Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Western Digital
99 Overall Score
vs
Samsung PM991a
Samsung
59 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
92 out of 100 medium confidence 17 reviews
The WD Black SN850X is highly praised for its blazing speed, reliability, and value, often compared favorably to pricier alternatives like Samsung and Solidigm. Users report excellent performance in gaming (especially PS5) and general use, with a few concerns about potential issues mitigated by firmware updates. Overall, it's seen as a top-tier NVMe drive, especially when on sale.
Pros
- Blazing fast speeds
- Excellent value for money
- Reliable high-capacity storage
- Great for PS5
- Easy installation
Cons
- Potential firmware issues
- No heatsink included
- Pricey when not on sale
Speed 6
Value for money 4
Reliability 4
Ps5 compatibility 3
Firmware concerns 2
Installation 2
Samsung PM991a
No customer feedback yet
Scores
Budget
Console
Gaming
Workstation
Laptop
Portable
Specifications
| Western Digital WD Black SN850X | Samsung PM991a | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2230 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4★ | 3 |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | ||
| Random Write (IOPS) | ||
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC | TLC |
| DRAM Cache | ✓★ | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 3★ | — |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✓★ | — |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong random (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong feature (94th percentile)94th %ile
Samsung PM991a
- Strong random (84th percentile)84th %ile
- Strong social proof (79th percentile)
- Below average endurance (14th percentile)14th %ile
Pricing
Western Digital WD Black SN850X0.086score per dollar
vs
Samsung PM991a0.110score per dollar
Samsung PM991a offers 1.3x better value for money
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Samsung PM991a
Verdict
Winner: Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Scores 99 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 11 of 16 specs.
