Every drive below is a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe SSD that meets or beats Sony's recommended 5,500 MB/s sequential read, ranked by price per terabyte. 30 drives qualify today. Updated November 13, 2026.
Best value: Crucial P310 2TB — $154.47/TB ($308.95 total, 7,100 MB/s read)
Cheapest way in: Crucial P310 2TB — $308.95 ($154.47/TB)
Sony's requirement: PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe, 5,500 MB/s read or faster, with a heatsink
Sweet spot: 2TB — roughly 24 large games, and the best $/TB of the console-friendly capacities
Chosen on specifications — NAND type, DRAM cache, speed and warranty — not on commission. The button opens the current Amazon listing.
TLC with DRAM, well above Sony’s 5,500 MB/s. Also sold as a factory “with Heatsink” version that fits the slot — pick that listing and there is nothing to add.
View on AmazonTLC without DRAM performs the same as a flagship on the console. Add a low-profile heatsink and keep the total under 11.25 mm.
View on AmazonQLC clears the 5,500 MB/s requirement and is fine for a games library. Needs a heatsink.
View on AmazonAmazon US prices as of November 13, 2026, 06:00 UTC; refreshed every day. $/TB is the listing price divided by raw capacity. Full methodology.
| $/TB | $/GB | Price | Capacity | Interface | Gen | Read | Write | NAND | Warranty | Cond. | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $147.50 | $0.147 | $294.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 6,000 MB/s | 5,000 MB/s | QLC | 3 yr | New | Kingston NV3 2TB· ships laterAmazon ↗ |
| $154.47BEST | $0.154 | $308.95 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,100 MB/s | 6,000 MB/s | QLC | 5 yr | New | Crucial P310 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $154.50 | $0.154 | $309.00 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN7100 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $158.99 | $0.159 | $158.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 6,000 MB/s | 4,000 MB/s | QLC | 3 yr | New | Kingston NV3 1TB· 3rd-party· ships laterAmazon ↗ |
| $167.80 | $0.168 | $167.80 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,100 MB/s | 6,000 MB/s | QLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $170.00 | $0.170 | $679.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $179.99 | $0.180 | $179.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN7100 1TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $181.00 | $0.181 | $362.00 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $186.25 | $0.186 | $744.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 13,800 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Crucial T710 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $195.00 | $0.195 | $389.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $196.80 | $0.197 | $787.21 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,600 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $199.50 | $0.200 | $399.00 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 13,800 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Crucial T710 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $200.00 | $0.200 | $399.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,400 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $200.00 | $0.200 | $799.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $209.95 | $0.210 | $419.90 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,600 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $215.00 | $0.215 | $859.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 14,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN8100 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $217.25 | $0.217 | $869.00 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,400 MB/s | 7,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Crucial T500 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $218.13 | $0.218 | $218.13 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,150 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $240.00 | $0.240 | $479.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 14,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN8100 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $243.75 | $0.244 | $1,949.99 | 8 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,000 MB/s | 6,500 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Lexar NM790 8TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $246.99 | $0.247 | $246.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 1TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $249.99 | $0.250 | $249.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,700 MB/s | 13,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $250.00 | $0.250 | $999.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,400 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $259.99 | $0.260 | $259.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 11,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | |
| $279.75 | $0.280 | $279.75 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 13,700 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Crucial T710 1TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $284.49 | $0.284 | $568.97 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,100 MB/s | 6,800 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Corsair MP600 Pro LPX 2TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $289.62 | $0.290 | $2,316.94 | 8 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,400 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 8TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $299.99 | $0.300 | $299.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Pro 1TB· 3rd-party· ships laterAmazon ↗ |
| $312.50 | $0.312 | $2,499.99 | 8 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 13,700 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN8100 8TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
| $349.99 | $0.350 | $349.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,000 MB/s | 5,300 MB/s | TLC | 1 yr / 5 if registered | New | Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1TB· 3rd-partyAmazon ↗ |
Sony publishes four hard requirements for the console's expansion slot: an M.2 NVMe SSD on PCIe Gen 4, a sequential read speed of at least 5,500 MB/s, a capacity between 250GB and 8TB, and effective heat dissipation — in practice, a heatsink. The filter on this page enforces the interface, generation and read-speed rules automatically, so every drive listed above clears the bar on paper.
The one thing the table cannot check for you is physical fit. The drive must be single-sided or double-sided within Sony's size envelope, and with a heatsink attached it must be under 11.25 mm tall including the board. Most vendors now sell an explicit “PS5 version” or “with heatsink” variant of popular drives; where both exist, buy that one rather than adding your own cooler.
Less than the marketing suggests. The PS5's own internal drive reads at 5,500 MB/s, and Sony set the requirement so an expansion drive would not become the bottleneck. Games are built around the internal drive's throughput, so a 7,000 MB/s drive does not load them meaningfully faster than a 5,500 MB/s one — measured differences are usually a fraction of a second.
That makes the cheapest qualifying drive the rational buy for most people. Paying a premium for a 7,400 MB/s Gen 4 drive, or for Gen 5, buys headroom the console cannot use. Spend the difference on capacity instead.
Modern PS5 titles run 30–150GB each, with the largest cross-gen releases at the top of that range. A 1TB expansion holds roughly 10–12 big games, 2TB holds around 24, and 4TB removes the question entirely for most libraries.
4TB is better value per terabyte still, but the total outlay is high for a console that many people use for a handful of active titles.
Sony requires heat dissipation, and the easiest way to satisfy it is a drive sold with the heatsink already fitted. These are the PS5-qualifying drives in our comparison that have a factory heatsink version; every one of them stays under Sony’s 11.25 mm height limit (the heatsink may be up to 8 mm above the board, 2.45 mm below).
| Drive | Factory heatsink version | NAND / cache | Warranty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung 990 Pro | 990 Pro with Heatsink (1, 2, 4TB) | TLC, DRAM | 5 yr | The usual recommendation; heatsink version is about 8.2 mm tall and fits with room to spare. |
| WD Black SN850X | SN850X with Heatsink (1, 2, 4TB) | TLC, DRAM | 5 yr | Same class as the 990 Pro: TLC, DRAM, five-year warranty. |
| Crucial T500 | T500 with Heatsink | TLC, DRAM | 5 yr | Same performance class as the two above, with DRAM and TLC. |
| Lexar NM790 | NM790 with Heatsink (1–4TB) | TLC, DRAM-less (HMB) | 5 yr | DRAM-less TLC with high rated endurance; 8TB sold bare only. |
| Corsair MP600 Pro LPX | Low-profile heatsink built in | TLC, DRAM | 5 yr | Designed around the PS5 slot; nothing to add. |
| Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus | Sold with a PS5 heatsink bundle | TLC, DRAM | 1 yr / 5 if registered | Buy the bundle, not the bare drive plus a random cooler. |
| Samsung 9100 Pro / Crucial T710 / WD SN8100 (Gen 5) | Heatsink versions exist | TLC, DRAM | 5 yr | Work in the PS5 at Gen 4 speed; you pay a premium for bandwidth the console cannot use. |
Qualifying drives sold bare only — they work in the PS5, but you need to add a low-profile M.2 heatsink and keep the total height under 11.25 mm:
| Drive | Spec | Heatsink |
|---|---|---|
| Kingston NV3 | 6,000 MB/s, QLC, DRAM-less | No factory heatsink; budget QLC option once a low-profile heatsink is added. |
| Crucial P310 (2280) | 7,100 MB/s, QLC, DRAM-less | A 2280 version with a heatsink exists; otherwise add a low-profile one. |
| Samsung 990 Evo Plus | 7,150 MB/s, TLC, DRAM-less | Bare drive only; runs cool enough that a thin heatsink is sufficient. |
| WD Black SN7100 | 7,250 MB/s, TLC, DRAM-less | Bare drive only. |
| SK Hynix Platinum P41 | 7,000 MB/s, TLC, DRAM | Bare drive only. |
| WD Blue SN5100 | 6,900 MB/s, QLC, DRAM-less | Bare drive only. |
Power the console down fully and unplug it, remove the base cover, unscrew the expansion-slot cover, seat the drive at an angle and secure it with the supplied screw. On first boot the PS5 offers to format the drive; that takes a few seconds. After formatting, you can move installed games across from the internal drive in Settings, or install new ones directly to the expansion slot.
If the console reports the drive is too slow, it has measured the actual read speed rather than trusting the label — that generally means a drive that does not genuinely hit 5,500 MB/s, not a fault with the console.