27/02/2026 5:25 am
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I'm honestly stressing out about which SSD to buy for my PS5 because I dont want to fry my console or lose all my save data, so which expansion drive is actually the most reliable long-term??
I spent like three hours last night looking at the Samsung 980 Pro and the WD Black SN850X and people keep saying they are the best but then I see these horror stories on Reddit about firmware bugs or the drive just dying after six months. I'm in Los Angeles and the heat in my apartment gets pretty bad in the summer so I'm terrified of the thing overheating while I'm playing Horizon or something. My budget is around $150 and I'm looking to buy it this weekend because my storage is literally at 0GB right now and I'm tired of deleting games every time there is a 50GB update.
Some people say you need a specific heatsink but then others say the built-in ones are trash and you should buy a third party one like the Sabrent one... it is all so confusing and I just want something that I can plug in and never have to think about again. Is there one that's known for just not failing? I really cant afford to replace a $500 console if a cheap drive messes it up or if the heat kills the internal components because I picked the wrong brand...
6 Answers
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27/02/2026 5:25 am
tbh the WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink is a tank. i have zero heat issues in my dusty cabinet so it should handle LA just fine for you.
11
27/02/2026 6:50 am
To add to the point above: the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with Heatsink is amazing! Its updated controller is super efficient, staying way cooler than the 980. Truly fantastic tech!
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27/02/2026 5:50 am
Coming back to this after checking my old builds... Honestly, the whole frying your console thing is basically a myth since the PS5 has internal thermal safeties, but the drive can definitely throttle if it gets too hot in a stuffy room. In my experience over the years, reliability really comes down to the controller chip more than the brand name. I am not 100% sure, but I think I recall hearing that the PS5 internal fan doesn't pull much air across that M.2 slot. Because of that, you should probably focus on these technical aspects:
- Heatsink surface area: Some integrated ones are thin and might not dissipate heat fast enough during long sessions.
- Controller efficiency: IIRC some newer chips run way cooler even at high speeds.
- Firmware: Some older batches had bugs, tho I think most brands fixed those via updates by now. I've tried many setups and usually the ones with lower power draw survive better.
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27/02/2026 7:01 am
> the whole frying your console thing is basically a myth Agreed. I monitored the NAND and controller temps on my setup and they never hit 60C. Honestly it works so well Im super satisfied with the long-term reliability.
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26/03/2026 4:15 am
Honestly, forget the frying myths. Controllers have thermal shutdown points way before anything breaks. If you want maximum peace of mind in a hot apartment, the DIY route is the only way to go. I've tested a dozen configs and the Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD is probably the most efficient drive on the market right now. It runs significantly cooler than the older Samsung models because the controller is just more optimized. @Reply #1 - good point! That WD is great, but pairing a raw drive with a specialized heatsink is better for LA summers.
- Get the Crucial T500 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD for the low power draw.
- Grab the Sabrent M.2 NVMe PS5 Heatsink to replace the stock expansion slot cover. The Sabrent heatsink is basically a giant slab of aluminum that replaces the PS5's tiny metal plate. It's impossible to overheat with that setup. You just screw it in and you're set for years, no firmware drama or throttling issues. Most of those horror stories come from people running drives without any airflow or using outdated firmware that got patched months ago anyway. This combo should land right around your budget if you shop around.
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27/02/2026 6:10 am
^ This. Also, seriously, the DIY approach has been amazing for me! The heat in my place used to worry me but my current setup hasnt skipped a beat.
- saved a ton of money avoiding the one with the pre-installed heatsink
- temp stays low even during heavy gaming sessions
- zero issues with data or crashing since day one Youre gonna love how much stress it takes off once you just plug it in. Its way easier than it sounds!
