Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Samsung 256GB SSD PCIe NVMe M.2 2230
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 256GB SSD PCIe NVMe M.2 2230
Users are overwhelmingly positive about this Samsung PM991a SSD, especially as a Steam Deck upgrade from the 64GB eMMC. They praise its ease of installation, performance improvements, and value for money. Some noted minor issues with SteamOS reinstallation and the drive's slightly taller profile, but these were not deal-breakers. A few users used it in other devices like cameras or laptops with success.
Pros
- Easy installation
- Great performance boost
- Good value for money
- Compatible with Steam Deck
- Reliable Samsung quality
Cons
- SteamOS reinstall finicky
- Slightly taller profile
- May be used/refurbished
- Not a huge capacity upgrade
Scores
Specifications
| Western Digital Black SN850X | Samsung 256GB SSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2230 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | 4 |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | No data | |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | No data | |
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC★ | — |
| DRAM Cache | ✓★ | — |
| Controller | WD 20-82-20035-B1 | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 5★ | 2 |
| 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 256GB SSD PCIe NVMe M.2 2230
- Strong affordability (79th percentile)
- Strong user sentiment (79th percentile)
- Strong social proof (77th percentile)
- Strong speed (67th percentile)
- Below average feature (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average capacity (17th percentile)17th %ile
Verdict
Scores 100 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 10 of 18 specs.