WD SN850X – A Four-Year-Old Flagship Still Going Strong
Everyone knows that the microelectronics market is facing a severe shortage, and prices are absolutely insane. In this environment, you have to choose from the available options, and the WD SN850X NVMe SSD is one of them.
Of course, you won’t find the huge capacities of new HDDs, like 32TB, but 8TB models are available.
There are also more affordable options, like the WD Black SN770M 1TB, but they are somewhat slower in demanding workloads. So how do you choose the right fast SSD?
First of all, the 1TB and 2TB WD SN850X models are still available for purchase — and at relatively reasonable prices.
Secondly, this is a true flagship from 2022 that still offers top-tier performance. You can see the WD SN850X specifications in the table below.
| Specification | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB | 8TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model (without heatsink) | WDS100T2X0E | WDS200T2X0E | WDS400T2X0E | WDS800T2X0E |
| Model (with heatsink) | WDS100T2XHE | WDS200T2XHE | WDS400T2XHE | WDS800T2XHE |
| Interface | PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe 1.4 | |||
| Controller | WD Black G2 (20-82-20035-B2) |
WD Black G2 (20-82-20035-B2) |
WD Black G2 (20-82-20035-B2) |
WD Triton MP16+ B (20-82-000292-B2) |
| NAND Type | 112L BiCS5 TLC | 112L BiCS5 TLC | 112L BiCS5 TLC | 162L BiCS6 TLC |
| DRAM Cache | DDR4 (Micron D9XPG) | |||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | 7,300 | 7,300 | 7,300 | 7,200 |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | 6,300 | 6,600 | 6,600 | 6,600 |
| Random Read IOPS (4K) | 800K | 1,200K | 1,200K | 1,200K |
| Random Write IOPS (4K) | 1,100K | 1,100K | 1,100K | 1,200K |
| pSLC Cache Size | ~300 GB | ~600 GB | ~1,200 GB | ~2,350 GB |
| Sustained Write (post-cache) | 1,500 MB/s | 1,500 MB/s | 1,500 MB/s | 2,850 MB/s |
| Endurance (TBW) | 600 | 1,200 | 2,400 | 4,800 |
| Power (Active / Idle) | Up to 9W / 250mW (PS3), 5mW (PS4) | |||
| Dimensions (bare drive) | 80×22×2.38 mm | 80×22×2.38 mm | 80×22×3.88 mm | 80×22×3.88 mm |
| Weight (bare drive) | 7.5 g ±1 g | 7.5 g ±1 g | 8.6 g ±1 g | 8.6 g ±1 g |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C – 85°C | |||
| Warranty | 5 years or TBW limit | |||
| MSRP at Launch (USD) | $189 / $209 (HS) | $359 / $379 (HS) | $799 | $899 / $879 (HS) |
But the most important thing to understand is the presence of the full-fledged WD Black G2 controller (or the WD Triton MP16+ in later models), as well as DRAM cache. All of this ensures high read and write speeds. Essentially, the SSD fully utilizes the PCIe 4.0 bus, reaching speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s, as confirmed by benchmarks.
You can use it to upgrade your PC or laptop.
On the market, similar 2TB drives can be found for around €299.
These SSDs are suitable for high-performance PCs, laptops, and many models of gaming consoles.
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