Quick post before I jump off... Re: "In my experience, you gotta prioritize thermals for..." - unfortunately, I have had nothing but headaches with those pre-built NVMe external drives on the Pro. They are pricey and the consoles USB ports honestly cant even take advantage of the 10Gbps speeds. I have seen the T7 get weirdly hot and just drop the connection during long sessions, which is the last thing you want for Elden Ring. If you want to stay under that $100 mark and get something more stable, just grab a solid SATA drive. I swear by the Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 Inch Internal SSD paired with a Sabrent 2.5 Inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool-free External Enclosure. It is way more budget-friendly and SATA drives run much cooler than those fancy ones. Plus, if the cable ever fails, you just swap the $10 case instead of tossing the whole drive. It is a lifesaver tbh.

Focusing on the budget, you dont need to pay for 10Gbps speeds that the console cant utilize. These options provide stable thermals for under $100:

• Western Digital 1TB WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD
• Crucial X8 1TB Portable SSD The WD_BLACK P40 is specifically tuned for consoles and manages heat effectively during long sessions. Its a reliable choice that should arrive by Friday within your price point.

To add to the point above, reliability on the PS4 Pro usually comes down to sustained performance and power draw rather than just peak burst speeds. The thread has covered the mainstays like the T7 Shield and WD_Black, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind for a stable Elden Ring run:

• Rear port usage: Always plug your external drive into the back USB port of the Pro. It is way more stable and reduces the chance of accidental disconnects if you bump the console.
• Power draw: Some NVMe-based externals pull a lot of juice, which can occasionally cause the PS4s USB bus to flake out during long sessions. If you want something that stays cool without breaking the bank, the SanDisk 1TB Extreme Portable SSD has been a total workhorse for me. It is rugged and handles the consoles power output without those weird disconnects people mentioned. Another solid shout is the Kingston XS1000 1TB External SSD. Its super compact, doesnt pull much power, and stays surprisingly cool for the price point. Honestly, just avoid the super cheap generic brands and you will be fine for your marathon. Just make sure to run a full format as soon as it arrives to stress test the drive before you commit to the download.

In my experience, you gotta prioritize thermals for the PS4 Pro so it doesnt throttle mid-boss. I have tried many drives over the years and these are the most reliable:

• Samsung T7 Shield 1TB Portable SSD is my top pick because the rugged shell handles heat way better than the standard T7.
• Crucial X9 Pro 1TB Portable SSD is also great and stays very stable during long Elden Ring marathons. Either one should keep you from crashing.

Late to the party but I totally get the stress... I remember when my old HDD started making that clicking sound right in the middle of a Bloodborne run. Its the absolute worst. Im no tech expert but Ive tried a couple of these over the last year. I first picked up the Lexar SL200 1TB Portable SSD because it was on sale and I didnt want to overthink it. Its not the fastest thing out there but it stayed pretty cool sitting behind my console. Honestly, it was just plug and play and I never had a single disconnect during long sessions. Later on, I actually switched to the Kingston XS1000 1TB External SSD just because its so small you barely notice its there. The Lexar felt a bit more rugged and sturdy but the Kingston is surprisingly snappy for the price point. Neither of them gave me those weird stuttering issues people talk about with the super cheap no-name brands. If youre just looking to get back into Elden Ring without breaking the bank or dealing with complicated setups, those worked fine for me without any overheating drama.