Internal vs external storage for PlayStation 5

An internal SSD for the PS5 has a number of requirements. For example, the PlayStation 5 only supports M.2 SSDs with NVMe protocol. M.2 SSDs with SATA protocol don't work. In addition, the SSD needs a read and write speed of at least 5500MB/s. Are you going to use the extra SSD on a daily basis? Sony recommends a heatsink in this case. This cooler extracts the hot air from the SSD and extends the lifespan of your internal SSD that way.

An external hard drive for the PlayStation 5 doesn't have much requirements. The drive or SSD needs to support at least USB 3.0, which is the standard nowadays. The PlayStation 5 supports various USB 3.0 connectors, up until USB 3.2 Gen 2. The WD Elements or Samsung Portable T7 SSD, for example. These allow you to transfer games faster.

The standard M.2 SSD of a PlayStation 5 (Slim) has about 825GB or storage for games. You can store about 10 to 15 games on this. In addition to the standard SSD, you also have room for an extra internal M.2 SSD. This SSD needs to have a storage capacity between 250GB and 4TB. Do you want to store a couple of games extra? Choose a lower capacity of 250 or 500GB. Do you want to download many mods or DLCs? We recommend 1 or 2TB.

The advantage of external storage is that you can choose extra storage space. The PlayStation 5 supports external hard drives up to 8TB. This offers room for no less than 200 games. You can also use the external storage for mod and content you no longer use but still want to keep for later. If you just want to store games, we recommend 1 or 2 TB. Do you want to storage many mods, extra content, or games for longer? We recommend 4 or 8TB in this case.

Do you want to transfer games or other files as quickly as possible? Choose an internal SSD. An internal SSD for the PS5 can reach higher speeds, which is a great advantage. A good example is the Samsung 980 Pro. This internal SSD reaches a read speed of 7000MB/s and writes 5100MB/s. Thanks to this, you can transfer games in a couple of minutes. Some internal SSDs can even transfer games faster than the standard PS5 SSD.

External HDDs have more storage space, but transfer files less quickly. When you transfer a game, this takes about 3 to 5 times longer than with an SSD. The PlayStation 5 supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, which is 4 times faster than a regular USB 3.0 connector. That's why you should choose a faster HDD that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2 too. Otherwise, loading times may go up to 25 minutes.

As mentioned before, the PlayStation 5 has room for an extra internal SSD. Thanks to this, the console recognizes it as extra storage and you can play games directly from the extra SSD. This offers a great advantage compared to external storage, with which direct play isn't possible. You can easily transfer games via the Game library, after which you can boot the games as usual.

An external HDD offers a lot of room for games, but you can't play them directly from the drive. All elements of a game have to be on the PS5 itself, like the game data and save files. You can transfer games in almost the same with as with an internal SSD. Select all your games, but click on "Expanded USB storage" followed by "Move".