Beginners • Power Supply and SSD Boot Question

Hello! I'm a beginner and built my mobile rig just a few days ago.

TL;DR: Can I safely boot from and use an SSD (specifically the Kingston OM3SPG4) on my RPi 5 (using the M.2 Compact HAT) when running on a 5V/3A power supply?

Full post: I recently bought the Raspberry Pi 5 together with the official case and the M.2 Compact HAT to use an SSD with. I made a mistake with the form factor of the SSD I initially bought, so for now, I am running the operating system (Raspberry Pi OS 64 Bit) from a USB Stick (specifically, a Sandisk 128GB USB-A/USB-C one.)
The thing is, I am using the Pi as a portable system and am running it from a power bank which has a maximum output of 5V/3A. (The specific powerbank is an Anker Zolo 20K.)
Apparently, the system isn't a great fan of that, so I am using usb_current_max_enable in the firmware config file to force the USB boot on low power every time. Side question: Is booting on 3A specifically a problem when using an USB to boot, or does booting from a 3A power supply always require usb_current_max_enable in general...? I feel like the wording of the log messages isn't super clear about that.
In any case, I am eyeing a certain 2230 format SSD to use, a Kingston OM3SPG4 supposedly taken from a freshly bought Steam Machine, which is a fairly powerful SSD for mobile devices, as far as I can tell. (This one specifically because I received a generous offer for it.) To be clear: Is it even at all possible for me to use this SSD or will I run into trouble with my power supply? If I understand the sources I've read correctly, it shouldn't be an issue, but again, the information doesn't seem entirely clear...
My other peripherals include: A 7" IPS screen with a listed maximum 5W (which I am also powering with the power bank, but not through the Pi itself), a dongle for a wireless mouse (Trust Fyda Rechargable Wireless) and a wired keyboard (a small MediaRange one.) The latter two peripherals are connected directly to the USB 2 ports of the system. I'm also using the tiny built-in fan of the official case (not the seperately sold active cooling kit).

Thank you for reading all the way and have a great day!

Statistics: Posted by Braunstein — Wed Jul 22, 2026 10:46 am

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