Lexar Makes A 4TB SSD Play For PS5 Gaming, But Are There Better Storage Deals?
Lexar has launched a new solid state drive (SSD) in a single 4TB capacity (for now) and make no mistake, it's taking direct aim on PlayStation 5 owners. Called the Lexar Play, the full-sized M.2 2280 form factor SSD exceeds the requirements Sony has set forth for upgrading the PS5's storage, which is a simple affair (see our PS5 storage upgrade guide for instructions). That said, initial pricing makes it a tough sell. More on that in a moment.
On it's own merit, the Lexar Play is a speedy PCIe 4.0 SSD. Lexar is mum on details like the controller hardware and what type of NAND flash memory chips it employed it for its latest storage drive. However, the company claims it can achieve up to 7,400MB/s for sequential reads and up to 6,500MB/s for sequential writes. Those metrics place it among the top performing PCIe 4.0 SSDs.
It also sports an included heatsink that Lexar says is "optimized for PS5," though there's nothing to stop anyone from picking this up and plopping it in a gaming PC.
"The Play 2280 PCIe 4.0 SSD can also be used for PC gaming. It features HMB and SLC dynamic cache which deliver improved performance, accelerated data access speeds, and enhanced overall responsiveness when used with a PC," Lexar says.
Regarding the PS5, however, Sony's requirements allow for a variety of M.2 form factors (2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110), with the following restrictions...
- Storage Space: 250GB to 8TB
- Width: up to 25mm
- Length: 30/40/60/80/110mm
- Thickness: up to 11.25mm (up to 8.0mm from above the board, up to 2.45mm from below the board)
- Sequential Read: 5,500MB/s or faster
The 4TB Lexar Play fits the bill and, for those interested, is available now for $379.99 on Amazon. In a press release, Lexar says it will add 2TB and 8TB capacities in the fourth quarter of this year, which means anytime from October to December.
Lexar's challenge is that it's going up against some better value propositions. For example, here are some cheaper 4TB models with comparable specs...
- 4TB Corsair MP600 Pro LPX w/ Heatsink (7,100MB/s reads, 6,800MB/s writes): $349.99
- 4TB Samsung 990 Pro (7,450MB/s reads, 6,900MB/s writes): $319.99
- 4TB WD_Black SN850X (7,300MB/s reads, 6,600MB/s writes): $304.99
- 4TB XPG Gammix S70 Blade (7,400MB/s reads, 6,300MB/s writes): $298.99
- 4TB Acer Predator GM7000 (7,400MB/s reads, 6,700MB/s writes): $269.99
Not all of the above models come with a heatsink, so there's some added value proposition on Lexar's Play SSD. Still, there are some far cheaper alternatives. We'll have to wait and see if discounted street pricing emerges, as is typically in the storage sector.
