Article 79NAC Upgrade your PS5's storage for GTA 6's digital pre-load with these SSD storage options from $174

Upgrade your PS5's storage for GTA 6's digital pre-load with these SSD storage options from $174

by
Ben Stockton
from Latest from Tom's Hardware on (#79NAC)

As games go, Grand Theft Auto VI is set to be one of the biggest game launches of the last decade. This is a billion-dollar franchise, with the last entry now 13 years old. Luckily, gamers looking to play the latest iteration don't have long to wait. Digital pre-loads are set to begin on November 10, giving you nine days to download all 212GB of it on the PlayStation 5.

To do that, though, you'll need enough storage. If you've got a base model PS5 with other games installed, you might not have enough. That's where a PS5 storage upgrade can come in handy. You can hook up an extra PS5 SSD, adding an NVMe SSD to your Sony console using its M.2 expansion slot.

Check out these PS5 SSD deals on Amazon

Check out these PS5 SSD deals at Newegg

With nine days to begin pre-loading GTA 6, you've got time to fix the situation if your PS5 does lack enough space for the game's installation. You'll need to consider that the game will receive updates and may grow in size over time, too.

Unfortunately, SSDs have been badly affected by the AI-fueled price rises over the last year. Buying storage isn't as cheap, so you'll need to look for deals when you can. We've put together some of the best options for a PS5 SSD upgrade below, considering current prices, that'll help you get started.

One thing worth mentioning, too, is that the PS5's M.2 expansion slot only supports PCIe 4.0 speeds. That doesn't stop you buying a Gen 5 SSD (in fact, in some cases, it might be better value to do so). If you do use a Gen 5 SSD, however, you'll only be able to use it at Gen 4 speeds. These drives also require a heatsink, but you can pick up third-party ones to work with each drive to save costs.

Limitations aside, here are some of the top PS5 SSDs you'll want to consider to get your console ready for the GTA 6 release next week.

PS5 SSD deals for GTA 6

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990 Pro 4TB SSD: was $1099.99 now $799.90
This 4TB Samsung 990 Pro SSD will be a massive upgrade to your PS5's storage, giving you plenty of space for GTA 6 and any other game. It's a Gen 4 SSD with read and write speeds of 7,450 and 6,900 MB/s apiece.

This drive doesn't come with a heatsink, so you'll need to pick up a third-party one to ensure the PS5 doesn't throttle your drive's speeds. The alternative is to buy the 990 Pro 4TB with a heatsink, but for $944, you're better off buying a third-party heatsink instead.View Deal

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990 Pro 1TB SSD: was $319.99 now $259.99
The same drive as above, but with a smaller 1TB capacity. Still a healthy upgrade that'll likely double your PS5's storage, and at a cheaper price.View Deal

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SN850X 1TB with Heatsink: $289
The SN850X has sequential reads and writes of up to 7,300 MB/s and 6,300 MB/s each. This model comes with its own heatsink, so you don't need to supply your own. The non-heatsink model is available for $259.99, however.View Deal

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SN850X 2TB: was $415 now $384.53
The same model as above, but with 2TB of storage. It's around $100 less than the model with the heatsink, however. If you do want the heatsink built-in, you can grab it for $439.99 instead.View Deal

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SN850X 4TB: was $682.81 now $655.86
Boost to 4TB with this SN850X instead. You'll pay a premium for the heatsink version at $765, so it's worth grabbing this one and getting a third-party model to keep it cool.View Deal

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Black Opal NV7400 1TB: $174.99
The Biwin NV7400 doesn't have DRAM, but it does have good performance, good power efficiency, and a good warranty with high TBW.

Sequential reads and writes are 7,450 / 6,500 MB/s apiece, but you'll need to add your own heatsink.View Deal

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SN7100 2TB: $338.99
The SN7100 is a good, cheap option for a PS5 storage upgrade. It delivers sequential read speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 6,900 MB/s.

No heatsink here, so a third-party one is recommended.View Deal

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9100 Pro 1TB: was $339.99 now $249.99
The Samsung 9100 Pro is a high-end PCIe 5.0 SSD featuring Samsung's own Presto controller and 236-layer NAND. The 1 TB model delivers sequential read and write speeds up to 14,700 MB/s and 13,300 MB/s, respectively.

Remember, however, that the PS5's M.2 expansion slot is only Gen 4. This drive is backwards compatible, so it'll work, but you won't be able to hit its top-rated speeds. You'll also need a third-party heatsink with this drive, otherwise the PS5 might throttle your speeds. View Deal

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9100 Pro 2TB: was $679.97 now $399.99
As above, but 2TB of storage instead. This will be a sizable increase for your PS5's storage, but as above, you'll need to remember that you won't be able to utilize the 9100 Pro's fastest speeds, even if it does remain fully backwards compatible.View Deal

PS5 SSD Heatsinks

Sony recommends that you install an SSD with a heatsink when you're upgrading your PS5's storage to avoid overheating and throttling.

With that in mind, if you buy an SSD without one, you can pick up one of these third-party compatible heatsinks to use with your drive instead.

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Mc1 M.2 Ssd Cooler Heatsink: $14.9
A cheap and easy third-party option for adding a heatsink to an SSD while remaining compatible with the PS5's M.2 expansion slot.View Deal

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Sabrent M.2 Nvme Ps5 Heatsink (sb-Pshs): $13.99
An alternative option, this Sabrent heatsink will let you cool an SSD while remaining compatible with the PS5's M.2 expansion slot.View Deal

Buying a PlayStation 5

If you don't already own a PS5, you can pick one up right now. With the holidays fast approaching, however, you might see stock shortages for all the big consoles. Between this new Grand Theft Auto release and Nintendo's Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time re-release, it's a big season for gaming.

Right now, you can grab the digital version of the PS5 for $599. You can also grab Grand Theft Auto VI for $79.99, with the box arriving with a code that you'll need to redeem on your PS5 to be able to download and play the game.

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5 - Digital Edition: $599
Grab the digital edition version of the PS5, sans a built-in disc drive, for $599 at Amazon right now.View Deal

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Grand Theft Auto 5: $79.99
Get a copy of GTA 5 for the PS5 for $79.99. This arrives with a code in the box: you'll still need to download the game to play it when it launches.View Deal

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