The PS5’s storage space tends to run out quickly, but Western Digital’s latest PS5 SSDs seem poised to combat that, as well as slashing long load times.
WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 is now available for purchase on Western Digital’s official website online store (opens in new tab), and comes in 1TB and 2TB variants. They cost £179.99 (about $213.99) and £289.99 (about $344.99) respectively. US prices are yet to be confirmed.
Don’t expect these new PS5 SSDs to appear as part of Amazon’s Prime Day deals, as Western Digital has confirmed that they won’t appear in other storefronts until mid-August.
These latest products from the SSD specialist were jointly developed with Sony. If you needed that extra stamp of quality, rest assured these SSDs are officially licensed PlayStation products.
More storage, faster games
The WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 consoles is a successor to the original SN850 model that tops our list of best PS5 SSDs. However, this latest model features an improved sequential write performance of 5300 MB/s, as opposed to the original version’s 4100 MB/s.
Read speeds match the original’s 7000 MB/s, which should allow for fast app launch and impressively low load times. This is much faster than the PS5’s pre-installed SSD, which clocks in at around 5500MB/s.
Western Digital has also made the WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD installation process easier, as the 1TB and 2TB models come with a pre-installed heatsink. If you’re still nervous about installing an internal SSD for yourself, read our handy guide on how to install a PS5 SSD.
NVMe SSDs tend to be more expensive and there is no exception here. However, the extra fast storage on the PS5 is a worthwhile investment in our opinion. With a 1TB or 2TB SSD, you can effectively double or triple the amount of space available on your console.
Also, NVMe SSDs are generally much faster, which means they will drastically reduce in-game load times. This is a big plus if you regularly play with huge file sizes like Horizon Forbidden West or Call of Duty Warzone.