Which SSD upgrade offers the best performance for the PS5 Pro?

Question

Hey everyone! I finally managed to secure a PS5 Pro, and while the 2TB internal storage is a nice step up from the base model, I know I’m going to need more space pretty quickly given how huge modern game patches are getting. I’m really looking to maximize performance here—I don’t just want 'enough' storage; I want the fastest speeds possible to ensure those 'Pro Enhanced' titles load instantly.

I’ve been eyeing the Samsung 990 Pro and the WD_BLACK SN850X, as both seem to be top-tier for the 7,000MB/s+ range. However, I’m a bit confused about whether the PS5 Pro architecture actually benefits from some of the newer Gen4 drives that push closer to 7,450MB/s, or if there’s any word on Gen5 compatibility (though I suspect it’s still limited to Gen4 speeds). I’m also definitely planning on getting a version with a built-in heatsink to avoid any thermal throttling during long sessions of playing intensive games like Rebirth or Spider-Man 2.

Does anyone have experience with which specific drive currently gives the most consistent benchmarks on the Pro? Should I stick with the officially licensed options, or is there a faster 'non-official' drive that really takes advantage of the new hardware?

TimmyCaple · Accepted Answer

Respectfully, I'd suggest a different approach. Just saw this and honestly, I overpaid for a flagship drive before realizing my buddy's Nextorage NEM-PA 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD with Heatsink loads games just as fast. Basically, the Pro cant fully utilize those extreme speeds anyway. I've been super happy with it—it’s way cheaper and rock solid. Lesson learned: dont overpay for benchmarks you wont actually feel!! Save that cash for games.

Focuslfn · Answer

+1 to what was said earlier. Basically, the PS5 Pro is still limited to PCIe 4.0, so even a Gen5 drive like the Crucial T705 2TB PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD would just downshift and offer zero performance gain. Honestly, the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD with Heatsink is the sweet spot because the console's I/O controller is the actual bottleneck, not the raw sequential speeds.

Jeffreyroyab · Answer

I kinda disagree that you should just go for whatever is cheapest or focus only on those crazy speed benchmarks. Since the Pro is such a big investment, I'm way more worried about the drive failing or overheating and hurting the console than I am about saving a few bucks or gaining half a second of loading time. I'm still a bit of a newbie with the Pro hardware specifically, but I've been around tech long enough to know that reliability is everything. Here is my take:

Just get any drive from Seagate. They have a massive reputation for stability and I feel like their stuff is just built to last longer in hot environments.

Go with any of the main Western Digital options. You really cant go wrong with a brand that has been in the game this long, and their support is usually great if things go wrong.

Definitely make sure you get something with a pre-installed heatsink from the brand itself. I'm always worried that the separate ones might not be as safe for the console. Does the Pro run hotter than the base model? I'm honestly just terrified of losing my saves if a drive craps out after a year of heavy use. Like, I'd rather have total peace of mind than the absolute fastest thing out there. Better to be safe than sorry with all those expensive games!