Yo, congrats on the snag!! Honestly, that $250 budget is solid but you gotta be smart with it. I highkey recommend the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink for your library... it’s fast and usually runs around $150. Use the rest of your cash for the Disc Drive for PS5 Digital Edition Consoles so you can actually use your physical discs. Skip the PS5 Vertical Stand tho, it’s basically a waste of $30 imo. Better to spend that on a PS5 DualSense Charging Station instead, it's seriously a lifesaver for keeping controllers ready! Enjoy the upgrade man, it's gonna be awesome! gl!

Tbh I always worry about heat and power issues with these mid-gen refreshes. If you are dropping seven hundred on the console plus another two hundred fifty on extras, you really need to prioritize protecting that hardware over just getting more games. I have seen way too many people fry their ports or lose data because they skipped the basics of power safety.

• Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 2TB
• This is basically the gold standard for reliability and consistent read speeds without thermal throttling.
• Belkin 12-Outlet Pivot-Plug Surge Protector
• Seriously, dont just plug this into a cheap power strip. Get something with a high joule rating to protect the internal PSU from spikes. For resources, you should definitely check out the Digital Foundry videos on the Pro hardware. They go deep into the thermal testing so you can see if your entertainment center setup has enough airflow. Also, RTINGS is great for checking cable certifications if you need a longer HDMI 2.1 cable that actually hits the full bandwidth safely. Better to be safe than sorry with such an expensive piece of kit lol.

Been thinking about your setup. Before you drop the cash, what kind of display are you actually running this on? If you arent using a screen that supports HDMI 2.1 features like VRR or 120Hz, you might not be seeing the Pros full potential anyway. If youre looking at storage, everyone is suggesting the big brands, but I would suggest looking at the SK hynix Platinum P41 2TB NVMe SSD. It is insanely power efficient which is crucial for keeping internal temps down in a packed console. Lower power draw means less heat, which is better for longevity. A few technical things to watch out for:

• You might want to consider skipping the pre-installed heatsink models to save money. You can get a Eleuthero M.2 NVMe SSD Heatsink and install it yourself. It is usually more effective for heat dissipation than some of the basic thin ones factory brands use.
• Make sure your cable is legit. The one in the box is fine, but if you need more length, get a certified Zeskit Maya 8K 48Gbps HDMI Cable so you dont get signal dropouts at 4K/120Hz.
• Be careful with third-party covers or skins early on, they might mess with the airflow patterns on the Pro. Stick to stock until there is actual thermal testing.

Facts.

Late to the party but if you're worried about reliability like me you should check out the Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB SSD with Heatsink. The big pro is it has a way higher TBW rating than most so it will technically last longer under heavy use, but the con is it usually costs a bit more than the big brands. Another solid one is the Crucial T500 2TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink... pro is it handles power efficiency and heat management better than most Gen4 drives ive tested, though it is slightly slower on paper. Speaking of heat, I spent the whole weekend cleaning out my old entertainment center and found like three years worth of dust bunnies behind my TV. It made me realize I really need to buy a better air purifier for the living room or my Pro is gonna be choked within a month. I honestly spent more time looking at HEPA filters and vacuum attachments than actual games today lol. My allergies have been acting up so bad lately too so it is probably for the best. Anyway, those drives are both tank-tier for safety and reliability.

Facts.

bump

Saved for later, ty!