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If you have a PS5, you’ll probably need one of the Best PS5 External Hard Drives. That’s because the PS5 doesn’t have as much storage space as gamers would like. Since games are getting bigger, more room is a no-brainer. But it’s not easy to know which type of portable hard drive is best for you. It is, with this help!
The PS5 has a built-in solid-state drive (SSD) for fast file transfers, but that only gives it 825GB of storage space (158GB of which is taken up by the PS5’s operating system). Since the average PS5 game is about 50GB (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II is over 200GB! ), it’s easy to see how quickly the storage could be used up. Well, the PS5 has an SSD expansion bay, which is an easy way to add more storage. Problem taken care of, right?
Best PS5 External Hard Drives Comparison Table
| Product Name | Capacity | Interface | Max. Read Speed | Max. Write Speed | Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD Black P50 Game Drive | 1TB-4TB | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 | Up to 2000 MB/s | Up to 2000 MB/s | $200-$650 |
| WD_Black P40 | 500GB-2TB | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 | Up to 2000 MB/s | Up to 1800 MB/s | $130-$320 |
| Samsung Portable SSD T5 | 250GB-2TB | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | Up to 540 MB/s | Up to 540 MB/s | $100-$500 |
| WD_Black 5TB P10 game drive | 5TB | USB 3.2 Gen 1 | Up to 130 MB/s | N/A | $130-$200 |
| Crucial X8 | 500GB-2TB | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | Up to 1050 MB/s | Up to 1000 MB/s | $120-$400 |
| Toshiba Canvio Advance | 1TB-4TB | USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 | Up to 5 Gb/s | N/A | $50-$150 |
| Samsung T7 Shield | 500GB-2TB | USB 3.2 Gen 2 | Up to 1050 MB/s | Up to 1000 MB/s | $110-$450 |
| SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD | 250GB-2TB | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | Up to 550 MB/s | Up to 500 MB/s | $100-$450 |
WD Black P50 Game Drive
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C |
| Capacity | 1 TB, 2 TB |
| Speed | Up to 2000 MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and other gaming devices |
Solid state drives (SSDs) move data much faster than hard disc drives (HDDs), but they cost more per gigabyte and can be very expensive for large capacities. But speed is important when moving games, which is why we think the WD Black P50 Game Drive is the best external hard drive for the PS5.
It’s a fast NVMe SSD that can read at up to 2,000MB/s, which means it takes less time to put and take games off the drive. It has a bit of a price tag, and there are cheaper choices (see below), but the WD Black P50 is a premium drive that feels like it’s worth the price tag. It comes in many different sizes. We wouldn’t bother with the 500GB PS5, but the range goes all the way up to 4TB, which is enough space for a lot of games, even big ones.
The Good
- Read and write speeds that are lightning fast
- Durable and resistant to shocks
- Multiple capacity options offered
The Bad
- Relative to other portable hard drives, it’s pretty pricey.
- For the fastest speed, it needs a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port.
WD_Black P40
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
| Speed | Up to 2000MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC and Mac |
| Form Factor | Portable |
The WD_Black P40 SSD is WD’s newest external hard drive designed for games, and it’s one of the best you’ll find. It uses the same specs and design as the P50 and puts them in a small case with beautiful RGB lights.
In tests, both read and write speeds were great. On the box, the speed of 2000MB/s is the best you can get from an external hard drive, but on PS5 and PC, it means great start times and transfer speeds. I had a lot of game capture footage on my PS5 that I wanted to move to my computer so I could edit it. Even though there were about 30 clips with a total size of 22GB, the P40 ate it all up from the PS5 in about a minute. The same thing happened with games after I formatted it to give it more space. I moved three games totaling 18GB, and it took just about a minute to do so.
The Good
- High speed rate of data transfer
- Small and easy to carry
- Both PCs and Macs can use it.
The Bad
- Compared to other compact SSDs, the price is high.
- There is no choice to store more.
Samsung Portable SSD T5
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | USB 3.1 Gen 2 |
| Speed | Up to 540MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, Android |
| Form Factor | Portable |
Out of all the best PS5 portable hard drives we tried, the Samsung Portable SSD T5 was the best. This 1 TB portable drive is small, doesn’t stand out, and works quietly. The real selling point of the SSD T5, though, is how quickly it moves data. Returnal only took 7 minutes to copy to the drive, which was the fastest transfer speed of any drive we tried. Mass Effect: Andromeda only took 2 minutes and 30 seconds to copy to the drive. Mass Effect Andromeda took 35 seconds to load from the SSD T5, which is actually four seconds faster than the PS5’s built-in SSD.
Of course, 1 TB isn’t a lot of storage room; you’re basically just doubling what you get from the PS5’s internal storage. It can’t hold an entire library. The speeds at which PS4 games can be transferred are also not the fastest we’ve seen. But those are small problems with an addition that is otherwise great.
The Good
- Slim and stylish style
- Multiple colour choices
- Cons: It works with PC, Mac, and Android.
The Bad
- Compared to other SSDs in the same price band, this one moves data more slowly.
- Not as sturdy as some other compact SSDs
WD_Black 5TB P10 game drive
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 5TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 1 |
| Speed | Up to 140MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Xbox One, PS4, Mac |
| Form Factor | Portable |
This is what the WD_Black 5TB P10 game drive has: It has a 5TB capacity and works with PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. It comes with an 18-inch USB Type-A to Micro-B cable and is shaped like a 2.5-inch hard disc.
The P10 hard drive from WD_Black is one of the best hard drives that can be used with a PlayStation 5. Over 27,000 people have reviewed the product on Amazon, and 86% of those people gave it a five-star grade.
This best portable hard drive has a sleek metal cover that makes it one of the most unique-looking storage devices on the market. Along with looking rugged, the way it’s made makes it very durable, so you can take your game with you.
Most importantly, it has a lot of space for things. You can store up to 125 games at once, giving you access to a huge library of games at any time. And with its USB-A to Micro-B connection with the SuperSpeed interface, you can send data at up to 5Mbps.
The Good
- A lot of space to store
- Compared to other high-capacity portable hard drives, this one is cheap.
- PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Mac users can use it.
The Bad
- Compared to SSDs, it takes a long time to move data.
- Style that is big and heavy
Crucial X8
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Speed | Up to 1050MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, iPad Pro, Android |
| Form Factor | Portable |
The Crucial X8 uses an NVMe SSD, which is faster than the older and cheaper SATA SSDs. Its speed comes close to filling up the PS5’s USB ports. The Crucial isn’t the fastest portable SSD, but it’s more than fast enough for console use.
The Crucial X8 drive can handle shocks, vibrations, 7.5-foot drops, and extreme temperatures, so it can be used on the road and around the house. It has a strong design, large dimensions, and low prices, all of which are amazing.
Be aware, though, that there are other drives that are smaller or thinner and that are faster, but you’ll have to pay more for them. The Crucial isn’t always the thinnest, lightest, or fastest, but it’s always close and pretty cheap, so it’s a good pick.
The Good
- High speed rate of data transfer
- Rugged and lasting design
- Compatible with a variety of devices, including the iPad Pro and Android.
The Bad
- Compared to other compact SSDs with similar specs, it is expensive.
- There is no choice to store more.
Toshiba Canvio Advance
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Interface | USB 3.0 |
| Speed | Up to 5Gbps |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, Xbox One, PS4 |
| Form Factor | Portable |
OK, so this isn’t an SSD or the even faster NVMe SSD, which is the fastest choice. This is just a regular portable hard drive, so you probably won’t want to play games on it. But for the price, the Toshiba Canvio Advance is a great way to store all your extra games and free up space on your PS5’s hard drive.
This stylish best portable hard drive comes in black, red, green, or white. It’s small enough to take anywhere and has enough room to store games and other digital files. Obviously, if you want something small and fast, the first or third choices on this page would be best (the OWC option below is tiny! ), but if you want more space for less money, the Toshiba Canvio Advance Portable is a great choice.
The Good
- Compared to other high-capacity portable hard drives, this one is cheap.
- Available in different colour options
- It works on PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PS4.
The Bad
- SSDs move data more quickly than HDDs.
- Not as sturdy as some other compact SSDs
Samsung T7 Shield
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Speed | Up to 1050MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, Android |
| Form Factor | Portable |
The Samsung T7 Shield is the latest in a line of portable external SSDs that put speed and performance first and put a focus on being durable. The company says that the T7 is twice as fast as the T5, and our tests show that this is very much true. Even though the Samsung T7 Shield’s sequential read and write speeds of 1050 MB/s and 1000 MB/s don’t quite match those of NVMe drives, it is still a fast external drive. At $159.99/£134.79 for a 1TB model and $289.99/£250.99 for a 2TB model, it’s not the cheapest PS5 portable hard drive on the market, but the fast speeds and tank-like shell may be worth it to you.
When transferring games, we found that the stated times were mostly accurate. For example, Demon’s Souls (53.73 GB) went from the PS5’s internal storage to the Samsung T7 Shield in 4 minutes and 30 seconds. That’s about the same as the highest sequential speed, and solid numbers come from an external drive plugged into the console’s USB 3.2 port on the back. A USB C to USB C cable is also included in the box.
Like the other drives in the line-up, this one has a tough case that is another big selling point. Samsung says that the T7 Shield can handle all kinds of difficult conditions. It has been dropped four times from a height of three metres onto solid concrete, and neither the outside nor the inside has been damaged.
The Good
- High speed rate of data transfer
- Rugged and lasting design
- Hardware security with AES 256 bits and password protection
- Compatible with PC, Mac, and Android, as well as other platforms.
The Bad
- Some portable SSDs with similar specs are more expensive than others.
- Some older gadgets might not be able to use it.
SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD
| Specification | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Speed | Up to 1050MB/s |
| Compatibility | PC, Mac, Android |
| Form Factor | Portable |
For less than $100, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is a great way to store data. Yes, you could get HDD storage for less money, but an external SSD is worth it, especially if you plan to move PS5 games back and forth often or load PS4 games straight from the drive. This small, sleek machine has 500 GB of storing space. Even though it’s not a lot of room, it’s enough for about 10 big-budget games or a lot more mid-budget and independent games.
Not the amount of storage room, but the speed at which files can be moved from one place to another. Returnal was moved from the PS5 to the Extreme Portable SSD in just 7 minutes and 12 seconds, while Mass Effect Andromeda only took 2 minutes and 06 seconds. Also, it only took 36 seconds for Mass Effect Andromeda to start, which is faster than the PS5’s internal SSD.
The Good
- High speed rate of data transfer
- Rugged and lasting design
- The IP55 rating means that water and dust can’t get in.
- Compatible with PC, Mac, and Android, as well as other platforms.
The Bad
- Some portable SSDs with similar specs are more expensive than others.
- Some older gadgets might not be able to use it.
FAQs
An portable hard drive can help you increase your PS5’s storage space, which is important if you want to download and store a lot of games and other media.
When picking an external hard drive for your PS5, you should think about things like how much space it has, how fast it is, what kind of interface it has, and how well-known the brand is. Before you buy, make sure the hard drive will work with your PS5.
External hard drives with up to 8TB of space can be used with the PS5.