You should always be using a heatsink with your PS5 SSD

While you can technically install an SSD without a heatsink in your PS5, it’s highly recommended you either get one with a heatsink built-in or purchase one separately to add. As good as the PS5 is at dissipating heat with its fans, it can still get really warm, and that’s only compounded with an additional SSD in the internal expansion slot. So if you’re wondering whether or not you should use a heatsink, the answer will almost always be yes (provided that the one you’re using doesn’t already have a built-in heatsink), and they are pretty cheap to get from places like Amazon.

Because SSDs with heatsinks tend to be more expensive and sell out quicker, it might be easier for you to purchase a standard M.2 SSD and attach a heatsink onto it yourself. You’ll just need to make sure that the SSD you buy meets Sony’s requirements. Thankfully, the best PS5 SSDs come from reputable brands and work really well.

The bigger question when adding a heatsink to your PS5 SSD is whether it should be single-sided or double-sided. While Sony says single-sided structures are an easier fit in the expansion slot, double-sided heatsinks are still perfectly usable. In practice, they don’t provide much of a difference, so it’s all about what will work best with the specific SSD you have.

Sony has provided diagrams of both single and double-sided heatsinks and their dimensional specifications to make it easier for users to choose the right one.