There was a time not too long ago when you would have to go with a mechanical hard drive to get higher capacities and that came at the cost of read and write speeds. With SSDs becoming the new norm, especially for gaming PCs, the demand for high speed and high capacity has never been higher. That’s where the WD_BLACK SN850X 4TBinternal NVMe SSD comes in, as it offers massive storage capacity with NVMe PCIe 4.0 read and write speeds that far exceed SATA-based drivers.
Related
Best PCIe 5.0 SSDs in 2024
Ready to upgrade your NVME M2 storage? These top-tier PCIe 5.0 SSDs are the best you can find!
WD_BLACK SN850X: Specifications and Features
The SN850X NVMe SSD from WD is a standard M.2 2280 size drive that comes with the option of a heatsink. This form factor makes it compatible with many devices, including the ASUS ROG Ally X. This heatsink-less model (WDS400T2X0E) comes with 4TB of storage and a PCIe 4.0 interface with TLC 3D NAND. It is capable of hitting sequential read speeds of up to 7300MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 6600MB/s. It is a high-performance internal SSD that, especially at this discounted price, is an excellent upgrade.
WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X M.2 SSD
$260 $700 Save $440
The WD_BLACK 4TB SN850X is an M.2 SSD that can deliver read speeds of up to 7300 MB/s and write speeds of up to 6600 MB/s. It comes without a heatsink, and it is compatible with all M.2 2230 slots. It uses TLC 3D NAND flash for storage and the PCIe 4.0 standard for connectivity. WD has added a Game Mode 2.0 feature that automatically detects a game and optimizes itself for the best performance.
- Storage capacity
- 4TB
- Hardware Interface
- PCIe 4.0
- Brand
- WD
- TBW
- 2400
- MTBF
- 1.75 million hours
- Warranty
- 5 year limited
- Read/Write Speeds
- 7300 MB/s, 6600 MB/s
It should be noted that the heatsink-less model of the WD_BLACK SN850X will need a heatsink to be installed in order to be used inside a PS5. Or, you can get the slightly more expensive model with a pre-installed heatsink.
Granted, it is not the fastest drive on the market, or one with the most storage capacity. You can find both PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 drives that can reach much higher transfer speeds and even drives that go up to 8TB. But those are a lot more expensive and the real-world difference in games is not as significant.
The WD_BLACK SN850X is rated for 2400 TBW or Terabytes Written and a Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) of 1.75 million hours, so it is plenty durable. Plus, in case you do face any issues, WD offers a 5-year limited warranty.
Related
This 2TB PS5 Compatible SSD is Less than Half Its Price for Black Friday
Nextorage 2TB and 1TB NVMe SSDs compatible with the PS5 are heavily discounted on Newegg.
Being a gaming focused NVMe drive, it has a Game Mode 2.0 feature that is enabled through the WD_BLACK Dashboard software. This feature automatically detects a game and enables predictive loading and adaptive thermal management to further optimize the gaming experience. Furthermore, the WD_BLACK SN850X has official support for Microsoft DirectStorage technology as well.
WD_BLACK SN850X: Price and Availability
The WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB is listed on Newegg for $260, which is a 62% discount from its listed price of $700. While that is not the typical price for this SSD, it sits somewhere in the $330 to $400 range. At $260, it is still the cheapest option for this level of performance. Samsung’s 990 PRO 4TB offers similar performance but costs $300, while the Crucial P3 Plus 4TB is both cheaper and slower.
For $10 more, you can get the version with the heatsink, which is compatible with the PS5. It has the same speeds, but with an added heatsink, keeping it cool under load. This drive is also discounted, but not as heavily as the one without the heatsink.
More
The Best Gaming Laptop Alternatives To The PS5 Pro
The PS5 Pro is now official but it comes with a hefty price tag. Here are some of the best gaming laptops that can hold their own against it