How to buy a PS5 SSD in March 2022 and get a great deal

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.

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.