We notice you are currently visiting the UK site. Would you like to visit our main site instead?

Kingston FURY Renegade SSD with heatsink installed in a PlayStation 5

PlayStation 5 and heatsink SSDs explained

Are you a PlayStation 5™ (PS5) owner?

If yes, then you know that in September 2021, Sony introduced the ability to install an internal SSD into the PS5 console to expand its storage. This was great news for PS5 users, as out of the box the console only comes with an 875GB SSD, which after the space taken up by the system software, is not a lot of storage for gamers. Especially given the sheer size of this generation’s games, you don’t want to spend all that money on a PS5 and then run out of storage!

However, this good news about the option to add extra storage to the console was a double-edged sword, as it also came with a list of strict and specific requirements from Sony. These requirements meant that you couldn’t just install any SSD into the PS5, it had to be a PCIe Gen 4 M.2 NVMe drive and reach a minimum read speed of 5500MB/s. As well as that, one of the biggest recommendations which got the gaming community talking was that Sony said the SSD used for internal storage required effective heat dissipation by using a cooling structure, such as a heatsink.

In this article we want to look at the purpose of heatsinks, and whether you really need to use one.

What is a heatsink?

Kingston FURY Renegade SSD with heatsink on a PlayStation 5 console

A heatsink is a cooling structure which attaches to your SSD and cools it down by transferring the heat away from the device. Heatsinks are usually made of a highly conductive material which can quickly absorb excess heat.

Do all SSDs need a heatsink?

SSDs work to their specific standards with no heatsink. However, as SSD generations get faster and smaller, they generate more heat. The data read or written to any SSD requires electricity to move through the device, and this electricity ultimately produces heat. If you want to get the highest performance out of your drive, a cooling structure such as a heatsink is recommended to optimise the temperature of the drive. An SSD will function normally without a heatsink, but for intensive PC usage, consider upgrading to an SSD with a heatsink model.

Does my PS5 really need a heatsink?

If you plan on adding an internal SSD to your PS5 for extra storage, then Sony recommends having a heatsink or cooling structure so that the console’s performance isn’t affected by rising temperatures. You can buy SSDs with a heatsink or you can buy and install a heatsink separately. We recommend buying a PS5-compatible SSD with a heatsink to save you from taking your SSD apart. The Kingston FURY Renegade SSD with heatsink is PS5-ready and will cool your drive and maintain peak performance. Please see our guide to installing an M.2 SSD in a PlayStation 5.

Conclusion

Once you install an internal SSD with a heatsink into your PS5 console, you can use the additional storage for games, apps and screenshots without worrying about the drive overheating. Invest in a PS5-compatible SSD with a heatsink and watch your game library expand!

#KingstonIsWithYou #KingstonFURY

Related Articles