04/03/2026 1:28 pm
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Finally scored a PS5 for my birthday last week and I'm already out of space because of my PS Plus backlog lol. I've been building PCs for years so I'm used to slapping in NVMe drives but the PS5 requirements seem a bit more specific than just plug and play sometimes. I know I need a Gen4 drive with at least 5500MB/s read speeds but the market is flooded with options right now.
I was thinking about the WD Black SN850X since I've used those in my desktop builds and they're rock solid but then I saw the Samsung 990 Pro is on sale near me. My logic was just to grab the fastest one available but I'm getting hung up on the heatsink clearance. Sony's site says it needs to be under a certain height and I really don't want to accidentally buy one that prevents the cover from snapping back on. I've got about $170 to spend and I'm hoping to snag a 2TB drive before the big holiday releases hit.
Has anyone actually tested the 990 Pro vs the Firecuda 530 in the actual console? Does the built-in heatsink on the Samsung actually fit without a struggle or am I better off getting a bare drive and adding something like a Sabrent heatsink myself? Kinda just want the most reliable one that wont throttle when I'm marathon-ing games for 6 hours...
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04/03/2026 1:29 pm
Honestly, i was pretty let down when i first tried the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 in my own console. Everyone hypes it up as the gold standard but the firmware issues i dealt with initially were a massive headache... unfortunately, that factory heatsink is just too thick for comfort. Its technically under the 11.25mm limit but it feels like youre forcing the expansion cover back on which just isnt great for peace of mind. I actually ended up returning it and trying the Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB NVMe Gen4 but that also ran way hotter than i expected during a long session of Horizon. Not great if youre worried about thermal throttling. After testing a few different setups, here is what i found from my own trial and error:
- The WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe with Heatsink is basically the only one that didnt give me anxiety during the install. It sits perfectly flush.
- Avoid buying a bare drive and a random low profile heatsink. I tried that with a generic copper one and the ps5 plate literally wouldnt snap back in. It was a total waste of money.
- If you want the absolute best thermals, you gotta go with the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB with PS5 Heatsink. It actually replaces the metal cover plate itself for better airflow. Its honestly frustrating that brands claim ps5 compatible when they barely fit in the actual slot... stick with the WD or the Sabrent combo if you dont want to mess around with clearances or overheating.
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04/03/2026 1:50 pm
> My logic was just to grab the fastest one available but I'm getting hung up on the heatsink clearance. I totally get the anxiety about the clearance... swapping dozens of drives for friends over the years has shown me that the physical fit is way more annoying than the speed specs. Honestly, just go with the WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink. I've had one in my main console for ages and the official heatsink is designed exactly for that bay so it snaps in with zero friction. If you want raw reliability tho, I usually lean toward the Seagate FireCuda 530 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD with Heatsink. They used an EKWB designed sink that fits like a glove and the endurance ratings are massive. In my experience, these handle the heat soak from long sessions better than most. Tbh you wont notice a speed difference between 6000 and 7000 MB/s during actual gameplay anyway... just grab the one with the best thermal management.
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04/03/2026 2:15 pm
Be careful with those heights, but are you mostly playin digital games?
- Make sure to watch price drops
- Check the clearance My bday gift was a weird cat-shaped toaster... anyway lol.
