#Upgrading a PS5’s SSD Is More Complicated Than You’d Expect – Review Geek

Several months after its release, the PS5 finally supports SSD storage upgrades. But you need to be a registered Beta user to perform the upgrade. And you need to find an M.2 SSD with read speeds over 5,500MB/s or higher. Oh, and the SSD needs a heatsink, which you might need to add yourself, and Sony suggests having a small flashlight on hand—wait, isn’t this a bit complicated?

While the PS5 can play last-gen games and media files from a USB drive, it can only load games from internal storage. Adding to the console’s internal storage is a hands-on process, though it isn’t exactly difficult. You just need to remove the PS5’s faceplate, unscrew the expansion slot cover, and insert a compatible M.2 SSD.

But you can’t just pick the first M.2 SSD you find on Amazon. It needs to have a read speed 5,500MB/s or faster and a capacity between 250GB and 4TB. Plus, it needs to fit one of five compatible form factors (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110) and have a single-sided, double-sided, or built-in heatsink. When’s the last time you had to buy a heatsink to your console?

Currently, the best M.2 SSDs for the PS5 are the Samsung 980 PRO, WD_BLACK SN850, Seagate FireCuda 530, and Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus. None of these SSDs have a built-in heatsink, so you’ll have to buy one yourself—I suggest a double-sided heatsink, but Sony says single-sided heatsinks work too. (By the way, the double-sided heatsink I linked to fits Sony’s requirements and is compatible with all the SSDs listed in this article.)

Hopefully companies will start selling SSDs specifically designed for the PS5 and certified by Sony. But does it really have to be this complicated? You can upgrade an Xbox Series X’s storage by shoving a specially-made SSD into the back of the console, sort of like a big memory card … why couldn’t Sony implement a similar system?

But to Sony’s credit, the PS5 works with off-the-shelf M.2 SSDs and not some weird proprietary expansion cards. As storage prices continue to fall, buying a compatible M.2 SSD for a PS5 could be cheaper than buying a Xbox Series X expansion card.

If you want to upgrade your PS5’s storage now, then sign up for the PS5 Beta program and buy one of the compatible SSDs and heatsinks listed below. I also suggest reading Sony’s guide before cracking open your PS5, though it isn’t exactly user-friendly.

$199.98

$9.99

Source: Sony via Engadget