Sony has finally confirmed that internal SSD expansion will be available for PS5’s very soon. The beta firmware is rolling out now, enabling an interior storage upgrade and will hopefully be pushed to all PS5’s shortly.
The good news is out of the way; the bad news is that, unsurprisingly, there’s particular SSD conditions and types that you can use inside the PS5. There’s makes sense as Sony had previously stated they weren’t rushing out the update to make sure they tested a range of internal SSD options.
They’ve landed on a Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD with a heat sink or cooling structure of some kind. Sony has stated that although yes, you can attach some form of heat dissipation, like a heatsink, but have made sure to point out there are M.2 SSD’s with these already installed, so you don’t wreck the hard drive workshopping it yourself.
In their very long and meticulous rollout of information about which SSD’s work (pasted below for you), Sony also makes sure to mention that “SIE cannot guarantee that all M.2 SSD devices meeting the described specifications will work with your console and assumes no responsibility for the selection, performance or use of third-party products.”
Interface: PCIe Gen4 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD
Capacity: 250GB – 4TB
Cooling structure: Using an M.2 SSD with your PS5 console requires effective heat dissipation with a cooling structure, such as a heatsink. You can attach one to your M.2 SSD yourself, either in a single-sided format, or double-sided format. There are also M.2 SSDs that have cooling structures (such as heatsinks) built in.
Sequential read speed: 5,500MB/s or faster is recommended
Module width: 22mm width (25mm width is not supported)
Form Factor: M.2 type 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110.
These numbers can be found on retail listings for M.2 SSD devices. The first two digits refer to the width, the remaining digits to the length.
Socket type: Socket 3 (Key M)
Total size including cooling structure:
In millimeters: smaller than 110mm (L) x 25mm (W) x 11.25mm (H).
In inches: smaller than 4.33in (L) x 0.984 in (W) x 0.442in (H).
See below for full requirements.
Length
The following M.2 SSD lengths are compatible with PS5 consoles:
30mm, 42mm, 60mm, 80mm, 110mm (corresponding to the form factor type, per above).
Width
A 22mm-wide M.2 SSD module is required.
The total structure (including an added cooling structure) cannot exceed 25mm (0.984in).
Height
The total height of the M.2 SSD and its cooling structure (such as a heatsink) – whether built-in or separate – must be less than 11.25mm (0.442in).
The height must also be in the right place, in relation to the M.2 SSD’s circuit board:
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The size below the board must be less than 2.45mm (0.096in).
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The total size above the board must be less than 8mm (0.314in).
(Note: millimeter measurements are the technical standard and are more precise than inches. We recommend double-checking that the total dimensions of M.2 SSD and heatsink products you’re considering meet the millimeter requirements before purchasing)
Don’t go rushing out to buy any SSD’s just yet, as I’m sure those in the PS5 firmware beta program will do some testing and report back in due time about what works best and what does not.
Will you be upgrading the size of your PS5 once you’re able to do so? Let me know in the comments section below.
