Western Digital WD_BLACK SN850 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The WD_BLACK SN850 is a proven Gen4 gaming SSD with 7,000 MB/s reads and a solid 78/100 overall score. It's not the newest or fastest anymore, but it's reliable and the heatsink version is great for desktops. At $179 it's a no-brainer, at $340 it's a pass.

The headline numbers are still impressive. 7,000 MB/s sequential reads and 5,300 MB/s writes put it in the 79th percentile for speed, which means it's well above average but no longer the absolute top of the charts. Random performance is where this drive shines for gaming, with 1,000K read IOPS and 720K write IOPS. That translates to snappy level loads and quick texture streaming. The heatsink does its job keeping thermal throttling at bay, so you won't see performance tank during long gaming sessions. The 1TB capacity is fine for a solid game library, though it sits at the 55th percentile for capacity, so you might be doing some uninstall shuffling if you play a lot of big titles.

Against the Samsung 990 PRO, the SN850 gives up some ground on raw speed and endurance. The 990 PRO is the current king of Gen4, but it also costs more. The Crucial T500 is a closer match on price and actually beats the SN850 on some random workloads. The Kingston Fury Renegade is basically the same drive in a different outfit, so pick whichever is cheaper. The Corsair MP700 Elite jumps to Gen5 speeds, but you'll pay a premium and need a compatible motherboard. For pure gaming, the SN850 still trades blows with all of them where it counts.

Here's the weird part. The USD price bounces between $179 and $340 depending on where you look, which is a massive spread. At $179, this drive is an absolute steal and you should buy it without thinking twice. At $340, you're paying way too much for last-gen performance when newer drives like the Samsung 990 PRO or Crucial T500 are right there. Newegg has the best deal in our listings, so check there first. The CAD price of $477 is rough, but that's just the Canadian storage tax talking.

The WD_BLACK SN850 is a Gen4 drive that made a huge splash when it landed, and it still holds up as a serious gaming SSD. You get up to 7,000 MB/s reads and 5,300 MB/s writes on the 1TB model, which is right in the sweet spot for anyone who hates staring at loading screens. The heatsink version here is the one to grab if your motherboard doesn't have its own M.2 cooling, because this drive can get toasty under sustained load.

It's not the newest kid on the block anymore, but our database puts its social proof in the 95th percentile. Real buyers have been hammering this thing for years and it keeps ticking. The 600 TBW endurance rating is solid for a gaming drive, though you shouldn't confuse this with a NAS or server workhorse. Western Digital says that right on the box.

Skip this if you need more than 1TB of storage, because modern games eat space like crazy and you'll be uninstalling things constantly. Also skip it if you're building a NAS or server, this drive isn't rated for that kind of workload and WD explicitly says so. And if you're paying anywhere near the $340 end of the price range, just get a Samsung 990 PRO or Crucial T500 instead.

If you're building a gaming PC and want a proven, reliable Gen4 drive with a heatsink included, the SN850 is still a great pick. It's not the fastest thing on the shelf anymore, but it's fast enough that you won't notice the difference in real-world gaming. Grab it when it dips near the $180 mark and you'll be thrilled. Pay full price and you'll feel a little silly when the newer drives are sitting right there.