black friday internal hard drive deals

Black Friday PS5 SSD and hard drive deals 2021: what to expect

(Image credit: Sony)

Black Friday PS5 SSD deals are going to be some of the most anticipated discounts on the shelves this year, after the console opened up its storage bay in September.

Fast becoming vital accessories and additions to a PS5 setup, the fact remains that the very best PS5 SSDs are still, often, some of the most expensive, so any means through which to get them cheaper is ideal. And this is where the Black Friday PS5 SSD and external hard drive deals come in - there might not be a better time to prepare to acquire one such drive. Be it an internal PS5 SSD or one of the best PS5 external hard drives, prepare for your options to multiple.

However, it's not just PS5 owners that can take advantage of Black Friday PS5 SSD deals. The internal sticks are also top contenders for being the best SSD for gaming, and the external models are genuinely some of the best external hard drives you can get too. (Though, of course, you won't be able to use them simultaneously with a PC and PS5 in either form, sadly.)

This will be uncharted waters as we've not truly seen specific Black Friday PS5 SSD deals before - and certainly not to their fullest extent. It was only recently, of course, that Sony released the firmware update that opened up the PS5's M.2 drive, allowing everyone to make use of the storage bay.

If you're interested in waiting until the time is right to spend your cash, then Black Friday PS5 SSD deals will be worth waiting for and saving up for. We've got some thoughts on what to expect, and some price predictions given previous years' happenings to prepare you for the deals-ageddon that's coming. However, you'll find plenty more predictions in our full guide to Black Friday PS5 deals and Black Friday SSD deals.

Where will the best Black Friday PS5 SSD deals be?

While we will be keeping abreast of all the top Black Friday PS5 SSD and hard drive deals on this very page, it will, predictably, be some of the big players in retail that will serve up the best deals. These are the stores that we scour to find the very best offers, so it's worth starting your search here.

US:
Amazon: often has big discounts on the latest models
Best Buy: record low prices on some of the best sticks available
Newegg: best for older and renewed models
Walmart: often price matches with plenty of stock

UK:
Amazon: the retail behemoth should definitely be your first stop for SSDs
Very: an underrated hardware retailer but often has stock
Argos: often offers same-day delivery and decent deals
Currys: reliable for having stock, good prices, and swift delivery
ebuyer: the PC parts specialist has plenty of options
Overclockers: always well stocked and constantly running deals

When will Black Friday PS5 SSD deals start?

With Black Friday 'proper' happening on November 26 this year, it's likely that the deepest price cuts will happen on that day and that weekend, However, we've all seen this movie before: every year retailers go earlier and earlier (or, at least, it feels like that) so we can definitely expect some excellent Black Friday PS5 SSD deals appearing from late October.

But, while it might be tempting to go with an early deal to secure your purchase (which is a legit approach) it's always a bit more likely that the ones on the weekend itself will be better. Something to bear in mind...

Early Black Friday PS5 SSD deals available now

Retailers like Best Buy and Walmart have launched their own early offers, which means there are already plenty of discounts to check out - especially seeing as Amazon is price matching many and bringing its own record low prices to the party. We've already spotted some excellent early Black Friday PS5 SSD deals, so if you're looking to get ahead of the competition (and given stock issues it's not a bad idea) you'll find our top picks just below.

Should I wait for Black Friday PS5 SSD deals?

While the usual answer to this question is 'yes', particularly now we're in mid-to-late October, the PS5 SSD deal realm is where we have a slightly different approach. And this is because of the demand and supply problems we've seen over the past few months. It might just be that getting a PS5 SSD this year is a sort of deal in and of itself, with many folks just looking to get a good price and get the job done.

So, while we still think we'll see some really excellent deals and low prices, because of that caveat, our answer is more nuanced: wait if you can hold out and don't mind gambling, but go early if you do indeed find a top model at a good price.

Black Friday PS5 SSD deals: what to expect

Seagate FireCuda 530 — (Image credit: Seagate)

Given the enormous, gigantic spread of the SSD market and the sheer number of products that span it, we feel comfortable saying that there definitely will be something for everyone in this year's Black Friday PS5 SSD deals. However, the popular models are popular for a reason, and the latest kids on the block will be highly sought after too. As a result, there will be a handful of top models, both internal and externals, to look out for in particular.

The internal PS5 SSD market is likely to be extremely active this year after the PS5's SSD bay got unlocked by Sony. Newer internal drives such as the WD SN850, Seagate's FireCuda 530, and Gigabyte's AORUS 7000s are good candidates for first, big price cuts. Given there are variants of these drives that come with their own heatsinks, too, these SSDs are likely to be very popular with any deep and meaningful cuts. For example, the SN850 1TB with heatsink has only seen a $30 or so price drop over the course of its entire life span at Amazon, and the FireCuda 530 has only seen a tiny $15-20 fluctuation in its short time on the shelves - expect these to see some downward action.

The Samsung 980 PRO 1TB is a great bet for a lowest ever price in this year's Black Friday PS5 SSD deals - across all of its capacities. It's been on the scene for a bit longer and has already seen its 'normal' price settle at a lower limit. Its current lowest price is $179.99, a decent drop from the $230 starting point but given its age on the market, we wouldn't be surprised to see this hit the $150 mark this year. (You will need your own heatsink with this model though - remember that.)

Whatever internal model you have your eyes on, remember it will still have to meet Sony's criteria and recommended specs. Here they are again for convenience:

PCIe Gen4 interface
250GB - 4TB capacity
5,500MB/s read speed or faster
22mm width (do not go for 25mm units)
Heatsink required (built-in or DIY)

When it comes to the external models, the perenially popular Samsung T5 is worth keeping an eye on. While it, too, has been out for a while and its regular price point is decent, it always receives price cuts every Black Friday. The WD P10 SSD (1TB) is also one we'd keep a close eye on. Its lowest ever price has only been to the $179.99 mark - a price it's currently near ($199.99) - we think this would be a great candidate to smash its lowest ever price, or at least match it.

And remember, there'll be great discounts off loads of PS5 external HDDs too: from long-time favourites like WD's My Passport to Seagate's licensed hard drive companions for PS4 and Xbox One, and from value busting drives like Toshiba's Canvio Advance range to premium, large-scale expansions like Seagate's desktop big boys.

Today's best deals

But - and we know the feeling - if you need to plug the gap now and get some extra storage into your setup, then check out the latest prices on your internal options below. These will automatically update with the latest prices so you know exactly where you'll stand.

If, perhaps, you'd rather wait for the internal SSD prices to come crashing down (hopefully) during the sales, but do want an external PS5 SSD or hard drive to offer some instant storage then below are some of the best and lowest prices on a bunch.

Complete your preparation for the sales on all things PS5 this year with info on the Black Friday PS5 TV deals , and for those across the console aisle, check out our Black Friday Xbox Series X deals page.

I'm one of the Hardware Editors for GamesRadar+, and have been for nearly three years; I've also been a writer on games - freelancing and the like - for four or so years for the likes of Eurogamer, RPS, PCGN, and more. Day to day, I take care of a whole host of gaming tech reviews, buying guides, and news and deals content that pops up across GamesRadar+. I'm also a qualified landscape and garden designer so do that in my spare time, and use it to write about games' landscapes and environments too, including an upcoming book on the topic!