightly more expensive than the base 980 Pro I’ve already spotlighted on the list here, but the added price gets you a fantastic heatsink that helps distribute heat even better than the 980 Pro’s base thermal system.
It still sports the same 7,000 MB/s read and 5,100 MB/s write speeds found on the base 980 Pro, but that more efficient heat system will ensure you can keep it performing at optimal levels even when you’ve pushed your PS5 to the max. It’s only available in 1TB and 2TB options, and it typically retails for $164.99 for the smallest storage option. Sony also requires a heatsink for your SSD when you’re putting it into your PS5, so this option saves you the trouble of having to attach one later on.
It’s currently on sale at the time of this article’s posting, making it one of the best options available right now.
If you’re planning to install a new SSD into your PS5, you’ll need two things. First, you’ll need the new SSD. All of the options we’ve included above are great. You’ll also need a heatsink to help with heat dissipation, though sometimes these are included with the SSD itself. These usually attach with some kind of adhesive to the M.2 SSD that you’re installing, so you’ll want to make sure you have one in hand to use if you don’t buy an SSD with a heatsink. Luckily, you can add a heatsink like the Sabrent M.2. NVMe PS5 heatsink to any SSD you install into the PS5, giving you that much-needed extra heat dissipation.
