WD Black SN850P: One-minute assessment
As an enormous proponent of the WD Black SN850, I can’t deny that I’m a bit of disenchanted with the WD Black SN850P. Though sooner on paper, I discovered that the real-world efficiency of the SN850P really lags behind that of the older SN850 – even scoring barely decrease within the PS5‘s inner storage benchmark. The design has taken a little bit of a step again this time round too, because the SN850P ditches the cool, although admittedly barely impractical, LED of its predecessor in favor of a a lot plainer, and presumably cheaper to fabricate, look.
This wouldn’t be an enormous problem, however the SN850P is available in a bit of costlier than not solely the SN850 but in addition among the finest SSDs for PS5. When formally licensed options just like the Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5 might be discovered cheaper and can run a bit higher, there’s no actual purpose to choose up the SN850P above the remaining. That’s until you handle to search out the 1TB or 2TB fashions on certainly one of their pretty common reductions, the place value cuts of as much as $50 / £30 make these merchandise rather more aggressive.
There are additionally the bigger capability variants to contemplate. Seagate’s licensed drive doesn’t are available capacities above 2TB, so the SN850P is without doubt one of the solely choices if you wish to hold issues official at that dimension. The 8TB variant can also be one of many few 8TB PS5 SSDs in the marketplace proper now from a significant model and is sort of fairly priced for what it’s. If it’s both of those variations that you just have been contemplating, add half a star to the rating above.
In any other case, the WD Black SN850P is underwhelming on the entire. It’s a high quality PS5 SSD that, due to its barely overambitious price ticket, fails to face out.
WD Black SN850P: Value and availability
- 1TB is $119.99 / £107.99
- 2TB is $189.99 / £184.99
- 4TB is $319.99 / £329.99
- 8TB is $749.99 / £705.99
The 1TB WD Black SN850P retails for $119.99 / £107.99, although might be discovered hovering barely beneath that value at on-line storefronts corresponding to Amazon. The 2TB prices $189.99 / £184.99, although once more you possibly can count on to pay rather less in case you purchase on-line.
Exterior of gross sales, each these fashions price a bit greater than the Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5 equivalents (the 1TB mannequin goes for $99.99 / £99.90 whereas 2TB is $159.99 / £159.90) – once more, a drive that carried out barely higher in my testing.
The associated fee then will increase considerably as you progress in the direction of the 4TB mannequin, which is $319.99 / £329.99, or 8TB, which matches for an enormous $749.99 / £705.99. Though the newest arrival, the 8TB has already began receiving reductions of about $50 / £50 that put the value in step with most different 8TB PS5 suitable SSDs making it a stable possibility in case you can afford it.
WD Black SN850P: Specs
| Value | $119.99 / £107.99 / AU$199 (1TB), $189.99 / £184.99 / AU$339 (2TB), $319.99 / £329.99 / AU$699 (4TB), $749.99 / £705.99 / round AU$1,170 (8TB) |
| Capability | 1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 8TB |
| Quoted learn pace | 7,300 MB/s (8TB: 7,200 MB/s) |
| Quoted write pace | 6,600 MB/s |
| Sturdiness | 600TBW (1TB) |
| Guarantee | 5-year |
WD Black SN850P: Design and options
- Design is a step down from the SN850
- Heatsink included out of the field
- 5-year restricted guarantee
The design of the WD Black SN850P is, for my part, a step down from the SN850. It’s acquired the same total look, with a smooth black heatsink constructed from a really sturdy feeling metallic however lacks the little LED that was on high of the SN850. This was by no means an enormous promoting level, in spite of everything, you possibly can’t precisely see it when it’s been inserted inside a PS5. However it nonetheless makes for an SSD that appears a bit cheaper on the entire.
In any other case, you will have the identical white WD Black branding, plus a bit of label stating the identify of the product. One noticeable departure is the introduction of a white PlayStation brand on the right-hand facet, which matches every part properly.
Though it appears very related from a distance, the heatsink has really been redesigned with a barely totally different form and some extra gaps for dispersing warmth. Provided that I by no means skilled any noticeable thermal throttling on the SN850, I can’t say that this appears needed however it undoubtedly doesn’t harm. It additionally matches completely within the PS5 or PS5 Professional.
Within the field, you get the SSD in a bit of clamshell bundle, along with some guarantee and repair data. You’re lined by a five-year restricted guarantee right here, which does provide some peace of thoughts and signifies that this drive will probably see you thru the remainder of the PS5’s life in case you decide to get one.
WD Black SN850P: Efficiency
- Efficiency could possibly be higher for the value
- Preliminary benchmark rating was very poor
- Cheap leads to real-world exams
Once I first inserted the WD Black SN850P, the PS5’s inner benchmark measured it as a surprisingly low 5,966 MB/s. That is nonetheless above the really useful SSD specs for the console, however nowhere close to the marketed 7,300 MB/s or actually what you’ll fairly count on from a drive at this value. Fortunately, once I reformatted the drive and ran the take a look at once more a bit of later it scored a extra affordable 6,338 MB/s so I’ll chalk that first quantity as much as likelihood.
This second determine was nonetheless decrease than I wished, although, because the SN850, which is definitely marketed with a 7,000 MB/s learn pace, achieves figures within the 6,400 MB/s vary on my machine. It additionally places this behind the Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5, which recorded 6,459 MB/s.
Fortunately, the WD Black SN850P did pretty effectively in a sequence of real-world exams. Shifting to the drive from the PS5’s inner storage, a 23.24GB copy of Vampire the Masquerade: Swansong was copied in simply 12.61 seconds. A 33.35GB set up of Lords of the Fallen then took 15.89 seconds, whereas a forty five.98GB set up of The Crew Motorfest took 21.02 seconds.
Testing some bigger information, 101.9GB of Far Cry 6 took 43.74 seconds to repeat whereas a choice of a number of video games totalling 226.9GB copied in 3 minutes and 14 seconds. These figures are all enough and never quite a lot of seconds behind equal transfers on the Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5.
Copying again to the PS5, the 21.30GB Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising was able to play in 1 minute 27 seconds, whereas Stellar Blade, which is 32.41GB, took 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Lastly, the 38.34GB Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands copied again in 2 minutes and 34 seconds. These figures are all completely enough, and realistically extra depending on the PS5’s inner write pace than the rest.
Finally, you’re not going to run into any efficiency issues utilizing the WD Black SN850P. Each recreation I examined was clean, with respectable loading occasions and no noticeable slowdown. Simply keep in mind that, until you purchase on sale, you may get drives with extra oomph for the value.
Ought to I purchase the WD Black SN850P?
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
Additionally take into account…
Questioning what to decide on as an alternative of the WD Black SN850P? Try these options. You may also see our information to the finest PS5 exterior exhausting drives for some exterior choices.
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | WD Black SN850P | Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5 | Kingston Fury Renegade SSD |
| Value | $119.99 / £107.99 / AU$199 (1TB), $189.99 / £184.99 / AU$339 (2TB), $319.99 / £329.99 / AU$699 (4TB), $749.99 / £705.99 / round AU$1,170 (8TB) | $116.75 / £98.99 / round AU$180 (1TB) / $159.99 / £183 / round AU$250 (2TB) | $95.59 / £94.99 / round AU$150 (1TB), $154.99 / £147 / round AU$240 (2TB) / $299.99 / £273.71 / round AU$460 (4TB) |
| Capability | 1TB / 2TB / 4TB / 8TB | 1TB / 2TB | 500GB / 1TB / 2TB /4TB |
| Quoted learn pace | 7,300 MB/s (8TB: 7,200 MB/s) | 7,300 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s |
| Quoted write pace | 6,600 MB/s | 6,000 MB/s | 7,000 MB/s |
| Sturdiness | 600TBW (1TB) | 1275 TBW (1TB) | 1000 TBW (1TB) |
| Guarantee | 5-year | 5-year | 5-year |
How I examined the Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5
- Used as main PS5 SSD
- Examined over the course of per week
- Examined with a spread of titles
I examined the WD Black SN850P over the course of per week, utilizing it as my main PS5 SSD drive and enjoying all kinds of video games from it. Throughout my time with the drive, I used to be cautious to search for any noticeable impacts on efficiency in comparison with the console’s inner storage.
I additionally assessed the drive’s efficiency utilizing the built-in PS5 storage benchmark and by copying a big library of video games with a view to measure the time taken. I in contrast my expertise to my hands-on testing of different PS5 SSD fashions together with the Samsung 990 Professional, WD Black SN850, Seagate Sport Drive M.2 SSD for PS5, and extra.
First reviewed December 2024.
