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WD Black SN850X 1TB PCIe Gen4 M.2 NVMe SSD Assessment


WD Black SN850X 1TB
WD Black SN850X 1TB

At this time we’re taking a look at WD’s comparatively new SN850X. This Black-line drive is the successor to WD’s Black SN850 which we’ve got beforehand lined. The unique WD Black SN850 was a part of the second wave of PCIe Gen 4 drives, and as such was one of many first drives to essentially push the boundaries of what a PCIe 4.0 x4 interface can deal with. The SN850X is right here to observe up, providing comparatively comparable specs however with an up to date set of inner parts. Additionally, for brevity, I shall be referring to this drive as merely the SN850X fairly than the WD Black SN850X for many of this assessment, simply because that may be a bit long-winded.

WD Black SN850X 1TB NVMe SSD

The WD SN850X 1TB is available in a single-sided M.2 2280 (80mm) kind issue and is on the market each with and with out a heatsink. My assessment mannequin is the naked drive.

WD SN850X 1TB Front
WD SN850X 1TB Entrance

Much like the unique SN850, the brand new X mannequin is pretty vertically built-in. By that, I imply that the controller is a customized SanDisk design, SanDisk being wholly owned by WD. As well as, the NAND on the SN850X is BiCS5 112-layer TLC, and BiCS5 was co-developed by WD and Kioxia. The controller used on the SN850X would seem like an up to date model of the one used on the SN850, with the SN850X mannequin marked as B2 and the unique SN850 marked as A1. 112-layer TLC can also be an improve, as the unique SN850 used 96-layer NAND. Rounding out the drive parts is a DDR4 DRAM cache.

As talked about, my assessment mannequin of the SN850X doesn’t embrace a heatsink however the design of the heatsink mannequin appears practically an identical to the unique SN850, and I imagine my criticisms of that heatsink shall be relevant right here. To reiterate from my unique assessment, potential patrons have to be conscious this heatsink is not meant to be detachable. Eradicating the heatsink will harm both the heatsink, the SSD, or each. After I eliminated the unique SN850 from its heatsink, the heatsink may by no means be used once more as a result of the steel clips have been completely bent. The shortcoming to take away the heatsink would possibly have an effect on some customers with motherboards which have built-in M.2 heatsinks, and if that’s the case, then patrons must take care to amass the SN850X that comes with out the heatsink. As soon as once more, I hope that sooner or later, WD can choose a heatsink design that’s detachable in a non-destructive method much like the not too long ago reviewed Lexar NM800 Professional.

WD Black SN850X 1TB Back
WD Black SN850X 1TB Again

 

WD SN850X 1TB BackThe again of the SSD is basically clean.

WD SN850X SSD Specs

The SN850X line of SSDs is on the market in sizes between 1 TB and 4 TB.

WD SN850X 1TB Specs
WD SN850X 1TB Specs

That is the primary time that reviewing a 1TB mannequin drive means I’m trying on the child of the SKU record. Sooner or later, STH shall be standardizing on 2TB SSDs; that transfer will include the brand new PCIe Gen5 suitable take a look at platform. Keep tuned for information on that sooner or later!

For now, trying on the 1TB mannequin drive we’ve got rated sequential learn pace of 7300 MB/s and sequential write of 6300 MB/s. Each of those signify reasonable enhancements over the unique SN850 1TB mannequin, which was rated for 7000 MB/s and 5300 MB/s, respectively.

The endurance and guarantee, alternatively, have stayed in keeping with the primary gen SN850 drive. 600 TBW is strictly the quantity I contemplate acceptable for a premium drive, although many high-quality drives now exceed that quantity. A 5-year guarantee can also be the trade normal for drives of this caliber, so it’s good to see that right here.

WD SN850X 1TB CrystalDiskInfo
WD SN850X 1TB CrystalDiskInfo

CrystalDiskInfo may give us some fundamental details about the SSD and confirms we’re working at PCIe 4.0 x4 speeds utilizing NVMe 1.4.

Check System Configuration

We’re utilizing the next configuration for this take a look at:

  • Motherboard: ASUS PRIME X570-P
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X (12C/24T)
  • RAM: 2x 16GB DDR4-3200 UDIMMs

Our testing makes use of the WD SN850X 1TB because the boot drive for the system, put in within the M.2_1 slot on the motherboard. The drive is crammed to 85% capability with knowledge after which some is deleted, leaving round 60% used house on the amount.

Subsequent, we’re going to get into our efficiency testing.



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