![PS5 SSD](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9KvCBwckjbkT59vRvd6ZjS-415-80.jpg)
I need one of the best PS5 SSDs. And it's definitely a need, not just a want: I've reached the point where every time I want to play something new or just install a really big update on my PS5 I need to uninstall half my library.
My Xbox Series X doesn't have the same problem thanks to Cloud Gaming, but on PS5 storage is a real pain in my home: in addition to me there are two younger gamers in my flat, and there'd be no end of moaning if I uninstalled Fortnite, Minecraft or any of their other favourites.
In effect, then, my internal PS5 SSD has room for roughly one and a bit Horizon: Forbidden Wests. So I decided to follow T3's advice and to check out our PS5 SSD installation video and then buy an expansion drive.
I used to build PCs for my job and I've done the odd PS4 repair, too, but I've never cracked open my PS5 and I wanted to know in advance whether it'd be a pain or not. So here's what I've learnt.
Installing a PS5 SSD is easier than you might think
Adding an SSD to the PS5 is much simpler than repairing my PS4 was: the storage isn't located in a fiddly place and secured with eleventy billion screws that immediately fall into the depths of the case. The hardest bit was fighting off the dust bunnies that live on top of it. There are only two internal screws to worry about: one to secure the SSD and one to secure the expansion port cover.
You really need a PS5 SSD deal tracker
SSD prices fluctuate wildly for no apparent reason: when I was buying mine I went for the Seagate FireCuda, which was cheaper than T3's other top pics. Today it isn't, and if it was I wouldn't be able to get it anyway because it's temporarily out of stock. Right now the most affordable of the options I'd consider is T3's current top pick, the Samsung 980 Pro, but later today it might not be.
Have a look at the price box when you do check out deals, especially on Amazon. I noticed that some but not all of my shortlisted SSDs were available with easy payments, enabling you to pay in five instalments without any interest on top; others were available with relatively low-interest payments, such as 10.9% APR over 3 months.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
1TB is still the sweet spot
Many of the SSDs are available in capacities from 500GB to 2TB and some go up to 4TB, but I think the best option unless you have a huge appetite for games is the 1TB. 500GB is just over half of the usable storage you start with in the PS5, and I think had I gone for that I'd be doing the no-storage shuffle again within a few months. But 2TB is beyond my budget: even with a price cut, the 2TB version of my chosen FireCuda was much more than I could justify spending. There's a 4TB version of that one too, but it's nearly £750.
Check the price history too
Deal trackers are great, but one thing they can't do is tell you price history. The browser plugin Honey can, albeit with some odd data points sometimes, and for Amazon purchases the CamelCamelCamel.com website is great for tracking prices: I can see that that 4TB SSD was £50 cheaper a week ago and the 2TB is £22 more than it was two weeks back – but the 1TB is cheaper than it's been all year. It's a good way to decide whether your chosen SSD is a buy-now deal or if you might be able to save some money by hanging on a little longer.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: great mid-range earbuds
Sennheiser's Accentum range expands with new in-ears
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Team GB has already won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics for the best-looking merchandise
I’m low-key obsessed with this Paris 2024 Olympics bomber jacket – and you can buy it, too.
By Matt Kollat Published
-
Xbox Game Pass gets the latest Call of Duty – you can download it right now
Game Pass gets COD
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
New PS5 Pro graphics details found in an unlikely source
A recent game update spills some intriguing beans
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
The new Deadpool Xbox controller has a unique, cheeky new feature
There's something altogether new on the rear
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Xbox Game Pass getting a trio of brand new games real soon – including a promising Zelda-alike
Shaping up to be a busy week for the subscription
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
EA Sports FC 25 to be revealed this week, but we already know who the cover star is
Take a sad song and make it better
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
There's a good reason why 8BitDo's latest retro controllers are $100 each
8BitDo has gone big for its anniversary, with a couple of extra-special Nintendo-inspired controllers
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Nintendo Switch Online gets 3 free games you won't have played before
Nintendo digs out some hidden gems
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Nintendo Switch is officially its longest-standing console and shows no signs of slowing down
Do we even need a Switch 2?
By Max Freeman-Mills Published