Hey there PlayStation lover! Have you ever felt the frustration of getting sucked into an immersive new PS5 game, only to then be suddenly interrupted by annoying low storage warnings? I‘ve been there too. Trust me, few things hurt worse than having your epic gaming quest cut short because you‘ve run out of SSD space for the latest 100GB game update download!
But what if you could say goodbye to pesky storage limits and unlock truly unhindered next-gen gaming potential? That‘s exactly what we‘ll make possible today!
I‘ll share everything you need to know about the PS5‘s ultra-fast internal storage system. We‘ll dive into how the bleeding-edge SSD enables jaw-dropping, lighting-quick game loads. Then we‘ll explore your options for expansions, upgrades and perfectly optimized storage performance so you can store ALL the games!
Let‘s start by peering under the hood to understand what makes the PS5 storage technology so special…
Harnessing the Power of High Speed Storage
The PS5 took a giant leap past old school hard disk drives (HDDs) and ushered in a new era of blisteringly fast solid state drive (SSD) storage capabilities. We‘re talking about nearly 100x faster raw throughput compared to the previous-gen PS4!
This transformational boost is powered by a radical overhaul of the entire storage infrastructure design:
- Custom developed high speed SSD controller
- PCIe Gen4 interface delivering up to 5.5GB per second transfer speeds
- Integrated DRAM module for rapid access operations
Combined, this triplex storage system design enables unprecedented data streaming performance. We can see the speed impact firsthand when loading a game like Spiderman that took 15 seconds on PS4 now finishes in under 1 second on PS5!
But the innovations extend deeper through the custom decompression silicon built into the PS5‘s high speed data pipeline. This allows compressed game data to be unpackaged and flushed into system memory at rates exceeding 8-9GB per second with no performance penalty!
The custom storage architecture makes all the difference – enabling developers to design games with no compromises and instantiate expansive worlds in a flash.
Now let‘s explore exactly how much usable capacity you get out of the box.
Breaking Down the PS5‘s Internal Storage
The PlayStation 5 console ships with an integrated 825 GB internal SSD, complete with dedicated storage controller and DRAM. But here‘s the catch: not all of that raw capacity is actually usable for storing your games!
After reserving space for critical system files and the OS, you‘re left with about 667 GB of free space for game installs, downloads and personal media.
Here‘s a full breakdown of capacities:
| Total Raw SSD Capacity | 825 GB |
| ‐ System Software / OS | 126 GB |
| ‐ Pre-Installed Games | 32 GB |
| = Usable Space for New Games & Media | ~667 GB |
So is 667 GB enough storage space to meet our next-gen gaming needs? In some cases – yes. But with install sizes ballooning over 100 GB for many new titles, unused capacity can disappear fast.
Let‘s take a quick tally of storage space eaten up by some popular games:
- Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War – 250GB
- NBA 2K23 – 121 GB
- God of War Ragnarök – 96 GB
You can see how after just 3-4 of these storage hogging game installs, your "spacious" PS5 SSD suddenly runs out of room!
The last thing we want is to get 20 hours deep into an RPG quest like Elden Ring, only to then face an abrupt "out of space – delete games to update" roadblock!
So now let‘s explore how to avoid storage headaches by expanding and optimizing your PS5 drive space…
External Storage Expansion Options for PS5
One of the best ways to boost your storage capacity is adding an external drive. This allows you to massively expand available space for game installs, media storage and downloads.
There are several fast external drive types to choose from for PS5:
- External SSD (over USB)
- Internal M.2 SSD
- External HDD
Depending on your budget, usage needs and performance priorities, each offers unique advantages. Let‘s break them down:
External SSD (USB)
This option connects to one of the PS5‘s USB ports. Installation is as easy as plug and play! External SSDs achieve blazing speeds up to 6,000 MB per second. That‘s over 6x faster than traditional external HDDs.
Pros:
- Max portability to use across laptop, desktop and console
- Stream games directly from the drive
- Good budget choice
Cons:
- Slower than internal M.2 SSD mounts
- Need to store PS5 games on internal SSD
- Storage capacity maxes out at 4 TB
Internal M.2 SSD
For maximal speeds rivalling the internal PS5 SSD, an M.2 solid state drive is your best bet. These mount directly onto the M.2 expansion slot and run blisteringly quick. We‘re talking 7,000+ MB per second read performance thanks to cutting-edge PCIe Gen4 x4 connectivity.
Many M.2 SSDs include dedicated heatsinks to sustain peak transfer rates and remain cool even when the gaming gets intense.
Pros:
- Matched to PS5 internal SSD speed
- More affordable cost per GB
- Heatsinks keep drive temps in check
Cons:
- Slightly trickier installation
- Uses up M.2 expansion slot
External HDD
If affordability outweighs blazing speed, an external HDD connects via the PS5‘s USB 3.2 port to provide abundant extra storage from 1TB up to 8TB and potentially higher.
Pros:
- Massive storage capacity potential
- Great bang for your buck
Cons:
- Much slower than SSD options
- Can‘t directly play PS5 games
Now let‘s explore how fine tuning your settings, transferring games selectively to external drives, and maintaining your storage health can all help maximize available capacity…
Optimizing PS5 Storage Usage & Performance
While upgrading to a larger M.2 SSD or attaching external storage provides more overall bytes, there are also ways to work smarter within your existing storage footprint:
Close Unused Apps
Rather than leaving games and apps suspended in a persistent state, fully close out of ones you aren‘t playing. This frees up chunks of SSD real estate.
Transfer Older Titles
Once you’ve beaten a game’s campaign, consider transferring the title to a high capacity external HDD. You retain the ability to copy it back to internal SSD when ready to resume playing.
Remove Unneeded Updates
Often game updates and patches unnecessarily linger. It’s safe to delete many of these once the game itself has updated.
Replace Disc Installs
When installed from a disc, the full game gets copied to the SSD wasting space. Backup only save files, then delete and reinstall disc copies when needed.
Fine tuning usage and effectively utilizing all the storage devices at your disposal ensures you can always save the latest 200GB monster game download without hesitation!
On that note, let‘s wrap up with my final recommendations for unlocking ultimate PS5 storage performance.
My PS5 Storage Expansion Recommendations
Hopefully now your mind is racing with all the exciting possibilities on how to take your PlayStation 5‘s storage capacity and performance to new heights!
Here‘s a quick cheat sheet summary of my top tips:
- Regularly audit your internal SSD usage and move lesser played games to external HDD storage
- Add a high speed external SSD via USB 3.2 for more direct access capacity along with blazing transfer and loading rates
- Consider an internal PCIe Gen4 M.2 SSD upgrade to match the PS5‘s raw throughput for uncompromising speed
- Attach a massive external HDD to establish an almost unlimited capacity repository for backups plus a deep bench of installed games
With the right storage expansion strategy tailored to your budget, gaming appetites and usage patterns, you can save and access ALL your favorite games without ever worrying about managing capacity constraints again.
Now get out there and enjoy pushing visual boundaries, losing yourself in cinematic storylines, and unlocking new gaming achievements without pesky storage limitations getting in the way!
Game on!
