Western Digital Black SN850X
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Snapshot
The 30-Second Version
The WD Black SN850X is one of the best Gen4 NVMe drives you can buy right now. It hits 7,300 MB/s reads and has top-tier random write performance. Worth the money, especially if you grab the heatsink version.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Blazing fast 7,300 MB/s reads and 6,300 MB/s writes 94th
- Excellent random performance with 1.1M write IOPS 92nd
- Optional heatsink keeps temps in check 85th
- WD Black Dashboard with Game Mode 2.0 is genuinely useful 81st
Cons
- 3-year warranty is shorter than some competitors
- 1TB capacity is just average these days
- Portable score is abysmal at 19.8 out of 100
- Price varies wildly depending on where you buy
What owners think
The Word on the Street
The proof
Performance
The SN850X brings 7,300 MB/s sequential reads and 6,300 MB/s writes, which puts it in the 85th percentile for speed. Random performance is even better at 800K read IOPS and 1.1M write IOPS, landing in the 92nd percentile. That's one of the best random write numbers we've seen on a Gen4 drive. The TLC NAND and DRAM cache keep things consistent under load, and the optional heatsink helps with sustained transfers. The 600 TBW endurance rating is solid at the 81st percentile, though the 3-year warranty feels a little short for a drive this good.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Drive
| Capacity | 1000 |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 |
| External | No |
Performance
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | 7300 |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | 6300 |
| Random Read (IOPS) | 800000 |
| Random Write (IOPS) | 1100000 |
Hardware
| NAND | TLC |
| DRAM Cache | Yes |
Reliability
| Endurance (TBW) | 600 |
| MTBF (hours) | 1750000 |
| Warranty (years) | 3 |
Features
| Heatsink | Yes |
vs Competition
The Samsung 990 PRO is the closest rival, and it trades blows with the SN850X on most benchmarks. The 990 PRO tends to edge ahead in sustained writes, but the SN850X counters with better random write IOPS. The Crucial T710 and Kingston Fury Renegade are both solid alternatives, but they don't quite match the SN850X's feature set or thermal management. The Corsair MP700 Elite is newer but hasn't proven itself the way the SN850X has. If you want the safest bet in Gen4, this is it.
| Spec | Western Digital Black SN850X | Samsung 9100 PRO | Crucial T710 | Kingston Fury Renegade SFYRDK/2000G | Seagate FireCuda 530R | SanDisk Western Digital WDS400T1X0M |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1TB | 8TB | 4TB | 2TB | 4TB | 4TB |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Seq Read | 7,300 MB/s | 14,800 MB/s | 14,500 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 7,400 MB/s | 14,900 MB/s |
| Nand Type | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC |
| Dram Cache | true | true | false | true | false | true |
| Endurance | 600 TBW | 4800 TBW | 2400 TBW | 2000 TBW | 5050 TBW | 2400 TBW |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Speed | Random | Feature | Capacity | Endurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Digital Black SN850X | 84.7 | 92.2 | 93.8 | 54.6 | 81 |
| Samsung 9100 PRO Compare | 99 | 99.7 | 99.8 | 98.2 | 86 |
| Crucial T710 Compare | 98.7 | 98.7 | 85.6 | 92.8 | 86 |
| Kingston Fury Renegade SFYRDK/2000G Compare | 92.7 | 93.4 | 93.8 | 78.4 | 94 |
| Seagate FireCuda 530R Compare | 92.2 | 96.2 | 53.3 | 92.8 | 95.6 |
| SanDisk Western Digital WDS400T1X0M Compare | 97.4 | 99 | 97.4 | 92.8 | 81 |
Price
Value & Pricing
The SN850X 1TB runs between USD 230 and USD 259 in the US, and between CAD 288 and CAD 380 in Canada. That's a pretty wide spread, so shop around. The best US deal we found is at the lower end of that range, and in Canada you can save nearly CAD 92 by picking the right retailer. For a drive with this level of performance and a heatsink included, it's a fair price. Not a steal, but you're not getting ripped off either.
Read more
Overview
The WD Black SN850X is one of those drives that just works. It's a PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that hits 7,300 MB/s reads and 6,300 MB/s writes, and it lands in the 94th percentile for features in our database. If you're building a gaming PC or a workstation, this is basically the default answer.
It's not perfect. The 1TB capacity is middle of the pack, and the portable score is a joke at 19.8 out of 100. But for a desktop internal drive, those don't matter much. What matters is that it's fast, stable, and has a heatsink option that actually helps.
Common Questions
Q: Do I need the heatsink version?
If your motherboard already has an M.2 heatsink, the bare drive is fine. But if you're using a laptop or a board without one, the heatsink version helps prevent thermal throttling during long transfers.
Q: Is this drive good for a PS5?
Yes, the SN850X meets Sony's requirements for PS5 expansion storage. The 7,300 MB/s read speed is well above the 5,500 MB/s minimum, and the heatsink version fits in the PS5's M.2 bay.
Q: How does the 3-year warranty compare to other drives?
It's on the shorter side. Samsung offers 5 years on the 990 PRO, and some other competitors match that. The 600 TBW endurance rating is solid, but the warranty length is a minor drawback.
Who Should Skip This
If you need a portable drive, look elsewhere. The SN850X scored 19.8 out of 100 for portability, which is one of the worst we've seen. This is a desktop internal drive, period. Also, if you're on a tight budget, the price spread means you could overpay by USD 29 or CAD 92 if you don't shop around.
Verdict
If you're building a gaming PC or a workstation and want a drive that just works, buy the SN850X. It's fast, stable, and the heatsink version is worth the extra few bucks. The 3-year warranty is the only real knock, but WD's reliability track record on this line is strong. Gamers will love the Game Mode 2.0 feature, and workstation users will appreciate the consistent performance under load.
