What is the best SSD for expanding PS5 internal storage?

Question

So I finally hit the wall with my PS5 storage and its driving me crazy. I thought the 825GB or whatever it is would last me a while but with how big these games are getting now its basically impossible to keep more than like 4 big titles installed at once. I just grabbed the new Spider-Man and the update for Cyberpunk and boom, im out of space. I pride myself on being pretty tech savvy—I've built my own rigs since the DDR3 days—so I know my way around an M.2 slot but the PS5 requirements feel kinda picky. Sony says 5,500MB/s minimum read speed and it HAS to be PCIe Gen4 but i keep seeing people say some drives that meet those specs still stutter in certain games.

I was looking at the Samsung 980 Pro or maybe the WD Black SN850X because those seem to be the top dogs but then I saw some random brands on Amazon for way cheaper and now im second guessing everything. I have about 160 pounds to spend and I really want to get at least 2TB because 1TB feels like a waste of a slot if im being honest. Also the whole heatsink thing is annoying. Do I really need to buy the one with the pre-installed sink? Some people say the DIY ones fit better or run cooler but I dont want to void any warranties or mess up the console since it was a gift from my wife and she'd kill me if I bricked it.

I need to get this ordered like tonight if I want it here by the weekend because im supposed to have a massive gaming session with some old friends from uni and I dont want to spend the whole time deleting and redownloading stuff on my mid internet connection. Is the FireCuda 530 actually worth the extra premium or am I just paying for the name? And if I go with the SN850X does it actually hit those speeds in the PS5 benchmark or is that just marketing fluff for PC users? Just tell me what the absolute best drive is right now that won't give me any weird compatibility errors down the line...

Arnoldslath · Accepted Answer

Stumbled on this today. @Reply #4 - good point! Honestly, im pretty disappointed with how high the prices stay for big brands like Seagate when they have known firmware bugs. Youre basically paying a brand tax for nothing special. Check out the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe. It fits the slot perfectly with its own heatsink and handles the PS5 bandwidth without breaking a sweat. Much better value for your 160 quid than the FireCuda.

PineapplePhantom · Answer

Agreeing about the heat. Picked up the WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB Heatsink for £140. Its been totally flawless and runs cool even during long raids, so no stuttering issues.

404_NameNotFound · Answer

I've handled plenty of storage upgrades over the years and the PS5 is straightforward if you don't try to cheat the specs. Most of the stuttering people complain about comes from using budget drives that cant handle the PS5's high-bandwidth data streaming. A few cautions for your build:

Never run a drive without a heatsink since the expansion slot has zero active airflow.

Check the height of any DIY heatsink because anything over 11.25mm prevents the metal cover from closing.

Steer clear of DRAM-less drives which often struggle with consistent performance in modern titles. The Samsung 980 Pro, WD Black SN850X, and Seagate FireCuda 530 are all high-end options that wont give you compatibility headaches. Don't worry too much about the marketing fluff regarding top speeds, as most high-tier Gen4 drives load games within a fraction of a second of each other anyway.