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Lexar has unleashed the PLAY 2280 SE PCIe 4.0 SSD, bringing with it 4TB worth of storage for anyone with a PlayStation 5.
The drive is designed to "match and enhance the PS5 experience," and just like the best PS5 SSDs out there, it comes with a heatsink already attached, so it can be popped straight into the M.2 slot in the back of the console without any overheating woes.
The SSD is a Costco exclusive, so anyone with their eyes set on owning 4,000GB worth of storage for their launch PS5, PS5 Slim, or even the PS5 Pro will only be able to pick it up for $224.99 at Costco online, making this one for the US Sony fans. However, after my own brief time with the Lexar SSD, it's worth it if you want to give your older, chonky launch model a makeover, without forking out the $699 needed for the PS5 Pro's bigger onboard storage.
When it comes to the best SSDs, never mind the ones designed with the PS5 in mind, the rule is typically the larger the storage, the more expensive they get. Yet, Lexar has provided 4TB worth of extra PS5 storage with the PLAY 2280 for just $224.99 from the get-go, which is the first big thumbs up from me. That's not far off the WD Blue SN5000 4TB, which we currently call the best value 4TB drive on the shelves.
Other drives, like the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro have an MSRP of $384.99, and even though it occasionally comes down in price, it usually sits at around $295.99 at Walmart and other retailers.
Sure, that Samsung drive is one of the best Gen 4 drives you can get your hands on. Through our team's own testing, we know it can achieve 7,462MB/s reads and 6,877MB/s write speeds, which are faster than the Lexar PLAY 2280's boasted 7,000MB/s max read and 6,000MB/s max write speeds. However, Lexar's 4TB drive can reportedly reach read speeds of up to 6,387 MB/s, according to my PS5. That isn't as grand, and I'll be seeing if that's truly the case in my upcoming review, but it's pretty normal given the motherboard of the console can't produce the lightning speeds that a PC can.
Either way, 4TB worth of storage in a heatsink model, well under $300 at launch, is still pretty impressive.
I've been lucky enough to be sent a sample of this new Lexar drive, and besides its price, I was instantly a fan of its straightforward setup. It comes with a small-branded Lexar screwdriver, which is a nice touch, although I didn't feel like it did the job. Fortunately, after rummaging through my DIY toolbox, I was able to find a Philips screwdriver that did the trick instead, and popping the SSD in the PS5 only took a few seconds.
The Lexar drive slotted easily into my launch model PS5, and the setup was even easier. After turning back on my PS5, I just had to confirm to re-formatting the drive, and after a few moments, I had 4TB at my fingertips to play with.
My Lexar 4TB PLAY 2280 review is still in the works, so I haven't quite gotten around to testing the speeds of transferring data, and loading times of my favorite PS5 games, but having that spare 4TB has been a dream.
I have PS Plus Premium, so I spend a lot of time deleting games to make way for the latest monthly releases, as I only have the meager 825GB to play around with on my console's internal drive. Now, with the new season of Marvel Rivals on the horizon, I don't have to uninstall anything to make room for its incoming update, as 4TB is more than enough room. Lexar states it's enough for over 100 AAA games (based on an average 36GB per game), but I'll have to put that to the test for my incoming review.
I'm still busy testing the Lexar 4TB PLAY 2280 SE PCIe 4.0 SSD with Heatsink for PS5, but if you're an eager beaver and want 4,000GB of extra storage for your Sony console, it's available for $224.99 at Costco. Better yet, you don't need a Cosco membership to grab it and give your Sony console a well-needed boost.
If you want more (or less) storage instead, there are already 2TB and 8TB models of the Lexar Play 2280 SSD available on the market right now.
More Lexar SSDs compatible with your PS5...
- Lexar 4TB NM790 SSD with Heatsink:
$304.99$249.97 at Amazon - Lexar SSD 2TB 2280 with Heatsink: $253.55 at Amazon
- Lexar 1TB Professional NM800 PRO SSD: $93.95 at Amazon
For more PS5 accessories, check out our guides to the best PS5 controllers and the best PS5 headsets.
