When the PlayStation 5 was released in November of last year, Sony advertised that users would be able to add a fast internal hard drive to the device. That will increase the PS5 controller games’ storage capacity as their game collections grow. It turns out that starting a gaming system during a pandemic can be challenging. So that Sony swiftly opted to switch off that feature until later. Sony declared in July that it had begun allowing gamers to test hard drive expansion on PS5s after almost eight months. This is the first step toward allowing players to utilize the functionality, which is really helpful if you want to switch between playing several different games but is now only available in a public beta.
Why Would You Want to Install a Second Hard Drive in Your PlayStation 5?
The PS5 comes with an 875GB solid-state drive out of the box. You really have 667.2 GB to store games, applications like Netflix and YouTube, saved game data, pictures, and video clips after accounting for the space required for the operating system. Between 40 and 60 GB of storage is needed for many of the top PS5 controller titles. You can practically put 10-15 games on the disk at once, even if you mix in some PS4 games and smaller independent titles. If you ever want to play a game again after that, you’ll need to erase it and download it again. Although uninstalling and reinstalling games doesn’t directly cost anything, it does use time and internet traffic. When you go to play a game with a friend and discover that you need to reinstall it. It truly stinks.
The storage capacity of the PS5 may be increased by up to 4TB with a suitable second hard drive. Significantly boosting the number of games you can store on the system simultaneously.
Which Hard Drives Can You Install on a PS5?
A PS5 cannot just accept any old hard disk. You’ll want an M.2 solid-state drive with a high read speed in order to match the anticipated speed of the console’s internal storage (and the expansion drive slot in the console). It is significantly quicker than a typical solid-state drive since an M.2 drive is a kind of NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express), which connects to the consoles via PCIe. In general, M.2 modules are substantially smaller than conventional hard drives; they resemble a stick of RAM more than a conventional SSD.
When it comes to the type of M.2 drive that may be installed in the PS5, Sony has extremely precise technical criteria. Before purchasing a replacement drive, you should visit Sony’s website for the complete specifications, however here are some important details:
A PCIe Gen 4 x4 M.2 NVMe drive with a read speed of more than 5500 MB/s is required for a hard disk to be PS5 compliant. It should be wider than 22 millimeters (Sony lists the M.2 form factors that meet this spec). Although you may purchase one without one and install a heatsink separately, it ought to also come with an integrated heatsink.
It looks difficult. Do you have any external hard drives?
Technically, the PS5 does allow external hard drives for storage expansion. specifically, not for PS5 games. Instead, you may put PS5 controller games in “cold storage” on an external HDD or SSD so you can play them offline or store and play PS4 games. (However, they might not perform as well as they would on a PS5)
Okay, good. Please advise me on the best hard drive to purchase.
That is also a bit challenging. No particular drives have been formally recognized or designated as PS5-optimized by Sony. In fact, they won’t even promise that drives with the suggested specifications will function correctly. Sony senior architect Mark Cerny’s tweet recommending the Western Digital Black SN850 with built-in cooling is the closest thing to an endorsement.
Major hardware manufacturers have recently started emphasizing that their drives are PS5-compatible. There are several gaming periodicals out there that conduct tests and offer rankings and suggestions. Later on, we could conduct some of our own tests. For the time being, here’s one from some former IGN buddies.
Okay. I’m all set. What should I do?
What comes first? Register for the PS5 software beta program at the PlayStation website. You must be a resident of the United States, Canada, Japan, France, Germany, or United Kingdom, have a PS5 controller, and have an active PSN account to participate. Sony expressly advises against installing the hard drive before getting approval and doing the beta firmware installation.
In the future, we’ll have a more thorough explanation of how to install a hard drive to boost PS5 capacity. For now, here is a condensed version:
1. After installing the beta software, you must disconnect the console, and tip it over. Then use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the console’s large white side panel.
2. On the interior of the console, where the panel was removed from, is a long, rectangular slot for the M.2 drive.
3. You must detach the lid above the hard drive slot. Use the internal screw to modify the slot’s size after removing the panel.
4. Angle the drive into the connector and firmly but gently press it in to ensure a connection.
5. Screw the drive into the slot while gently (I repeat, softly!) tilting it flat. I’m done now! You’re finished after you replace the lid.
When Will Installing a Hard Drive Be Possible Without Enrolling in the Beta?
Version 2.0 of the PlayStation 5 software, which is presently in development, should be made available “later this year,” according to Polygon.
