PS5 Internal Hard Drive | Everything You Need To Know

by PlayStation Expert · 16/01/2023

Many new PS5 users, or who want to buy a PS5, think that the PS5 utilizes an internal hard drive (HDD) just like its predecessor, the PS4, which used to come with a 500-GB capacity hard drive in the older models, and 1-TB capacity hard drive in the newer models.

For that reason, they think the same goes for the PS5, which is not, because, unlike the PS4, the PS4 uses an SSD as its main internal storage drive instead of a hard disk drive (HDD).

Upgrading PS5 internal hard drive

On the other hand, a wide variety of PS5 users are not actually well-educated on technology. They don’t know of the existence of something called a Solid-State Drive (SSD) that took the place of the classical hard drive (HDD) in many areas.

So, what people actually name a PS5 internal hard drive is, in fact, an internal SSD. Or you can name it a PS5 internal storage drive to avoid further technical illustration on the differences between HDD and SSD.

PS5 Internal Hard Drive Specs

So, the so-called “PS5 internal hard drive” which is actually an SSD has the following specifications:

Type: PCIe 4.0 SSD
Interface: NVMe
Storage Capacity: 825 GB
Throughput Speed: 5,500 MBps

So, these are the basic specifications of the PS5 internal storage drive. If you’re looking to add a new internal storage drive to your PS5, it must meet all these specifications except that its size can be up to 4 TB.

PS5 Internal Hard Drive Expansion

In order to expand the capacity of your PS5 system, you need to add another internal storage drive that will work as extended storage on the PS5 system. This extended storage helps immensely when you have lots of games/apps to install internally because you often access them and storing them on an external storage drive might be troublesome.

In fact, one of the largest improvements you can make to the PS5 is to install a new drive in the internal storage expansion port. After that, you can use the drive to store and play additional PS4 and PS5 games by launching them directly from the extended storage. Media apps can also be used with the new extra storage.

If you invest 15 minutes in installing the new internal storage drive into your PS5, you will thank yourself for years (well, maybe months) to come.

Best Internal Hard Drives For PS5

In this section, we’ll lay out the best internal storage drives for PS5 that help you improve the system’s performance and offers huge storage capacity to store and install new PS5 games internally without the need for any external storage drive.

1. Corsair MP600 Pro LPX

Corsair MP600 Pro LPX is fully compatible with PS5 and is the best internal storage drive for PS5

There is no PS5 SSD superior to the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX. It is quicker than drives from Samsung, WD, and the majority of other major manufacturers, with a scorching 7,100 MB/s read speed and 6,800 MB/s write performance – all of which are significantly faster than Sony’s secondary drive criteria. If you’re concerned about its longevity, it comes with a five-year warranty and can be rewritten 700 times, so it should last as long as your PlayStation 5. And yet, at roughly $140, it is one of the most economical alternatives, giving the best cost-to-performance ratio for an SSD.

The Corsair MP600 Pro LPX is enhanced by a large heatsink that is preinstalled and engineered to fit into the PS5’s M.2 slot. You won’t have to trawl the internet for a compatible heatsink. This drive is thermally shielded out of the box and can be easily inserted into your console. In addition, with a 1TB storage capacity, you should be able to load your system with twice as many games and other data as the original console. However, if you wish to store your whole gaming collection and more, a 4TB model is available for a substantially higher price.

Basic Features

Extreme Gen4 Storage Performance on PS5: Expand your PS5 storage capacity with a PCIe Gen4 x4 SSD that delivers up to 7,100MB/sec sequential read and 6,800MB/sec sequential write speeds.
High-speed PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe 1.4 Interface: Using PCIe Gen4 technology for maximum bandwidth, the MP600 PRO LPX delivers incredible storage performance.
Capacities to Store Your Collection: Expand your console’s storage by 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, or a massive 4TB, fitting the needs of nearly any game library, whether you have four games or 40.
Gaming Made Faster: The MP600 PRO LPX exceeds all Sony PS5 M.2 performance requirements, so large game files load faster than ever, directly from the SSD.
Pre-Installed Low-Profile Aluminum Heatspreader: Helps disperse heat and reduce throttling, so your SSD maintains sustained high performance right out of the box.

2. Samsung 980 Pro with Heatsink M.2 SSD

Samsung 980 Pro comes with now a heatsink and is compatible with PS5

Samsung’s high-end M.2 internal drive was an obvious choice for many PS5 modders, but the initial version lacked the necessary cooling. You could purchase a second one and attach it, but doing so would need additional steps.

This superb Samsung 980 Pro internal SSD is now available with a heatsink, making it a convenient all-in-one solution. There are now two variants, a 1TB model and a 2TB model, with the cost of the larger model almost double.

This Samsung 980 Pro Internal storage drive model is fully compatible with PS5 and you’ll have a seamless and easy experience adding it to your console.

Basic Features

NEXT-LEVEL PERFORMANCE W/MAXIMUM HEAT CONTROL: The integrated heatsink disperses heat to maintain speed, power efficiency, and thermal control, preventing downtime from overheating on Playstation 5 and PCs
MAXIMUM SPEED: Powered by an in-house controller designed to harmonize the flash memory components and the interface for top speed – with a PCIe 4.0 interface that’s 2x faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs and 12x faster than Samsung SATA SSDs
A WINNING COMBINATION: Achieve fully immersive gameplay with sustained high-performance bandwidth and throughput for heavy-duty applications in gaming, graphics, data analytics, and more
SMART THERMAL CONTROL: 980 PRO with Heatsink uses Samsung’s own nickel-coated high-end controller to deliver effective thermal control of the NAND chip; With the added heatsink, play confidently on PS5 gaming consoles and PC computers without performance drops from overheating

3. Seagate FireCuda 530 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 SSD

Seagate FireCuda 530 NVMe is a great choice for expanding your PS5 internal storage

The Seagate FireCuda 530 is one of the quickest hard drives on the market, so if you’re seeking for speed, this is the product for you. This Gen 4 SSD has read rates of 7,300MB/s, significantly above Sony’s specifications, so games load in a few seconds. In addition, the write rates of 6,900MB/s make saving rapid and effortless. The drive’s 3D TLC NAND technology provides it the endurance and toughness to withstand whatever you throw at it, even rewriting the entire drive up to 1,200 times.

Numerous external hard disks for the PS4 and PS3 were manufactured by Seagate with official permission. Therefore, the FireCuda 530 performs flawlessly on your PS5, especially considering its outstanding read and write speeds. It is also available in capacities ranging from 500GB to 4TB, allowing you to either download a few games and a little amount of data or your whole game collection and more. In addition, Seagate has included an integrated heatsink to ensure that your data is loaded safely and reliably.

Basic Features

Speed reigns—Seagate’s FireCuda 530 dominates the SSD lineup, delivering pure performance, absolute power, the most advanced components, and unrivaled endurance
Exhilarating performance up to 7300MB/s—harness the full power of PCIe Gen4 speeds to dominate next-generation games and apps
Our fastest FireCuda SSD ever built for the ultimate in sustained, pro-level gaming and accelerated content creation—with transfer speeds up to 2x faster than PCIe Gen3 M.2 NVMe SSDs and 12x faster than SATA SSDs
Includes custom-built low-profile heatsink designed by EKWB and Seagate to help minimize thermal throttling and maintain peak performance for longer time periods of time
Enjoy long-term peace of mind with the included five-year limited warranty and three years of Rescue Data Recovery Services
The FireCuda 530 with the heatsink is compatible with PS5 consoles. Easy drop-in expansion—no additional parts needed

4. WD_Black SN850X

This is the first PS5 officially licensed storage expansion drive.

In addition to Samsung and Seagate, this Western Digital drive is likely the most popular M.2 option for the PS5. It also contains the required heatsink, which I advocate as a far simpler option to enhance your console’s storage.

The WD Black SN850 fell short of being our preferred PS5 SSD. It is a touch more expensive at $139, but its greater sequential read speed of 7,300MB/s still makes it a tremendous value. The 6,300MB/s write speed is slower than most other options, but you should still be able to save games rapidly.

If you are concerned about heat dissipation, the WD Black SN850X is equipped with a heatsink to preserve safe operating temperatures, even while under heavy load. And it’s guaranteed to fit snugly in the PS5’s M2 slot’s tight confines. In addition, it comes with a 5-year or 600 TBW warranty, making this SSD an excellent investment that will last the lifespan of your console.

Basic Features

Get the ultimate gaming edge over your competition with insane speeds up to 7,300 MB/s for top-level performance and ridiculously short load times.
Soup up your gaming experience with extremely low latency that loads graphics fast with minimal stutter and lagging for smooth, satisfying action.
A range of capacities available in 1TB to 4TB means you get to keep more of today’s games that can take up 200GB or more of storage.
the 1TB and 2TB drives have an optional version with RGB lighting plus a heatsink to help maintain peak performance through the most intense gaming sessions.

So, these are the best PS5 internal storage drive options that you can use to expand the system storage of your console. There’s barely any performance difference among these drives in the real-world tests which makes price number one factor when choosing the right internal storage drive for your PS5.

Do You Need a Heatsink For PS5 Internal Storage Drive?

PS5 internal hard drive heatsink

Sony explains that the NVMe drive you will utilize in your PS5 requires adequate heat dissipation, which necessitates the attachment of a heatsink. Therefore, you may either purchase a drive that includes a heat sink or save money by purchasing a standard NVMe disk plus a third-party heatsink and installing it yourself.

But is a heatsink absolutely necessary? Given the limited dimensions, particularly the height, of the M.2 slot compartment in the PS5, should we attach the cover or do it without?

Sony imposes a height restriction on the NVMe drive’s heatsink and directs you to tighten the port cover, which covers the slot. But is a heatsink truly required, and does the cover help or hurt?

Well, if you don’t want to spend money on a heatsink and the NVMe internal storage drive will be handling broadly read activities, removing the cover of the PS5 new internal storage will suffice if you choose a fast enough drive.

If you want the lowest possible SSD temps, the best you can do is install a huge heat sink without the cover.

Fortunately, all of the drives we’ve chosen features an integrated heatsink that fits into the expansion slot. However, if this is not the case, it is crucial to note the dimensions of the entire package to assure compatibility.

Why Do You Need An Extra Internal Hard Drive For PS5?

Sony’s most recent firmware allows you to complement the PlayStation 5’s internal storage with an external M.2 SSD. Once an NVMe SSD is installed in your PS5, you may use the additional storage capacity for games and media files.

Given that the PS5’s internal storage drive is limited to 825GB and a significant portion is already occupied by the operating system, you may approach the storage limit with only a handful of titles installed. Adding a fast internal storage drive, preferably one of those listed above, fixes this issue, and you won’t need more storage unless you want to install dozens of games on your console.

PS5 Internal Hard Drive Upgrade Requirements

The PS5 cannot accommodate just any M.2 NVMe SSD. There are a few restrictions, and you must ensure that you have the most recent PS5 firmware version otherwise the console will not boot up! Update the firmware prior to installing the internal storage drive.

The internal storage drive you purchase for your PS5 must be compatible with the PCIe 4.0 interface and have a capacity between 250 GB and 4 TB. The higher the storage capacity, the better, but we consider that 1TB is the optimal size. Sequential read speed is the most essential factor. Sony recommended that the drive has rates of at least 5,500 MB/s.

Interface	PCI-Express Gen4x4 supported M.2 NVMe SSD (Key M)
Storage	250 GB – 4 TB
Supported sizes	2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110
Size including heat-dissipation mechanism	Width: up to 25 mm Length: 30/40/60/80/110 mm Thickness: up to 11.25 mm
Sequential read speed	5,500MB/s or faster is recommended
Socket type	Socket 3 (Key M)

How Much Storage Space Do You Need For PS5?

The PS5 has only one M.2 expansion slot, which allows you to install an internal storage drive with a capacity between 250GB and 4TB. If you only want to add a few games to the internal storage, you can save money by purchasing a smaller internal storage drive. However, if you intend to load your whole gaming library and then some, you will benefit from the maximum storage capacity. We’ve discovered that 1TB seems to be the sweet spot for internal storage requirements.

Conclusion

Having extended storage for your PS5 is a better idea than getting an external hard drive in terms of speed and capabilities. You can’t play PS5 games from an external hard drive whereas you can do so from a secondary PS4 internal storage drive. Additionally, the PS5 secondary internal storage drive is much faster than an external storage solution and more reliable.

For that reason, every PS5 enthusiast or power user should expand their console’s internal storage for a much better gaming experience.

PS5 Internal Hard Drive FAQ

Can I use my PS4 internal hard drive on PS5?

You can only use the PS4 internal hard drive as an external storage device for the PS5. You can't add it internally to the PS5 as it uses a different type of storage with different specs.