The Best Budget PS5 SSD Expansions (2024)

Looking for cheap SSD expansion options for your PlayStation 5? We’ve got you covered with this guide as we’ve gone just over everything you need to know from what makes an SSD the perfect option for your PS5 to how to insert the SSD in your console and a list of the best SSDs on the market right now at unbeatable prices, let’s go.

Storage solutions in gaming consoles have always been a complicated topic. Although the PlayStation 2 era allowed gamers to install hard disk drives in their consoles, it felt like an afterthought.

Not only that, but most games did not support anything aside from the basic memory cards that were built exclusively for the hardware.

Hard disk drives became mandatory with the PlayStation 3 era and the PlayStation 4 made great use of them too. Unfortunately, the load times were abysmal and compared to computers with SSDs, it was almost unbearable for some people to have to wait minutes every time they enter a new area or level in a game.

Fortunately, the PlayStation 5 is equipped with a high-quality SSD that is able to load games and textures at a very fast speed. And since it comes in a 1TB option, the space isn’t particularly scarce either to start with.

However, video games are becoming increasingly larger every day and it’s hard to keep multiple games at the same time because of that – which then leads to the player needing SSD expansions.

The PlayStation 5 does come with an expansion option built into the console, so you don’t need to rely on any extra solutions to make it happen. But it’s not as simple as you’d expect it to be and you need to be careful about what you purchase.

So, this guide will cover every detail that you need to know and recommend some of the best SSDs in the market for your console. Let’s get started!

What makes an SSD great for PlayStation 5?

Although a 1TB SSD is not that bad of an option, the user only gets 667.2GB of free space once the system is done setting the drive up. You can use USB storage and an HDD to store games, but you can’t play any of the games stored on those devices if they are not PlayStation 4 games.

So, the easy answer is that having a larger SSD would allow you to store more games and have faster speed in terms of using the user interface, loading video games, playing on higher visual fidelity, and moving files.

And what makes an SSD suitable for the PS5 is that it has to be a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSD, which are the newest ones in line. Anything older or different will not work.

This complicates things a bit since, unlike the Xbox Series S/X, there are no official storage solutions at the moment and users have to take matters into their own hands. And that’s why you’re here because we’ll recommend the best SSDs for the PS5 to you.

How to insert an SSD inside a PlayStation 5?

Although a storage expansion slot exists in the PlayStation 5, Sony has not released any easy and official solutions so far. And until an update made the slot active, you couldn’t use it at all before.

So, once you purchase one of the SSDs that we recommend in this guide, you need to follow a set of steps through which you will have to insert the NVMe SSD inside the PlayStation 5.

Even if you have technical knowledge in general, you should watch Sony’s official video for inserting the SSD inside the console just to be safe.

Buying A New SSD For PS5; What to Look For

With all of the necessary information out of the way, we can now focus on what SSDs you need to buy for expanding your PlayStation 5 storage.

Before we list the options, here’s an important piece of specifications that you need to make sure that your SSD has – otherwise it won’t work on your PlayStation 5.

• The SSD has to be a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSD that has been released rather recently. Older models may not work properly.
• The SSD that you purchase needs to have a reading speed of 5500MB/s and should have a built-in heatsink. If it’s not built-in, you should try to find an SSD that supports an additional heatsink, and then buy that separately too. Sony has strictly suggested that the SSD you use as an expansion in the PS5 should have a heatsink.
• If your SSD already has a heatsink though, don’t add another one on top.
• The length of the SSD has to be between 30-110mm and its width shouldn’t be anything larger than 22mm. Otherwise, it won’t fit in properly.
• 4TB of maximum capacity is recommended, as that’s the maximum size that has turned out to be stable on the console so far, while anything smaller works perfectly fine too.

Keep in mind that despite meeting all of these official requirements, the PlayStation 5 might still reject your SSD until support for it has been added later. So, sticking to the options in our buying guide is the best-case scenario.

Without wasting any more time explaining things, let’s jump right into our list!

What are the best budget SSDs for PlayStation 5?

Here’s a list of the best cheap SSDs for your PS5 today.

1. Crucial P5 Plus 1TB

Even though it checks every mark for the requirement of what an SSD should have if it’s added as an expansion to the PS5, it’s sitting at an affordable price of $144.99 – far cheaper than most of its competition.

But the pricing doesn’t mean that this is a low-end product, the Crucial PS5 Plus 1TB comes with a reading speed of 6600MB/s, has a rating of 2 million hours of reliability, and even has a 5-year warranty. It does not have a heatsink though, so you’ll need to get a third-party option.

Pros:

• Incredibly fast in speed.
• Very affordable.
• Despite its price, it performs the same as its competition.
• 5-year limited warranty.

Cons:

• Does not have a built-in heatsink.

2. XPG Gammix S70 1TB

If you want the cheapest SSD that still has great performance and comes with a built-in heatsink too – then the XPG Gammix S70 is the SSD you need.

It comes with an amazing reading speed of 7400MB/s, has a 5-year warranty, and is backward compatible with PCIe 3 too if you ever need to add it to a computer instead of the PS5.

All in all, it’s a great option and XPG is a brand that gamers know and trust. If you want to go even further, this SSD has a 2TB variant too that is also pretty affordable.

Pros:

• 7400MB/s of reading speed.
• 5-year limited warranty.
• Affordable option with a built-in heatsink.

Cons:

• It does not work that well with an external enclosure, but that’s not something that you need to worry about with the PS5.

3. Samsung 980 Pro SSD

The Samsung 980 Pro is kind of a classic. If you’ve shopped for an SSD before, then this is definitely not the first time you’re heard of this.

That is because it’s from a very good brand, is affordable, and it works like a charm. It has a great 7000MB/s reading speed and writes at 5000MB/s too, so copying and installing your games will be a very quick task as well.

Although it does not come with a built-in heatsink, it does have great thermal control which allows it to remain at safe heat levels. But it’s still recommended to just get a heatsink either way.

Pros:

• Very reliable brand.
• 7000MB/s of reading speed, 5000MB/s of writing.
• 3D TLC NAND memory, which helps with efficiency and recording video game clips.
• Under $200

Cons:

• Although its thermal control is decent, you’ll still need a third-party heatsink.

4. Seagate FireCuda 530 4TB

You want to go all the way? Let’s go all the way. The Seagate FireCuda 530 is a 4TB SSD that is fully compatible with the PS4. It comes with a built-in heatsink, has a five-year warranty, and has a whopping writing speed of 7300MB/s.

It’s not a cheap SSD but for 4TB space, it’s one of the most affordable options and Seagate is a trusted brand too.

Pros:

• 7300MB/s reading speed.
• 4TB space.
• Built-in heatsink.
• 5-year warranty.

Cons:

• A bit too expensive, although not for the size.

5. Sabrent 1TB & 4TB Rocket 4 Plus

If you don’t mind experimenting with lesser-known brands and want affordable prices for both 1TB and 4TB SSDs, then the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus is what you need.

It runs great on the PS5, has a fast 7000MB/s reading speed, and even has a built-in heatsink. A great price and easy to install option, this SSD is worth exiting your comfort zone for if you’re generally unfamiliar with Sabrent’s products.

Pros:

• Affordable storage options, from 1TB to 4TB.
• Quick 7000MB/s reading speed.
• One of the best rated SSDs for the PS5.
• Built-in heatsink.

Cons:

• Slightly lower endurance than some of its competition – but shouldn’t be a problem if only used in a PS5.

6. WD_BLACK 1TB SN850

If you want a good price, 1TB storage, and very high quality – then the WB_BLACK 1TB SN850 is a great option. It comes with a reading speed of 7000MB/s and a writing speed of 5300MB/s, which is a combo not many brands offer even at higher prices.

And you won’t even have to worry about installing it or needing third-party options, since it comes with a heatsink. It’s a great all-rounder option for those who want a balance of affordability, features, and effectiveness.

Pros:

• Incredibly fast reading and writing speed, sitting at 7000MB/s and 5300MB/s respectively.
• Built-in heatsink.
• Fair price, especially for the high quality.
• Works great with computers too.

Cons:

• None in knowledge.

7. GIGABYTE AORUS Gen4 7000s 2TB

Usually, buyers tend to either go for 1TB or 4TB storage options in SSDs. However, the perfect middle ground between the two is 2TB and that’s what brings us to the Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 7000s 2TB SSD.

It has a quick reading speed of 7000MB/s, a great writing speed of 5500MB/s, has a built-in heatsink, and works perfectly with the PlayStation 5.

It’s a well-known brand, has a fair price, and won’t need any third-party additions – so anyone looking for a 2TB expansion for their PS5 should get this right away.

Pros:

• 2TB storage space.
• Very fast read and write speed, which are 7000MB/s and 5500MB/s respectively.
• Built-in heatsink.
• One of the best rated SSDs for the PS5.
• Decent price.

Cons:

• None in particular.

Best PS5 SSD FAQs

Here are some of your frequently asked questions answered.

That’s it for our guide for the best cheap SSD expansions for PS5! We hope that you found the one best suited for your needs and are setting up your console already, and we’re here to answer any other questions that you might have.

And while you’re still around, make sure to check out some of our other PlayStation gaming guides too!

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• 10 PS5 Games That Supports 120fps Gameplay
• The Best Budget Gaming Monitors For PS5
• The Best PC, PS4, PS5 Mouse & Keyboard Adapters