Samsung has announced a new SSD that is fully compatible with the PS5: the Samsung 980 Pro M2 NVMe SSD meets all of Sony's technical benchmarks, making it an ideal choice when upgrading the console's hard drive

The Samsung 980 Pro is not technically a new SSD It has been available at major retailers for several months, but Samsung is releasing a new model designed specifically for the PS5 The main difference between the 980 Pro SSD currently available and this new version is that the latter has a pre-installed heatsink

Sony recommends that SSDs added to the console's storage expansion slots include a heat sink to keep the console's internal temperature at a low enough level to maintain performance While it is possible to already purchase a 980 Pro SSD and install the heat sink yourself, non-tech-savvy customers will appreciate the ability to get a PS5-compatible SSD right out of the box

Performance-wise, the 980 Pro SSD is a monster Read speeds are up to 7,000 MB/sec and write speeds are up to 5,100 MB/sec This puts the 980 Pro SSD well above Sony's recommended read speed of 5,500 MB/sec It also goes without saying that the included heatsink meets the size dimensions to fit inside the console's SSD expansion slot

The new 980 Pro SSD will be available in two models on October 29 The standard 1TB version is priced at a hefty $249; the 2TB model is even more expensive, at $449, just $50 less than the price of the PS5 itself [However, you can save some money by buying a regular Samsung 980 Pro for about $180 and installing your own heatsink We have yet to get our hands on a 980 Pro, but we have tested the WD_Black SN850 SSD on a PS5 and experienced great results Those looking for a little more hard drive capacity may want to consider purchasing an additional SSD However, as Black Friday approaches, you may want to wait until PS5 hard drives become more affordable before making your choice