M2Slim Kit Fits a Full-Size Internal M.2 SSD Inside the PS2 Slim Without Losing the DVD Drive
Adding fast internal storage to a PlayStation 2 Slim has historically forced hardware enthusiasts into an painful compromise: either gutting the optical disc drive entirely or cutting unsightly holes into the console's ultra-thin exterior shell. Designed by Australian hardware maker Seakip Studio and listed at $55.00 USD on SmallRun, the M2Slim (V1.1) kit solves that twenty-year dilemma by tucking a full-size 2280 M.2 SATA SSD right inside the disc bay while keeping the original DVD drive 100% functional.
Waking Up the Dormant IDE Bus on Early SCPH-700xx Motherboards
When Sony engineered the very first wave of PlayStation 2 Slim consoles in late 2004 (specifically the SCPH-700xx series, known as V12 and V13 motherboard revisions such as GH-032 and GH-035), the company stripped out the bulky 3.5-inch expansion bay found on original "Phat" systems. However, Sony's unified CXD9731AGP controller chip on those early Slim boards still retained the complete IDE (PATA) circuitry and traces before Sony permanently excised them starting with the SCPH-7500x revision.
While some builders trim original motherboards down to the bone to craft projects like the 7.8-inch foldable PlayStation 2 DUO handheld, Seakip Studio taps directly into those leftover IDE traces using a custom-routed flex cable paired with a JMicron JM20330 bridge chip. This controller translates the PS2's native PATA bus into a modern B-Key M.2 SATA interface with full LBA-48 addressing (supporting drives well past the old 128GB barrier up to 2TB+) and UDMA 6 signaling.
Because the PlayStation 2's legacy IDE bus is hardware-bottlenecked, transfer rates top out at roughly 80 MB/s in synthetic benchmarks and around 20 MB/s in real-world gameplay. Even so, that bandwidth crushes the console's front USB 1.1 ports (~1.5 MB/s) and the 4x DVD-ROM drive (~5.28 MB/s), eliminating FMV cutscene stutter and slashing load times in Open PS2 Loader (OPL) and PSBBN.
Stealth Under-Lid Mounting and Strict M.2 SATA Drive Compatibility
The smartest mechanical achievement documented on m2slim.net is how the SSD sits inside the chassis. Instead of sacrificing the laser assembly, the M.2 slot mounts flush inside a precision cutout on the left side of the optical drive bay, hidden beneath the flip-top lid. The kit includes four custom DVD drive spacers that slightly elevate the optical mechanism so physical PS1 and PS2 discs spin freely right above the installed SSD,while letting you swap drives simply by popping open the disc lid.
- Supported SSD Form Factors: Full-size 2280 B-Key (or B+M Key) M.2 SATA SSDs, plus shorter 2230 and 2242 drives using an optional $2.00 PCB standoff.
- Verified Working Drives: Seakip Studio has officially tested and confirmed compatibility with the Silicon Power A55 (512GB), SanDisk X400 (128GB), and SanDisk X300 (128GB). Note that PCIe M.2 NVMe drives and PCIe eMMC modules (such as the Steam Deck's Foresee 64GB drive) will not work.
- Software & HDMI Ecosystem: Fully compatible with the PSBBN Definitive Project (when paired with a Free McBoot memory card) as well as the internal PixelFX Retro GEM HDMI upscaler kit.
- Phat-Inspired Activity LED: Ships with two yellow 0805 SMD LEDs, a 50-ohm resistor, and Kynar wire to add a warm drive-activity indicator glowing behind the front vent grille.
Silicon Power A55 512GB M.2 2280 SATA III Internal SSD
- M.2 2280 SATA III 6Gb/s Interface (B+M Key compatible with JM20330 bridge)
- Officially tested and verified by Seakip Studio for the M2Slim PS2 mod
- Low-profile bare PCB design ensures safe clearance under spinning PS2 DVDs
Micro-Soldering, 3D-Printed Cutting Jigs, and the EU Shipping Catch
Make no mistake: despite the factory-clean appearance once reassembled, the official documentation at installguide.m2slim.net makes it clear that this is an advanced hardware installation. Modders must micro-solder the custom flex PCB directly onto the tiny resistor arrays surrounding the CXD9731AGP chip using a temperature-controlled cartridge iron (such as a Hakko T12 or JBC C245 set around 230°C to 240°C with 63/37 leaded solder and no-clean tacky flux, keeping pad contact to 1-2 seconds).
To take the guesswork out of modifying the enclosure, Seakip Studio bundles 3D-printed drilling and shell-cutting jigs (alongside CNC milling drawings) so installers can drill the internal metal shielding with 2mm and 4mm bits and Dremel out the top shell slot cleanly. For anyone fascinated by how Sony's engineers originally packaged the console, seeing these internal revisions up close is just as captivating as exploring the unreleased purple trapezoid PS2 and HiFD concepts from PlayStation's R&D archives.
Check Availability for T12 / C245 Micro-Soldering Stations on Amazon→
Finally, there is one notable shipping caveat for European modders. While the $55 kit (with optional $8 spare flex cables) ships globally from Australia via AusPost International (~$16 USD shipping plus ~$7 duty to the US), Seakip Studio cannot ship directly to the European Union. The culprit is the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which requires registration fees of €200 to €400+ per country per year,an impossible overhead for a low-volume indie hardware creator.
My Take on the Spec Sheet
After spending years soldering and rebuilding retro PlayStation hardware on the bench, I think Seakip Studio's M2Slim is the cleanest storage solution the SCPH-700xx has ever received. For two decades, tapping into the V12 PS2 Slim's leftover IDE bus meant choosing between awkward ribbon cables or sacrificing the optical drive. Utilizing the dead space right under the flip-top lid so you can swap a 2280 M.2 SATA SSD in seconds while still spinning original DVD discs is brilliant industrial design. It is just frustrating to watch well-intentioned EU packaging laws like PPWR lock European preservationists out of buying a 230-gram hobbyist kit without resorting to parcel forwarders. We have not yet had a physical unit on our desk,if the manufacturer's team would like to send over a review sample so we can put it through our full real-world testing protocol, our lab doors are wide open.
PC hardware enthusiast and competitive gamer, Arthur 'Heimdall' splits his time between France and the UK working in enterprise B2B software solutions. A business school graduate passionate about component benchmarking, he has been building, modding, and tuning PCs since childhood, optimizing every thermal degree and millisecond of display latency. An avid gamer across Assassin's Creed and sandbox titles, he forged his alliance with Grimtag and Chaya during late-night World of Warcraft raids before joining Pro-Gamer.
