Western Digital Gaming 512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Western Digital Gaming 512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Most buyers are satisfied with the speed and performance of this M.2 SSD, noting it works well as an upgrade for laptops and desktops. However, several verified reviews raise concerns about receiving used or refurbished drives advertised as new, with some reporting heavy prior usage or even a pre-installed Windows system. While the drive generally functions as expected, authenticity and condition issues lead to mixed feelings.
Pros
- Fast performance
- Easy installation
- Good value for price
- Works as upgrade
- Reliable over time
Cons
- May arrive used or refurbished
- Authenticity concerns
- Not recognized by WD cloning software
- No retail packaging
- Pre-installed Windows on some units
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
All seven verified reviews are overwhelmingly positive, praising the WD_BLACK SN8100 as the fastest Gen5 NVMe SSD with no issues. Users highlight its sustained speeds, strong performance on PCIe 5.0 motherboards, and good value at the time of purchase. One reviewer notes it outlasts other drives in cache performance, and Q&A confirms M.2 2280 form factor with up to 14,900 MBps read speed.
Pros
- Fastest Gen5 NVMe SSD
- No issues of any kind
- Super fast on PCIe 5.0
- Strong sustained speeds
- Good price at time of purchase
Cons
- Expensive (implied by 'if you can afford it')
Scores
Specifications
| Western Digital Gaming | Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | 5★ |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | ||
| Random Write (IOPS) | ||
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | — | TLC★ |
| DRAM Cache | — | ✓★ |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 1 | 3★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | — | ✓★ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital Gaming 512GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong random (88th percentile)88th %ile
- Strong speed (72nd percentile)
- Strong social proof (68th percentile)
- Below average feature (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (29th percentile)
- Below average endurance (34th percentile)
- Below average capacity (35th percentile)
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong feature (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong random (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong speed (98th percentile)98th %ile
Verdict
Scores 95 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 13 of 17 specs.