What is the common feature of all next generation game consoles? Well, considering the Xbox Series S, the “high performance” option should be dismissed entirely, but I think we can all agree that the SSDs used in the new consoles are very fast and definitely make life easier for gamers. Moreover, thanks to their capabilities, game developers can create more and more interesting titles, as evidenced by Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, the flagship PlayStation 5 exclusive. The only question is whether an equally good effect can be obtained by using less efficiency. hard disk? This was verified by the Digital Foundry team, which examined the operation of Sony equipment with the slowest SSD supporting the PCIe 4.0 interface.

Don’t be afraid to buy an inexpensive PCIe 4.0 SSD for PlayStation 5. Even the cheapest compatible media will ensure fast loading and smooth gameplay in the most demanding games.

Sony PlayStation 5 with economical SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe mount still delivers smooth gaming and fast loading [2]

The Sony PlayStation 5 console in the CFI-1100 version is no worse than its predecessor. The differences are almost imperceptible

It’s worth noting that a few days ago, Sony released a new firmware for the PS5, which allows you to install any M.2 SSD running in the PCIe 4.0 standard into the console. However, the giant noted that the new medium should be fast enough (minimum read at 5500 MB/s), and should also have a heat sink. However, Digital Foundry editors took the Western Digital SN750 SE broker for the shop, which has a read speed of 3200MB/s, as well as no built-in cache and no cooling. Obviously, this tweak does not meet the recommendations of Sony, but after adding a heat sink, it turns out that it is able to ensure absolutely correct operation of the console, as well as a satisfactory speed of loading games. A good example of this is the Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart game test. It is true that it has been loaded a little longer than recognized media and lost fluidity in some moments, but the gameplay was still satisfactory and casual players might not even notice the difference.

Sony PlayStation 5 with economical SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe mount still delivers smooth gaming and fast loading [1]

Sony PlayStation 5 with economical SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe mount still delivers smooth gaming and fast loading [3]

Ratchet & Clank review: Rift Apart – A great adventure not just for the youngest. PlayStation 5 deserves to have such games

Moreover, testing in other games also proves that you don’t need to be afraid to buy an inexpensive PCIe 4.0 SSD for PlayStation 5. This is great news for all console owners who have planned to upgrade it. However, it should be noted that while saving to disk can pay off now, there is no guarantee that in the future there will be no title that uses disk resources more. A game designed in this way may not run very smoothly, but until it is built, it remains happy with the current situation. You can watch the Digital Foundry test below.

Source: Digital Foundry, Eurogamer