Chris InglisEarlier this week, Western Digital Corp announced two new additions to its WD_BLACK gaming portfolio with the SN850X NVMe SSD and P40 Game Drive SSD. Both devices are designed to elevate the gaming experience and the expanded portfolio offers players more options to upgrade their PC or console storage. I have been using WD_Black hard drives since the early 2000’s and they have never let me down. With the recent addition of SSDs being added to PS5’s, I have tried the WD_Black SN850 NVMe 1TB SSD with Heatsink which worked a treat. Here’s what the two latest additions to the WD_Black collection can do for you whether you’re a PC gamer, consoler gamer or both.
SN850X NVMe SSD
Optimised for hardcore gamers looking for unparalleled performance, this powerful internal PCIe® Gen4 SSD delivers breakneck read speeds of up to 7,300 MB/s. With minimised latency, predictive loading and adaptive thermals management, gamers can expect an incredible gaming experience with fast load-times, rich visual experience and uncompromising thermal performance. An optional heatsink (1TB and 2TB models) is available to help maintain peak performance and includes RGB lighting to complement any gaming rig. Another thing to note is the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD is backwards-compatible with PCIe Gen3 so long as you have a compatible motherboard.
My recent tests with the SN850 NVMe 1TB SSD in my PS5 produced read speeds of 6550MB/s so any improvement on that would be fantastic.
P40 Game Drive SSD
Created for gamers looking for portable storage with both performance and style, the WD_BLACK P40 Game Drive SSD features a USB 3.2 Gen2x2 interface and blazing read speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s paired with customisable RGB lighting (Windows only). With a sleek, compact and shock-resistant design, it’s the perfect option for gaming on the go.
The downloadable WD_BLACK Dashboard, with its new Game Mode 2.0 (Windows® only) for the SN850X NVMe SSD unlocks PC performance-boosting features so gamers can play, stream, record, and dominate at the top of their game. For the P40 Game Drive SSD, the dashboard gives full control over the LED light display and can be synced with many existing RGB ecosystems for a setup that can be personalised to any gamer’s style.
For more information, head over to the WD_Black official site.
