The NVMe SSD WD Black SN850X, which was only briefly introduced in May, is now coming onto the market with further details and official prices. The maximum write rate increases by an impressive 25 percent. The models with 1 TB and 2 TB are available promptly directly from the manufacturer, the 4 TB model has a longer delivery time.
SN850 with “X” for more performance
The WD Black SN850X can be seen as a refresh of the WD Black SN850 (test) and offers slightly more performance with the same appearance with the same interface (PCIe 4.0 x4) in the same format (M.2 2280).
WD Black SN850X (Image: Western Digital)The maximum read throughput increases from 7,000 MB/s to 7,300 MB/s (+4%). The increase in the maximum write rate (in SLC mode) from previously up to 5300 MB/s to 6600 MB/s (+25%) is clearer. The maximum performance for random reading and writing is now increasing to 1.2/1.1 million IOPS (previously 1 million/720K). The table at the end of the message compares the other key data.
That's how much the WD Black SN850X costs
In the manufacturer's US shop, the WD Black SN850X is offered without a cooler at prices of around $160 (1 TB), $290 (2 TB) and $700 (4 TB) before taxes. The variants with a cooler and RGB lamp mean an additional charge of 20 dollars, but are only available with 1 TB or 2 TB. The 4 TB model is also out of step when it comes to availability, as it should only be available in three to four weeks, while the smaller models are said to be available in one to two weeks.
The SN850X is still missing in the German edition of the WD shop. But here, too, we can expect a market launch soon.
The changes in detail
ComputerBase had the opportunity in a question and answer session in May to find out more details that are not in the now published data sheet (PDF). Accordingly, the SN850X again uses an 8-channel controller from its own company and a DRAM cache. The change of the TLC-NAND from BiCS4 (96 layers) to BiCS5 (112 layers) with a faster interface is new. The new memory provides more performance, especially when writing. In addition, other, smaller components have been adapted with a view to better energy efficiency.
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Faster load times
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Predictive Loading
Latencies: SN850X vs. SN850
Game Mode 2.0
Western Digital promises faster loading times in games with the SN850X, with a technique called predictive loading, i.e. a kind of prediction of the expected data, to help. In the 3DMark Storage benchmark, the SN850X should achieve 18 percent more points than the SN850. In addition, a higher level of performance stability is also promised, not least thanks to better heat management with more throughput, even at high temperatures. There are also improvements in latency.
Western Digital WD Black SN850X Western Digital WD Black SN850 Controller: Western Digital, 8 NAND channel WD Black G2, 8 NAND channel DRAM cache: ? available 512 MB availablevariant1,024 MB availablevariant2,048 MB available Storage capacity: 1,000/2,000/4,000 GB 500/1,000/2,000 GB Memory chips: Western Digital ? ? TLC (3D, 112 layers) NAND, 512 Gbit Western Digital ? ? TLC (3D, 96 layers) NAND, ? Form factor: M.2 (80 mm) Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 seq. Read: 7,300 MB/s 7,000 MB/s seq. Write: 6,300 MB/s variant 6,600 MB/s 4,100 MB/s variant 5,300 MB/s variant 5,100 MB/s 4K Random Read: 800,000 IOPS Variant1,200,000 IOPS 800,000 IOPS Variant1,000,000 IOPS 4K Random Write: 1,100,000 IOPS 570,000 IOPS Variant720,000 IOPS Variant710,000 IOPS Power consumption Activity (typ.): ? Power consumption activity (max.): ? Power consumption idle: ? Power consumption DevSleep: ? Power consumption L1.2: ? Features: NVMe, NCQ, TRIM, SMART, Garbage Collection Encryption: none Total Bytes Written (TBW): 600 terabyte variant1,200 terabyte variant2,400 terabyte 300 terabyte variant600 terabyte variant1,200 terabyte Warranty: 5 years Price: $160/$290/$700 from €84/from €109/from €200 Price per GB: $0.16/$0.15/$0.18 €0.17/€0.11/€0.10