Best SSD for PS5 for 2024: Part 1

Long gone are the days when you needed a memory card to save all your games. Now the PS5 requires a full SSD drive. This is partly because game files have gotten much larger over the years, and partly because PS5 owners will need space to store the games themselves.

Otherwise, an SSD — is hardware, and you don’t necessarily need a drive built by Sony specifically for the PlayStation 5 to save data from the best PS5 games. Paradoxically, that can make choosing an SSD harder than ever.

And that can make it harder than ever to choose an SSD.

Luckily, you don’t have to know how to build a computer to install a decent SSD drive in your system. Choosing an SSD for PS5 is also easy, with two parts of this article featuring some outstanding SSDs for PS5 to help you store a lot of games without thinking about the hardware.

This article will be divided into two parts to take a closer look at the ins and outs of choosing an SSD. In the first part, we will detail all the aspects you should look for when choosing a solid state drive for your PS5, as well as the best device. In part two, we take a look at the best SSDs of different capacities and prices for the PlayStation 5 for 2024.

Which SSD is the best for PS5?”

Samsung 990 PRO — the best choice for the PlayStation 5. The heatsink mounted version makes it easy to use. The 1TB, 2TB and 4TB versions share the same hardware, but the 2TB — is the optimal choice for price, convenience and user satisfaction.

The Samsung 990 Pro SSD utilizes high-quality materials, premium construction and, oddly enough for an SSD, a wealth of features. Starting with the all-important heatsink, this SSD utilizes a nickel plated controller. While copper can theoretically provide better thermal conductivity, nickel heatsinks are actually just as good. Especially when combined with Samsung’s thermal interface material (TIM) that runs along the top and bottom of the SSD.

Samsung’s 990 Pro is a great choice for PlayStation 5 owners due to its great speed, matching the console’s specs, and low cost. The 2 TB version offers the best combination of performance, capacity, and cost, and comes with additional features like RGB lighting and Samsung Magician software that can be useful when connecting the SSD to your computer. This SSD has been designed with user needs and quality requirements in mind, making it an attractive choice for the PlayStation 5.

If you’re particularly hesitant, we recommend the 2 TB version, as it’s a comfortable middle ground in terms of size, and it’s considered the best of the best among the three sizes, pushing the value for money in your favor.

The 2 TB version is the best of the three sizes.

How to pick an SSD for PS5?

• Minimum Requirements: While not required for Sony’s specific PS5 devices, there are still some requirements. In a listing with specific instructions for installing an SSD for PS5, Sony provides some recommendations for compatible SSDs. You should double-check and examine any selected SSD for PS5 for compliance with these requirements yourself. To summarize, it is important that you purchase a PCI-Express Gen4x4 M.2 NVMe SSD with a recommended read speed of 5500 MB/s or higher. In all likelihood, you will need an integrated heatsink as it is required for the device to work. The overall size of the device along with the heatsink should be no wider than 25mm and no thicker than 11.25mm.
• Memory capacity: While Sony also gives recommendations for the amount of memory needed (250GB to 8TB), it is generally accepted that the optimal capacity is between 1TB and 4TB. If this figure is lower, your system will quickly fill up with games, and if it’s higher, it’s just an unnecessary waste of money. Delete old games, because there’s nothing to stop you from downloading them again.
• Reputation and brand values: Over attachment to a brand — is a great way to miss out on a good product. You should consider the reputation and experience of a particular brand when it comes to manufacturing PlayStation 5 compatible SSD drives. Make sure you purchase an SSD for PS5 that you can trust.

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• Price: When it comes to gaming, there are always those willing to take a gamer’s money for a little extra cost. Adding an image of a video game character or a few RGB lights to the exterior of a product can make a manufacturer think that they can fleece an unsuspecting gamer. Phrases like «created for the PS5» on the label and giving it the status of something special — despite the fact that it’s a regular SSD — can also inflate the price of an SSD for the PS5. Choose products that are truly beneficial and beware of overpriced products. At the same time, if you’re trying to save money, try to buy PS5 SSDs rather than overpriced products that will disappoint in the end.

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