Comment by pdpi
> ignore current warnings - I’m using a MacBook Pro charger + cable and still got the warning that I need a 5V/5A PSU.
You need to be careful with this one.
The USB spec goes up to 15W (3A) for its 5V PD profiles, and the standard way to get 25W would be to use the 9V profile. I assume the Pi 5 lacks the necessary hardware to convert a 9V input to 5V, and, instead, the Pi 5 and its official power supply support a custom, out-of-spec 25W (5A) mode.
Using an Apple charger gets you the standard 15W mode, and, on 15W, the Pi can only offer 600mA for accessories, which may or may not be enough to power your NVMe. Using the 25W supply, it can offer 1.6A instead, which gives you plenty more headroom.
5W5A is not a custom profile. It is part of the USB-PD standard, but as an optional profile that can only be provided if you ensure the cable used is safe to handle 5 amps of current. It’s why the official Rapsberry Pi 5 PSU has a non-removable cable.