Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Samsung 9100 PRO
What Buyers Say
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
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
Samsung 9100 PRO
The Samsung 9100 Pro is generally praised for its blazing-fast Gen5 speeds, with several users noting a noticeable improvement over Gen4 drives like the 990 Pro. However, one verified buyer reported a complete failure after less than two weeks, which is a significant concern. Most reviewers recommend it for high-end builds, especially with a heatsink, but caution that the speed boost may not be worth it for everyone.
Pros
- Blazing fast Gen5 speeds
- Noticeable improvement over Gen4
- Works with PCIe 4.0 boards
- Compatible with PS5 (with heatsink)
- High-quality build
Cons
- Reported failure within 2 weeks
- Requires heatsink for best performance
- Speed difference not noticeable for everyday tasks
- Not worth upgrading from Gen4 for some
Scores
Specifications
| Western Digital WD Black SN850X | Samsung 9100 PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | TLC |
| DRAM Cache | ✓ | ✓ |
| Controller | — | Samsung in-house Controller |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | ||
| Warranty (years) | 3 | 5★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
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 9100 PRO
- Strong feature (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong random (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong speed (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong endurance (86th percentile)86th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (29th percentile)
- Below average social proof (33rd percentile)
Verdict
Scores 99 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 3 of 18 specs.