Best PS5 SSD 2022 – IGN

There isn’t a better PS5 SSD than the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX. It’s faster than drives from the likes of Samsung, WD, and most of the other major manufacturers with a blistering 7,100 MB/s read speed and 5,800MB/s write speed — both of which well exceed Sony’s secondary drive requirements. If you’re worried about its endurance over time, you get a five-year warranty, and it can be completely rewritten 700 times, so it should last just as long as your PS5. And yet, it’s one of the most affordable options at around $140, offering the best cost-to-performance ratio you can find for an SSD.

What makes the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX even better is it comes with a sizable heatsink preinstalled and designed to fit into the PS5’s M.2 slot. You won’t have to scour the internet to find a heatsink that fits. This drive simply slots into your console and is thermally protected out of the box. Plus, with a 1TB capacity, you should be able to load up your system with double the games and other data the base console can hold. However, if you want to load your entire gaming library and then some, a 4TB model is available, but it’ll cost you significantly more.

2. Crucial P5 Plus

Best Budget PS5 SSD

The Crucial P5 Plus comes with all the performance chops you’d expect in a Gen 4 SSD while costing a bit less than competitors. It’s not the fastest drive around, with only a 6,600MB/s sequential read speed, but that still clears all speeds Sony has targeted for the PS5’s M.2 slot. Heck, it’s even faster than the gaming console’s own internal storage. While the 5,000 MB/s write speeds makes saving game progress a breeze. And, with an extra 1TB of storage capacity, you can free up loads of space on your console for additional downloads.

It’s important to note that the P5 Plus does not include a heatsink. It’s a necessity for heat dissipation when using it with your PS5, as it runs hot. But, if you’re familiar with PC builds, it should be easy to remedy this issue by attaching your own heatsink. And you can find plenty of heatsinks for $20 or even less. Just be sure to check it all fits with the height limitations Sony has placed on this slot.

3. WD_Black SN850

Best Runner-Up PS5 SSD

The WD_Black SN850 was our top PS5 SSD till the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX came along and bumped it to second place. But, it offers tremendous value and is still a great option to slot into your PS5 for additional storage. Offering speedy reading and writing, your gaming library will load up quickly, and you won’t be waiting forever for games to save. The 3D NAND technology it uses helps with this impressive memory performance as well as allowing the drive to offer 1 TB of storage, all while keeping a small footprint.

If you’re concerned about heat dissipation, the WD_Black SN850 comes with a heatsink to maintain safe operating temperatures, even under a heavy load. And it’s guaranteed to fit snuggly in the small quarters of the PS5’s M2 slot. Plus, it comes with a 5-year or 600 TBW warranty, so this SSD is a great investment that’ll last you the console’s lifetime.

4. Samsung 980 Pro with Heatsink

Best PS5 SSD with Heatsink

Although slightly edged out of our top few spots, the Samsung 980 Pro with Heatsink is still a solid contender to be the newest resident of your PS5’s M.2 slot, thanks, in part, to its stellar integrated heatsink. As noted, a heatsink is essential since it helps the SSD control temperatures to maintain high-speed operation, so you’ll get the best performance out of it at all times. Samsung has included a heatsink in this option designed to fit perfectly into the cramped quarters of that slot and keep everything running smoothly.

The Samsung 980 Pro offers 3D TLC NAND memory arranged in a unique V-shape. You’ll find that this increases the drive’s write speeds and helps it perform better overall. The throughput of this drive even surpasses what Sony designed the second SSD slot to do, and it has a solid endurance rating to top it off. All this additional speed could come in handy if you’re recording a lot of gameplay clips and images to share later. And to ensure all your data remains safe, a hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption is on the drive.

5. Seagate FireCuda 530

Best High-Performance PS5 SSD

The Seagate FireCuda 530 is one of the speediest drives around, so if you’re looking for performance, this is the drive you need to snag. This Gen 4 SSD offers up 7,300MB/s read speeds, far above Sony’s requirements, so games will load in seconds flat. And the write speeds are dazzling, too, at 6,900MB/s, making saves quick and painless. Those impressive specs are thanks to the drive’s 3D TLC NAND technology, giving it the endurance and durability to keep up with whatever you throw at it, including rewriting the entire drive up to 1,200 times.

Seagate and Sony have a bit of history, as many of the officially licensed external hard drives for the PS4 and PS3 were manufactured by Seagate. Therefore, the FireCuda 530 should fit like a glove and shine in your PS5, especially with such solid read and write speeds to boot. It’s even available in a variety of capacities from 500GB to 4TB, so you can either get a drive to download a few games and a bit of data or download your entire game library and then some. And Seagate hasn’t forgotten the integrated heatsink either, ensuring that all your data is loaded safely and steadily.

6. Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 4TB

Best High-Capacity PS5 SSD

If you have a massive gaming library that you want to cram onto one sizable SSD, the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 4TB is a great option. The PS5 itself does not come with much storage, only about 667GB of usable space. So, that M.2 slot is essential. And if you’re looking to make the most of your storage upgrade, this 4TB drive is the one to get. It costs a pretty penny at over $700, which is a lot. However, this high-capacity SSD will let you keep your entire PS5 game library installed all the time.

On top of offering bulk storage space, this drive comes with speedy load times at 7,000 MB/s, and it has one of the faster write times around at 6,600 MB/s. The Rocket 4 Plus also comes with a heatsink specially designed to replace the PS5’s SSD cover to maximize cooling. And, you can rest assured that this drive should last the entire lifespan of your PS5 thanks to a five-year or 3,000TBW warranty.

7. WD_Black P50 Game Drive

Best External PS5 SSD

Of course, if you’re looking to add more storage to your PS5, using the console’s additional M.2 slot for an internal SSD is the best option. But maybe you’re just looking for a simple way to store some of your older PS4 games, then transferring them to an external drive like the WD_Black P50 Game Drive is a great option. While you won’t be able to play PS5 games stored on your external HDD, you can still save them and save yourself the trouble of redownloading 100GB of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare all over again.

The WD_Black P50 Game Drive offers blistering 2,000MB/s read speeds and 1TB of storage. With a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 connection, you’ll even be able to use the drive’s speeds to the full capacity. This way you can quickly transfer your library between the internal and external storage or help speed up transferring your data from the PS4 to PS5. While doing all of this, the drive remains cool, thanks to the aluminum chassis. And it isn’t exclusively for PS5, so this drive works for your PC, Mac, or Xbox, making for a sound investment.

8. PNY XLR8 SSD Cover

Best PS5 SSD Heatsink

A simple and affordable way to dissipate the heat of an SSD mounted in your PS5’s expandable storage slot is by using the PNY XLR8 SSD Cover. For under $20, you get an integrated SSD cover and heatsink to ensure things don’t get too hot during intense gaming action. Most importantly, the cover’s compact design allows it to fit seamlessly into the cramped quarters of your PS5. However, it’s important to note that this cover only works for bare SSDs.

By upgrading your NVMe SSD with the PNY XLR8 SSD Cover, you’ll experience speedy game launches and better performance overall. Using the negative pressure design and heatsink, the SSD is cooled over 40 percent more than without a heatsink. And, we know that the PS5 runs hot, so eliminating as much heat as possible is essential. You also get a five-year warranty with the device, so it’ll last just as long, if not longer than the SSD itself.

Heatsink for 2280 Model M.2

You can save money, or better yet luck out on availability if you buy a compatible PS5 SSD without a heatsink, but if you install it without a heatsink, you’re asking for trouble. These are the best PS5 SSD heatsinks:

Best PS5 SSDs in the UK

Heatsink for 2280 Model M.2 in the UK

What to Look for in a PS5 SSD

You need to be sure you are not just finding the cheapest SSD available to expand your PS5’s storage. There are important specifications and measurement requirements to ensure this drive will work in your console. And, Sony does not guarantee the compatibility of any SSDs. This absolves them of any responsibility if you run into issues with the drives. So, be sure to adhere to their recommendations.

Firstly, Sony recommends that you only install an NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD with a sequential read speed of 5500MB/s or faster. This ensures that your games will load quickly and run at optimal speeds. Having fast write speeds also helps to minimize the time you’re waiting for games and other content to download.

Another factor to consider is how much storage space you are looking to add to your system. The PS5 offers only one M.2 expansion slot, which allows you to add an SSD between 250GB-4TB in capacity. If you’re just looking to add a few games to the internal storage, then save money and grab an SSD with less space. But, if you’re looking to load your entire gaming library and then some onto it, you’ll be better off with the maximum storage available. We’ve found that 1TB seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to your internal storage needs.

It’s also essential you purchase an SSD that will fit into the narrow and shallow M.2 SSD slot. With the dimensions of 110 x 25 x 11.25 mm or 4.33 x 0.984 x 0.442 inches, the space inside the PS5 is rather cramped, though that should fit most SSDs. But, when you add in a heatsink, it can get a bit tricky. And a heatsink is necessary for use on the PS5, as these fast SSDs run hot, and it ensures all of your data stays safe and your drive keeps running at its peak performance.

Luckily, most of the drives we’ve selected offer an integrated heatsink that fits into the expansion slot, but if not, it’s important to make note of the dimensions of the whole package to ensure it’s compatible.

Be sure to also check out our guide on how to install a PS5 SSD. It’s full of information like how to install the SSD and verify the drive will be compatible with the PS5. Of course, all of our picks are perfect options to increase your console’s storage space.

Kevin Lee is IGN’s SEO Updates Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.

Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.