Best PS5 external hard drives 2023
PS5 games are becoming more complex and massive daily, so Sony has allocated 1 TB of storage space to its consoles and uses a fast NVMe SSD to achieve actual download speeds.
But the internal memory only has about 670 GB of usable space, which is only suitable for four Call of Duty Warzone installations!
Sony knows this, so they built expandable SSD storage directly into the PS5.
Although PS5 cannot play PS5 games from an external hard drive, you can use the external hard drive to play PS4 games directly or replace PS5 games on the main SSD.
In this article, we discuss the five best external hard drives for PlayStation 5 with various prices, which will help you choose one that suits your needs and budget.
1-Crucial X6/X8 hard drive
Crucial offers two very attractive portable SSDs with the X6 and X8. The former is a cheaper option but still offers good performance for its price.
Crucial X6 is available in 4 memory categories: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. The 500GB hard drive is the cheapest and offers a sequential read speed of 540MB/s. The rest of the memories have a sequential reading speed of up to 800 MB/s. The price of the X6 starts at $60 for the 500GB version and goes up to $360 for the 4TB model.
Thanks to the USB 3.1 Gen-2 connection, the Crucial X8 has a sequential read speed of up to 1050 MB/s. X8 comes in 1 TB and 2 TB models, priced at $105 and $190, respectively.
Crucial X6 and X8 are fast and durable portable hard drives that offer the best d and size. The PS5 doesn’t take advantage of the extra speed that t so that8 provides to get the biggest X6 hard drive.
2-Samsung T5/T7
Samsung has always been known as one of the best manufacturers of SSD drives. Looking at T5 and T7 external hard drives, you will understand why!
The T5ore is economical, with sequential read speeds of up toranging/s and storage ranges from 250GB to 2TB. The price of the T5 starts at $83 for the 250GB model.
The T7 is the more popular cousin of the T5, with almost twice the sequential read speed at around 1050MB/s. The storage limit of this model is 500 GB to 2 TB. The T7 uses the faster USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connection, while the T5 uses USB 3.1 Gen 2. The T7 starts at around $80 for the 500GB model and goes up to $220 for the 2TB variant.
Both SSDs are equipped with Samsung’s premium flash memory and have additional security features like AES encryption and password protection, though neither applies to the PS5.
3- SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is the best hard drive out there. This model offers good performance at a price that fits your wallet.
SanDisk offers two categories of memory for the Extreme Portable SD; A 500GB model for $120 and a 1TB model for $200. In addition, it has a sequential read speed of 1050 MB/s. This compact and durable housing is certified to protect the internment from any liquid.
SanDisk even uses an IP55 degree of protection against water and dust for the Extreme Portable SSD. So, be sure that your games are kept safe and secure.
If you’re looking to buy a very durable and fast SSD, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is what you need.
4- WD Black P50 Game Drive 4TB
Western Digital offers a great way to store your PS5 games with the P50 Game Drive. We tested the top-of-the-line 4TB model, which starts at $600!
But what you get for that price is super-fast and reliable storage (4TB) in a sleepy what’s hidden and out of sight.
If you want to expand your PS5’s storage to last a long time, the WD Black P50 gaming drive is worth checking out. But the extra money you pay doesn’t necessarily mean better performance.
5- WD My Passport
WD My Passport offers beauty and elegance at a reasonable price. This external, you will get more space. HDD is slower than SSD in PS4 games, but you will get more space if you are into archiving.
If you’re looking for a portable SSD compatible with your PS5 setup, the WD My Passport has a 3-year warranty and a reasonable price per terabyte.
WD My Passport prices start at $90 for the 500GB model and go up to $670 for the 4TB model. Of course, w,e don’t recommend getting a 4TB My Passport hard drive because, unlike other storage categories, it’s not worth it.
What can you do with an external hard drive for PS5?
With an external hard drive connected to the PS5, you can store more PS4 and PS5 games than the internal storage.
You can play your PS4 games directly from the external hard drive! Unfortunately, this isn’t possible with PS5 generation games, as Sony makes all new games that need to run on the internal SSD to access entire performance run on the same SSD.
You can still save any PS5 game to an external hard drive and transfer it to your main SSD if you want to play it. This is easier and takes less time.
External HDD compared to SSD for PS5
PS4 games load much faster on an external SSD.
For PS5 games, the main difference will be in the speed of transferring games back and forth. The much higher rate of SSD will make your work easier. You don’t need the fastest external hard drive, as the PS5 only supports a specific speed limit.
The price per terabyte is the most significant advantage of external hard drives over SSDs. Slower storage technology, on the other hand, allows you to get much more capacity for the price if you use a hard drive. If you like to download all your PS5 games, investing in an external hard drive is a good idea.
External hard drive compared to M.2 expansion card on PS5
The M.2 expansion card storage space allows you to play PS5 games directly on an expanded storage space. Installing M.2 requires removing the outer shell of the PS5 and installing an SSD in the dedicated M.2 slot.
Prerequisites for using USB storage for PS5
Sony has restricted what type of external memory you can use with your latest console. This limitation mainly ensures the game will be played without problems.
Any external memory you use should be 5 Gbps or faster. You also cannot use drives with less than 250 GB capacity. On the other hand, the volume ceiling is limited to a maximum of 8 TB. You should buy the most significant and bulkiest hard drive because your game library will grow over time.
With all that said, not every external memory drive will be compatible with the PS5. It’s up to the manufacturers to ensure their product complies with all of Sony’s regulations. Also, if the external memory is connected via a USB hub, you cannot use it. You can only use one at a time if more than one external memory drive is connected.
