This PS5-compatible SSD is now $169.99 in GameStop's Black Friday sale

Getting hold of a PlayStation 5 may be tough this Black Friday, but for those who have been lucky, the next hot item on the list is an SSD to expand the console's comparatively meagre internal storage. As Sony's new console makes use of the latest and fastest SSDs on the market to achieve its next-to-zero loading times to incredible effect like in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, these are also the most expensive SSDs right now. Fortunately, GameStop has one of the best deals you can find in the US this Black Friday, as it's selling the 1TB Samsung 980 PRO for just $169.99, which saves you $60 off its usual MSRP.

For those thinking long term and willing to shell out even more, the 2TB version also has a huge reduction, down to $319.99. While that's more than the cost of a new Xbox Series S, you also have to appreciate that it's down from its usual MSRP of $429.99, saving you $110. And if you like games that constantly require gargantuan updates (looking at you, Call of Duty) then that extra 1TB is going to come in handy.

At a read speed of 7,000MB/s, the Samsung 980 PRO is significantly faster than the 5,500MB/s speed of the PS5's internal SSD so you can be safely assured that it will work without a hitch, although there's no straightforward installation process and you'll still be required to open up your console to make the upgrade.

With that in mind, there's a slight catch to this deal, as the SSD GameStop is offering doesn't come with a heatsink, which is essential in order to allow for heat dissipation in your PS5. While that sounds a bit intimidating, these are cheap and easy to install, and Digital Foundry has even included a few recommendations here. All told, that's an extra $10, which still works out a considerable saving than buying it pre-installed. The 1TB SSD is available with heatsink installed from Amazon US, if you do prefer the convenience, for $199.99. But considering that you'll still need to open up your PS5 to go through the installation process anyway, just one more step that also saves you money is a relatively small price to pay.

For another cheap alternative, there's also the Crucial P5 Plus, which you can get from Amazon US for just $144.99. That's even more affordable, although it has a slower read speed than the Samsung 980 PRO, but still more than fast enough to be compatible with PS5.

With the money saved, you can even treat yourself to some more PS5 games deals, such as Deathloop, Resident Evil Village or Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Or for more deals, why not give @dealsfoundry a follow on Twitter for all the latest Black Friday deals.