WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD for PS5 Consoles Review

The best part of your shiny new console is that sweet 1TB SSD. Well, until you realize that between the OS and any other data the PS5 needs to run, you wind up with about 800GB of space. Well, now you can fix that without an external hard drive sticking out of it thanks to the WD_BLACK SN850P NVMe SSD.

OK, let’s take a step back. 800GB should still fit heaps of games, right? Well, Baldur’s Gate 3 is over 100GB, COD: BlOps Cold War is nearly 200GB, and NBA 2K23 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor are both about 150GB. If I just described your playlist, then you are almost out of space. Chuck has some apps, some screenshots, some videos, and other things, and that space is gone fast. Especially if you are downloading PS+ Game Collection games to check out.

So in short, the internal storage is just not cutting it. That’s where these new expansion cards come in.

How hard is it to install?

I totally get people’s nervousness. USB is easy to use, and pulling apart your PS5 to swap or add a drive can sound intimidating. The great news is, do you have a small Phillips screwdriver? Well, you already have all you need to install this beauty thanks to Sony deciding to make it easy to add storage.

The case pops off easily, and there is a slot that is hidden but waiting for you to pop this baby in. It took me less than 10 minutes, and a lot of that time was getting the case off as I was nervous about snapping something.

Installing is easy as hell. The cover pops off the PS5, and then you see one screw to take off the protective plate. Once that is off, unscrew the stay, put the stay in the right spot, plug the card into the slot, and pop the screw back into the stay so it’s firm. Now for the hard part: pop the protective plate back on, screw it in, and pop the case back on the PS5.

It’s seriously easy, and if any of this sounds intimidating, check out this video. Taking out the fluff at the start, it’s a minute long, and it’s in.

Once the PS5 is back on, it says it needs to reformat the drive, and after a few minutes, you have so much more space. Contextually, I was using the 1TB drive, so I went from 800GB to 1800GB of space. Best of all, this SSD is faster than the PS5’s one, so the games are slightly faster.

So should you get one?

It isn’t the cheapest at $330 for the 1TB drive, but holy hell, it’s worth it. You can grab a 2TB model or a 4TB model, which all get pricier, but it depends on how much space you need and how much spare cash you have. But should you get one if you can? Hell Yeah!