WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB NVMe SSD - M.2 2280, Up to 7,300 MB/s Read speeds, Up to 6,300 MB/s write speeds, Gaming Expansion, High Performance Internal Solid State Drive - WDS400T2X0E

Great quality and reliable functionality that you'd expect from Western Digital. The capacity is amazing, it has blazing fast read/write speeds, and installation was a breeze as it fits a standard M.2 socket. I was able to immediately initialize and partition it for use after installing it. This went into my laptop, so it obviously changed nothing externally and added only a few grams to the weight. It's pricey, but I'd rather get a good one from a brand I trust than just go with the cheapest option available.

I’ve been using this drive for a few months, and it’s easily one of the fastest and most stable Gen4 SSDs I’ve tested. Benchmarks reached 7,133 MB/s read and 4,169 MB/s write in performance mode — right in line with WD’s specs. Even under load, it maintained around 6,500 MB/s read and 3,600 MB/s write, showing great consistency. For testing purposes, I also ran a power-saving “stress” scenario that intentionally limited performance to simulate extreme throttling. Those results were only for analysis — customers will never experience that kind of slowdown in normal use. Thermals stay solid with a basic heatsink (mid-50 °C), and there’s no throttling during long transfers. The WD Dashboard software is easy to use and adds an optional Gaming Mode for max speed. ⚖️ Pros: - Reaches full Gen4 performance (7,000+ MB/s reads) - Excellent sustained write speed and thermal stability - Rock-solid reliability for OS, games, or content creation - Intuitive WD Dashboard software ⚠️ Cons: - Can run warm without heatsink - Requires a PCIe Gen4 slot and good airflow for full speed 🏁 Final Thoughts: The WD_BLACK SN850X is a premium SSD that lives up to its reputation. Under the right conditions, it delivers near-theoretical Gen4 speeds and flawless stability. Even in multitasking or gaming scenarios, performance stays consistent and responsive. The “low” benchmark results included here were testing artifacts—stress conditions designed to show how power management affects throughput, not what normal users should expect. In everyday use, this drive is exceptionally fast, reliable, and built to last. ✅ Verdict: A flagship-level NVMe SSD that rewards systems tuned for performance. Highly recommended for gamers, developers, and creators who want speed with zero compromise.

As good a games drive as you can find, with quick load times and strong random reads. I nabbed a 4TB for under $250 and with all my backlog I still have the thing filled only 3/4, with a fairly low pace of installs these days. For games it should last me another year or so, or until the 8TB is more affordable. Why the 8TB SN850X and not a 4TB of whatever SanDisk 's fast PCIe 5.0 drive? Simply because Gen5 isn't that big an improvement over Gen4 gaming yet, if ever. Further into the Gen5 era, this drive will get cheaper and an even better value. The SN850X already benches the best of any of my ten drives (two other NVMe, two SATA SSD). Numbers: CrystalDiskMark (MB/s) At 78% full, 48C: Seq1m/q8t1: 7183.94 / 6500.35 Seq1m/q1t1: 4931.87 / 5563.49 Rnd4k/q32t1: 811.31 / 702.28 Rnd4k/q1t1: 68.02 / 248.69 Excellent numbers for Gen4. 2400TBW endurance. Owned: about three months, no issues

Went from a 1TB NVME to a 4 TB NVME. I had a Skytech Gaming computer that for whatever reason only came with 1TB storage. It had an extra slot for NVME, but it is under the video card which I had no desire to mess around with and if needed later I can use. I cloned the 1TB onto this 4TB (WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB NVMe SSD - M.2 2280) with a Coolpie CR220 cloner that I got off of Amazon. The clone process is simple. Put new NVME and old NVME in slots of the cloner, turn on, set switch to copy and press button to run. Videos I watched said the process could take hours, mine took about 15 minutes from a 90% full 1TB to the 4TB new NVME. When I put the new cloned 4TB in my computer it booted and everything worked just fine. This 4TB has faster Read/Write and is 4x the storage of what I came from. After adding this my fans now run quieter as my computer isn't trying to use the last remaining storage of the 1TB and now has 3 more TB to work with. If you are doing a clone and want to adjust/extend partitions, I recommend using the free program MiniTool Partition Wizard. I used it to extend my partition, otherwise you will be creating a new partition(s) with the storage that this adds (if you are coming from a smaller NVME to this 4TB). I chose the WD_BLACK SN850X 4TB NVME SSD - M.2 2280 because the videos I watched with regards to gaming storage/NVME, recommended this over others.