When it comes to performance and hardware, PS5 is a significant step up from its predecessors. One of the most prominent changes it brings with it is the introduction of high-speed SSDs.
Now PS5 does provide you with an extra M.2 slot for expanding storage space. But which SSD is compatible with PS5 in the first place? The short and simple answer is that it needs to be a Gen 4 NVMe PCIe SSD.
These terms can be a bit daunting at first, but I will explain what they mean below.
As the general trend of the games and their sizes go, they are HUGE and installing multiple games may crave for more storage than the 825 GB built-in. And to add to the misery, unlike with the PS4, you CANNOT play your games off the external hard drives either.
So you are ONLY left with the option of installing another SSD into the extra M.2 slot provided for additional storage space.
PS5 Requirements for Extra SSD
Choosing a compatible SSD for your PS5 is like going on a first date – you must find the perfect match. A mismatched SSD on PS5 will simply not work.
When it comes to finding the perfect SSD for your PS5, Sony has laid down some ground rules. The SSD you buy has to strictly adhere to these ground rules.
PS5 provides you with an extra M.2 slot for adding an extra SSD to expand the built-in 825GB of storage.
The official specifications of the SSD you can plug into your PS5 is defined in the table below.
| Interface | PCI-Express Gen4x4 supported M.2 NVMe SSD (Key M) |
| Storage | 250 GB – 4 TB |
| Supported sizes | 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110 |
| Size includingheat-dissipation mechanism | Width: up to 25 mmLength: 30/40/60/80/110 mmThickness: up to 11.25 mm (up to 8.0 mmfrom above the board,up to 2.45 mm from below the board) |
| Sequential Read Speed | 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended |
| Socket type | Socket 3 (Key M) |
Sony has established specific requirements to ensure that the chosen SSD can keep up with the PS5’s high-performance demands.
Let me break these requirements into bits:
Interface Should be PCIe Gen 4
This is perhaps the most important bit of specs to take note of.
The SSD MUST belong to the PCIe Interface and should conform to Gen 4 (Version 4).
Basically, there are two prominent interfaces that an SSD can belong to:
- SATA
- PCIe/NVMe
SATA SSDs may look the same as PCIe SSDs, but they are much much slower. SATA SSDs have a transfer speed of 550 MB/s maximum.
PCIe or NVMe SSDs are worlds apart in terms of performance compared to SATA SSDs. The actual performance of an NVMe SSD depends upon what generation it belongs to.
Gen 3 SSDs can reach speeds of up to 3500 MB/s. Gen 4 SSDs, can reach speeds twice that of 7000 MB/s. PS5 requires that you have a Gen 4 SSD.
The following table summarizes the maximum speeds achievable by different hard drives and their interfaces:
| Storage | ApproxMax Speeds |
| HDD | ~120-200 MB/s |
| SATA SSD | 550 MB/s |
| Gen 3 NVMe SSD | 3500 MB/s |
| Gen 4 NVMe SSD | 7000 MB/s |
If you were to plug a SATA or a Gen 3 NVMe SSD into your PS5, you will get the following message:
What About Gen 5 SSDs?
You can use Gen 5 SSDs in PS5, but you will NOT get any kind of performance boost because PS5’s interface is hardwired to conform to Gen 4.
Additionally, the Gen 5 SSDs available today such as the Gigabyte’s Aorus Gen5 and Inland’s TD510 are huge and will simply not fit into the slot bay.
Storage Size
This is quite self-explanatory. You can install and SSD with sizes ranging from 250GB all the way to 4 TB.
So essentially, you can add up to an extra 4 TB to the already built-in 825 GB of SSD space.
Supported Sizes
SSDs come in different sizes and they are defined by numbers such as:
2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110
Basically, these numbers defined the length and width of the SSD sticks. The first two numbers define the width in mm and the rest define the length in mm.
So 2242 means 22mm x 42mm dimensions; 22110 means 22 mm x 110mm dimensions.
Size for the Heat Sinks
The “size including heat-dissipation mechanism” basically relates to the third dimension, the dimension of height.
PS5 encourages you to add a heatsink to your SSD for optimal performance and since the M.2 slot on PS5 is located inside a bay, there is a certain height limit to the heatsink you can install.
Essentially, it can extend up to 2.45mm beneath the SSD, and 11.25mm above it.
Also, heatsinks can sometimes be wider than the 22mm width of the SSDs sticks. PS5 limits the width of the heatsink to no more than 25mm wide.
Sequential Read Speed
This parameter is directly related to the Interface and the Generation of the SSD.
PS5 requires that the SSDs conform to speeds of 5500 MB/s, which essentially throws Gen 3 SSDs out the window.
Fortunately, almost all of the Gen 4 SSDs can easily achieve 5500 MB/s read speeds (if not more).
Socket Type (3 with M Key)
This isn’t something you need to bother yourself with much since all NVMe SSDs go into a Socket 3 and have the M Key.
But just as an FYI, the M.2 slots can have different purposes and they are defined by their socket number.
- Socket 1: These are intended for installing WiFi and Bluetooth
- Socket 2: These are used for GPS Modules
- Socket 3: These are used by SSDs
As far as the M key goes, this refers to the notch on the connectors of the SSD stick. SATA SSDs have two notches on either side of the connector. This is called B+M Key.
NVMe SSDs have a single notch. This is called the M Key.
TL:DR
So Which SSD is Compatible with PS5?
TL:DR, get a:
- Gen 4 PCIe SSD
- Storage size no more than 4 TB and no less than 250 GB.
- And (OPTIONALLY) a heatsink that should not extend beyond 11.25mm above the SSD stick.
