Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Western Digital
99 Overall Score
vs
Lexar ES3
Lexar
36 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
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
Lexar ES3
No customer feedback yet
Scores
Budget
Console
Gaming
Workstation
Laptop
Portable
Specifications
| Western Digital WD Black SN850X | Lexar ES3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | External |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
| Protocol | NVMe | — |
| PCIe Generation | 4★ | — |
| External | ✗ | ✓ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC★ | — |
| DRAM Cache | ✓★ | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 3★ | — |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✓★ | — |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital WD Black SN850X
- Strong social proof (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong random (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong feature (94th percentile)94th %ile
Lexar ES3
- Strong social proof (79th percentile)
- Below average random (3rd percentile)3rd %ile
- Below average endurance (14th percentile)14th %ile
- Below average feature (32nd percentile)
Verdict
Winner: Western Digital WD Black SN850X
Scores 99 overall, wins 5 of 6 usage categories and 12 of 17 specs.