Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Western Digital
100 Overall Score
vs
Samsung PM9A1 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Samsung
60 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
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 PM9A1 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
No customer feedback yet
Scores
Laptop
Gaming
Workstation
Console
Budget
Portable
Specifications
| Western Digital Black SN850X | Samsung PM9A1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | 4 |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | ||
| Random Write (IOPS) | ||
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC★ | — |
| DRAM Cache | ✓★ | — |
| Controller | WD 20-82-20035-B1 | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 5★ | — |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✗ | — |
| Hardware Encryption | ✗ | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong random (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong capacity (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Below average affordability (10th percentile)10th %ile
Samsung PM9A1 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong random (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Strong speed (80th percentile)80th %ile
- Strong capacity (79th percentile)
- Below average endurance (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average affordability (23rd percentile)
- Below average feature (33rd percentile)
Verdict
Winner: Western Digital Black SN850X
Scores 100 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 10 of 18 specs.