The good news is that Sony pushed out a software update that allows the PS5 to take advantage of a second M.2 SSD. There are restrictions on what’ll work – it needs to be PCIe Gen 4 with read/write speeds of at least 5500MB/s and it’ll need a heatsink – but at least it’s a possibility. The SSDs were expensive at launch, but there’s a particularly good saving on Crucial’s 1TB P5 Plus that makes it a tempting Black Friday buy.
There is a catch though; the Crucial P5 Plus doesn’t ship with a heatsink, a required component for use in the PS5. While some claim to have used SSDs without heatsinks without issue, it’s worth following Sony’s advice to avoid damaging the SSD or your console.
Combined with the price of the SSD, you’ve got a PS5-compatible 1TB SSD for just £119.98 – a huge saving compared to the likes of the WD Black SN850 with Heat Sink at £185.99.
The Crucial P5 Plus is a solid choice for a PS5 SSD too; in our Crucial P5 Plus review, we described the M.2 SSD as “more than a worthy successor to the P5” while providing “the PCIe 4.0 enhancement that many customers want”, although we did find that speeds were a little slow compared to the SN850.
That’ll matter more if you use it in a PC than a PS5 though; for gaming, it’ll more than do the job. If you need more information on the installation process, take a look at how to upgrade internal PS5 storage.
For more top deals this Black Friday, take a look at our selection of the best Black Friday tech deals. We’ve also got a more focused Black Friday gaming deals roundup if you’re looking for new gaming accessories to match your PS5.
Lewis Painter is a Senior Staff Writer at Tech Advisor. Our resident Apple expert, Lewis covers everything from iPhone to AirPods, plus a range of smartphones, tablets, laptops and gaming hardware. You’ll also find him on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.
