DATO ARES Dark Sword Lite 2TB — M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 x4 | Up to 7200 MB/s Read / 6850 MB/s Write | NVMe 1.4 | 3D NAND Flash | Aluminum Heatsink | PS5 Compatible | PC / Laptop Compatible | 5-Year Warranty

The DATO ARES Dark Sword Lite is a Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD from Datotek’s ARES gaming and performance line — designed as an internal storage upgrade for the PlayStation 5 and for gaming PCs and laptops with an M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 slot. The 2TB capacity is the maximum configuration needed to meaningfully expand a PS5’s default 825GB storage, providing enough space for a large library of modern titles alongside the operating system and system files.

PS5 compatibility is the primary consumer use case for the Dark Sword Lite — Sony’s PlayStation 5 includes an M.2 NVMe SSD expansion slot in both the Digital and Standard editions, accessible via the side panel, that accepts M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 drives with a heatsink attached. The PS5’s internal SSD controller reads at approximately 5500 MB/s, so any Gen4 drive meeting or exceeding this threshold performs at the console’s maximum possible internal bandwidth — the Dark Sword Lite’s 7200 MB/s read speed comfortably clears this requirement. The PS5 uses the M.2 slot to store and run PS5 and PS4 games directly from the expansion drive at the same speed as the internal storage, meaning games installed on the Dark Sword Lite load at identical speeds to those on the built-in SSD. The included aluminum heatsink is required by Sony’s installation guidelines — the PS5’s M.2 slot generates heat and requires a heatsink to maintain stable performance during extended gaming sessions; the Dark Sword Lite ships with one pre-attached.

The PCIe Gen4 x4 interface with NVMe 1.4 protocol delivers the full performance envelope the drive is rated for: 7200 MB/s sequential read and 6850 MB/s sequential write — speeds that make game loading, large file transfers, 4K video editing exports and application launches dramatically faster than the SATA SSDs and mechanical hard drives they replace. The Gen4 interface also supports full PCIe Gen3 backward compatibility for use in systems with Gen3 M.2 slots, where the drive will operate at Gen3 speeds (typically around 3500 MB/s read). The 3D NAND flash architecture provides the endurance and reliability expected for sustained gaming and creative workloads. The warrior-inspired aluminum heatsink design manages thermal output under sustained high-bandwidth workloads, preventing thermal throttling — the reduction in speed that occurs when an SSD overheats and throttles itself to protect against damage.

Form factor M.2 2280 means the drive is 22mm wide and 80mm long — the standard size accepted by the PS5’s M.2 expansion slot and by the vast majority of desktop and laptop M.2 slots. Capacity options: 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB. Operating temperature: 0°C–70°C. Storage temperature: −40°C–85°C. 5-year limited warranty. SKU: ARSDSLK-2TB.