Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
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 970 EVO 500GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The Samsung EVO 970 NVMe drive is praised for its blazing fast speeds, quick boot times, and reliable performance, making it a popular choice for gaming and general use. However, several users reported issues with using it as a boot drive, warranty support, and missing mounting hardware, which dampened overall satisfaction.
Pros
- Blazing fast speeds
- Quick boot times
- Reliable performance
- Great for gaming
- Trusted brand
Cons
- Cannot use as boot drive
- Warranty not honored
- Missing mounting hardware
- Poor packaging
Scores
Specifications
| Western Digital Black SN850X | Samsung 970 EVO | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| 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 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Controller | WD 20-82-20035-B1 | Samsung Phoenix |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | ||
| Warranty (years) | 5 | 5 |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✗ | ✗ |
| Hardware Encryption | ✗ | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong random (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong capacity (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Below average affordability (11th percentile)11th %ile
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong social proof (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong feature (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Strong endurance (86th percentile)86th %ile
- Strong random (85th percentile)85th %ile
- Below average affordability (22nd percentile)
- Below average capacity (26th percentile)
- Below average user sentiment (29th percentile)
Verdict
Scores 100 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 8 of 18 specs.