WD BLACK SN850X
#6 in NVMe PCIe M.2 SSDs · Rated 4.7
PCIe Gen4 gaming SSD with strong price/performance
WD BLACK SN850X is Western Digital’s high‑end Gen4 NVMe SSD line, engineered for gamers and power users who want top‑tier load times and sustained throughput. It pairs fast sequential performance (up to roughly 7,300 MB/s reads and 6,600 MB/s writes on many capacities) with solid random IO and endurance ratings. The SN850X family offers variants with integrated heatsinks for PS5 compatibility and CPU/GPU benchmarking, alongside headless bare drives for desktops. The drive integrates with WD’s Dashboard software and Game Mode features for tuning and monitoring. In 2025 it remains a widely available option across major retailers, delivering strong value at multiple capacities while maintaining a premium position in the Gen4 space.
Features
- PCIe Gen4 x4 NVMe interface
- Up to ~7,300 MB/s read; 6,600 MB/s write
- Integrated heatsinks available (PS5 ready)
- 5‑year warranty; WD Dashboard support
- Wide capacity range from 1TB to 8TB
Pros
- Excellent value in Gen4 high‑end tier
- Strong thermal performance with heatsink options
- Broad retailer availability
Cons
- Not Gen5; bandwidth lags Gen5 competitors
- High‑end capacities can still be pricey