2TB WD_Black SN850X
“Crush load times and slash throttling, lagging, and texture pop-ins for a smooth, fast experience that lets you compete at your absolute peak.”
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It’s a great time to be in the market for an SSD as prices are falling across the board. It’s now easy to pickup a quality 1TB M.2 drive for less than a hundred bucks, but it’s important to get the speed you really need.
Those contemplating a PS5 upgrade need to be on the lookout for a PCIe Gen 4 NVMe drive capable of a sequential read speed of at least 5,500MB/s. You could pay a premium for an officially certified model, but generally speaking, most drives that surpass the aforementioned speed requirement will work splendidly.
Our pick of the bunch would be the 2TB WD_Black SN850X. Not only is it an excellent drive – be sure to check out the Club386 review – but it also now happens to be available for £150, representing a 50 per cent price cut from launch. The SN850X can hit a blistering top speed of 7,300MB/s, and with 2TB of capacity, you’ll have enough space for a decent-sized game library.
Play lots of Call of Duty? Even 2TB might not be enough, so it’s worth pointing out that the range-topping 4TB WD_Black SN850X has also been reduced massively, down to under £380 at the time of writing.
2TB Samsung 980 Pro
“Powered by Samsung in-house controller for PCIe 4.0 SSD, the 980 PRO is optimised for speed. It delivers read speeds up to 7,000 MB/s, making it 2 times faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs.”
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WD is leading the charge with PS5-compatible solutions, but there are other similar bargains out there, too. Users who don’t feel the need for quite so much storage, or simply want to keep costs down, can pick up a similarly quick 1TB Corsair MP600 Pro LPX for under £90.
Last but not least, if you’re willing to jump through a few hoops, the venerable 2TB Samsung 980 Pro is now £163, dropping to £123 after cashback if you buy from a participating retailer (Amazon’s included) before March 24. Details on how to claim are available here.
Ready to upgrade? Find out how to add an M.2 SSD to a PS5 console at PlayStation.com.
