Seagate Vericoda 530 SSD Review

Seagate has already done some gaming brilliance with its fun limited edition FireCuda 520 (Gen3 SSD predating the 530 we’ll be discussing today) in Cyberpunk 2077 release. The FireCuda 530 should bring two major developments; Much higher performance and efficient cooling compatible with PS5.

FireCuda 530 Overview and Features

There is a little more paperwork than usual in Seagate packaging. Two sticky notes, limited warranty description and quick installation guide that basically sends you to the Seagate site.

The two most interesting things are A 5-year warranty is also advertised on the packaging and salvageData recovery and backup service. We will come back to this shortly.

The SSD itself is enclosed in compressed foam that protects both the components and the heat sink connected to the SSD via thermal transfer chips. The version that we had at our disposal has a capacity of 2 TB.

	” FireCuda 530 Specifications (2 TB version)
Compatibility	PC, PS5 M.2 Gen4 interface
Manufacturer’s reading speed	Up to 7300MB/s | It is measured at a speed of 6292 MB / sec
Write Speed ​​Builder	Up to 6900MB/s | Measured at 6,267 MB/sec
DRAMs	Yes 2 GB
heat sink	yes
Endurance	2250 TB
guarantee	5 years

Buy Seagate FireCuda 530 SSD from Amazon

PS5 Compatible Heatsink

This model is not very modern, but Within the Seagate range, this is the first PS5 compatible console to be announced. It respects Sony’s recommendations in this area, which resulted in the addition of a label of the same name on the box.

The presence of a heatsink is one of the criteria (the same model is without it) and above all Its size allows it to be placed in the space designated for this purpose While closing the metal cover of the cabin. Designed with the help of EKWB initially known as liquid cooling systems, this heatsink is discreet and efficient. The Slovenian manufacturer did a good job.

The heatsink breaks, which is a good thing if it needs replacing.

In this case, on the PS5, The maximum temperature did not exceed 52 degrees Thus it remains far from values ​​that cause a decrease in performance. We can also ask if it would be interesting to save a little EUR by switching to a model without it. PS5 will not be the medium that will put pressure on the SSD the most and you will not risk overheating (our measurements are made by transferring tens of gigabytes for several minutes). However, it’s worth noting that we’re (slightly) above the temperatures of the Corsair, Western Digital or Samsung models.

Result with coolant on PS5: 51.3°C max

	Transfer SSD to FireCuda 530	Charging time with FireCuda 530	Loading time with PS5 SSD
GTA V	91.4 GB -> 57 seconds	51 seconds	53 seconds
Yakuza like a dragon	43.63 GB -> 37 seconds	30 seconds	31 seconds
AC Valhalla	65 GB -> 1.33 minutes	1.33 minutes	1.13 minutes
Apex Legends	59.5 GB -> 46 seconds	29 seconds	22 seconds
Gran Turismo 7	108 GB -> 1.18 minutes	17 seconds	19 seconds

It warms up a little more, but it sways! In most cases, loading was faster with an SSD than with the PS5’s internal storage. Note that we replaced the GT Sport with the GT7 in the gamepad that was tested during loading (PS4, PS5, physical or non-physical). The seconds are still saved and it is up to the user to assess whether the game is worth the effort in terms of investment, but anyway, You will not lose performance.

Rescue Data Recovery Service and Hand Tools

As is often the case, you will be able to take advantage of its full potential on your PC if you use applications that require a lot of disk access. Measurements taken are slightly below the stated specifications and are often measured by our colleagues. On the other hand, the in-game usage was one of the quickest we’ve ever seen.

The American brand plays the card of professionalism, even with its private customers. The purchase of the FireCuda 530 is already tied to a 5-year warranty on its operation, but you can also count on a data recovery service that is valid for the same period.

Do not try to use this serial number as a guarantee, it is clearly there

We called Seagate service several times and after waiting times that were always less than 10 minutes (calls at no extra cost), we received clear (although very formal) and professional answers. Our SSD tester did not qualify as it was considered an unsold sample. But customer with valid proof of purchase will have possibility to send SSD to try data recovery maybe corrupted. It is not a guarantee of success and will be particularly useful for PC uses, but it is a clearly positive service compared to the competition. It also shows that Seagate is confident in the reliability of its hardware.

Buy Seagate FireCuda 530 SSD from Amazon

Conclusion

The FireCuda 530 is an excellent SSD drive and one of the best on PS5. If the performance measured by a Sony console doesn’t put it first, the note made on game loading speeds is clear; It’s faster than the PS5’s internal storage. So it makes sense that their performance on PC should be identical. Again, the raw numbers don’t tell the whole story as you look at an SSD drive that gives you complete in-game satisfaction.