PS5 is the first one that uses NVMe solid-state hard drives as internal storage

As the next-generation game console, PS5 has a significant performance improvement compared with the previous generation PS4, and also adds functions like ray tracing, new handle interaction etc., which enrich the image quality of games and the way to play games. In addition, PS5 is also the first one that uses NVMe solid-state hard drives as internal storage, which greatly improves game loading speed and game smoothness.

（picture from SONY）

With the improvement of image quality, the richness of gameplay and the increase of next-generation game content, the space that is occupied by games is also increasing. The required installation space of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has reached 135GB, NBA 2K21 takes 114GB of space, and most ordinary game occupies at least 40GB of space, so the built-in 825GB capacity of the PS5 seems to be not enough.

Fortunately, a M.2 NVMe solid-state drive slot is preset inside the PS5 body, allowing players to expand the capacity of the PS5. And with PS5 test system coming to the market at the end of July, this expansion slot has started to function as an expanding hard drive.

(picture from pcgalaxy)

The preset M.2 NVMe SSD slot in PS5 is compatible with PCIe 4.0×4 SSD that has the best performance in the consumer market. In terms of size specifications, it is compatible with various lengths such as M.2 2230, 2242, 2260, 2280, 22110, etc. In terms of height, the total thickness of the solid state drive plus the heat sink should be less than 11.25mm, which means that PS5 is highly compatible with M.2 solid state drive. It can be easily installed, even if the M.2 solid state drive has its own thick heat sink.

Size specification compatibility does not mean that all M.2 NVMe SSD can be used on the PS5. Take factors such as file size and smoothness of the game when running into consideration, SONY recommends that the reading speed of SSD needs to be 5,500MB/s or above. At present, the only SSD that can achieve such performance is the PCIe 4.0×4 specification SSD.

SM2264 main control chip

As the leader of solid-state hard disk master chips, Silicon Motion has launched a variety of master chips and supporting solutions for PCIe 4.0 technology, including the flagship level SM2264, mainstream level SM2267 and SM2267XT.

Among them, the SM2264 main control chip is equipped with a 4-core ARM Cortex-R8 CPU, which contains 4 16Gb/s PCIe data buses, and supports 8 NAND channels. The continuous reading and writing speed can reach up to 7,400MB/S and 6,800MB/s respectively, and the random reading and writing speed can reach up to 1,000K IOPS, which greatly exceeds the 5,500MB/s recommended level given by the PS5, and will bring smoother gaming experience to PS5 users.

SM2264 is equipped with the latest 7th generation NANDXtend technology developed by Silicon Motion, and used the latest high-performance 4KB LDPC Error Correcting Code (ECC) engine and RAID function patented by Silicon Motion as well, providing excellent error correction function for the latest generation 3DTLC and QLC NAND .

With the PS5, Xbox Series X, and other higher-configuration CPUs and GPUs coming to the market, the high-speed transmission brought by PCIe 4.0 will bring more exquisite images and game content to next-generation game masterpieces. The PCIe 4.0 master chips such as SM2264/SM2267 and SM2267XT launched by Silicon Motion are all provided with complete solutions, so customers can quickly implement product, reduce production costs, and jointly create a high-speed storage ecosystem, bringing players brand new gaming experience.