The PlayStation 5 has seen a huge leap in performance over the previous generation. Many factors are involved in improving the graphics and performance of this console. One of the most important components of the PS5 is the NVMe SSD. Unlike previous generations, which used mechanical drives, these drives allow near-instantaneous reads and writes, virtually eliminating load times. Luckily, Sony included an extra port in our console so we could expand storage without losing performance. Now we already have the first SSDs for PS5 that bear the official Sony seal.
The WD Black SN850 becomes the first official SSD for PS5
If you have a PlayStation 5 and already have a good collection of games in digital format, you may have started having storage issues. The PS5’s main storage unit cannot be removed, but we can expand the console’s capacity in other ways. And, the best method is to do this by placing an NVMe SSD in the corresponding slot, which is under the computer case.
A long time ago, Western Digital Black SN850 SSDs were positioned as the best alternative to expand the memory of the PS5. These drives are sold in 1TB and 2TB sizes and plug into the M.2 expansion slot. On the performance side, they are capable of a sequential read of 7,000 MB/s and a write of the same type of 6,300 MB/s.
In addition to the specifications, which fully meet the requirements of using the PS5 expansion slot, this model comes with its own heat sink so that it does not collide with the console cover. Now that this disc has been on the market for several months, Sony has given the official license to Western Digital, which indicates that the brand endorses the product so that we can place it on our consoles.
Can other discs be used?
That Sony stamped the WD model doesn’t mean we can’t use another model in our console. On Sony’s official website we can see the specifications that a storage unit must have to be compatible with PlayStation 5. They are as follows:
- Interface: PCI-Express Gen4x4 compatible with M.2 NVMe SSD (M key)
- Capacity: The PS5 supports drives ranging from 250GB to a maximum of 4TB.
- Format: Drives with NVMe interface have associated numbers which are used to identify the size of the PCB. On consoles, this information is very important, because if we put a larger one, it will not fit in the allocated space. For PS5 we can use 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110 size discs.
- Size: Although it’s clear with the format, you can add a heatsink to the SSD so that the heat doesn’t affect its performance. For this reason, Sony also specifies the limits of the disk and heatsink assembly. They are:
- Width: up to 25 mm.
- Length: from 30 to 110 mm.
- Thickness: up to 11.25mm (up to 8mm from the top panel and up to 2.45mm from the bottom panel).
- Sequential Read Speed: Sony recommends 5500MB/s or higher. Write speed is not significant.
- Connector type: Connector 3 (key M).
With this data, you only have to check if the model you want to use meets all these requirements before connecting it to your PS5.