Skip to main content

Blistering-fast Western Digital SSDs hit up to 7,300MB/s

Western Digital announced a bunch of new products, and among them, there is a new version of the WD_Black SN850 NVMe SSD. It arrives updated with faster speeds, lower latency, predictive loading, and some new cooling tech.

Upon release, the new SSD may swiftly climb the ranks of the best gaming SSDs of the year.

Western Digital Black SN850X NVMe SSD.
Digital Trends

The announcement comes from Western Digital’s own event, which is called What’s Next Western Digital. The company showcased a number of new releases for this year, including some truly impressive hard drives and eSSDs aimed at enterprise users, but for most of us, the most exciting reveal lies in the new consumer-level NVMe SSDs.

Recommended Videos

The star of the lineup appears to be a new NVMe SSD dubbed the WD_Black SN850X which appears to be a direct follow-up to the already successful WD_Black SN850. The company also unveiled the drive in a quick YouTube video, and what we are seeing here is definitely an SSD made for gaming enthusiasts who want fast speeds and lightning-quick loading screens.

The WD_Black SN850X is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive that delivers a direct upgrade over its predecessor, reaching read speeds of up to 7,300MB/s. Western Digital also promises some less measurable improvements that will contribute to the performance of the SSD.

One such improvement is the adaptive thermal management of the new drive. Beefy SSDs such as this one can run a little hot, so it is good that Western Digital considered this in designing the drive. You’ll be able to pick up the new SSD with or without a heatsink depending on your needs — in a smaller, cramped case, it could certainly be useful.

Western Digital WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

WD_Black SN850X also boasts lower latency and predictive loading. Both of these features rely on learning what you’re currently doing in order to predict what you will do next. This allows them to minimize loading times and cut back on those pesky loading screens even more. If this works as advertised, it could prove to be fantastic for gamers.

Aside from raw upgrades, the SSD comes with Western Digital’s Game Mode 2.0 software that helps you make the most of it, and you can get it in three different sizes: 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB.

As mentioned above, Western Digital also unveiled a host of new products. Among them, you’ll find one more consumer-level SSD, the WD_Black SN740, which seems to be quite similar to the WD_Black SN770. There are also some massive drives that no regular computer user would ever want to (or be able to) own, such as a 22TB conventional magnetic recording (CMR) drive and a 26TB UltraSMR. These products were made for cloud computing, servers, and for other similar uses.

If you’re eager to get your hands on the new Western Digital SSD, hold your horses — the release date has been set for July this year. The new drive will start out with a $190 price tag for the cheapest version, and the pricing will definitely scale up if you choose the bigger models.

Monica J. White
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Wimbledon’s robot line judges caught napping on Centre Court
wimbledon

Following in the footsteps of the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, Wimbledon finally did away with human line judges in favor of Hawk-Eye technology at this year's Championships.

All 18 courts have incorporated the system, which uses multiple high‑speed cameras and real‑time computer vision algorithms, with loudspeakers emitting an audible “out” to confirm a missed shot.

Read more
This Dyson doesn’t suck … it grows
Dyson's Hybrid Vertical Growing System.

While it's best known for vacuums and other household appliances, Dyson has also established itself in the world of farming, with a team of engineers coming up with tech-based solutions to improve efficiency and boost production.

A video (top) shared recently by the British company features a remarkable -- and remarkably huge -- Hybrid Vertical Growing System, located inside a greenhouse.

Read more
Watch how NASA is using VR to prep for upcoming moon missions
NASA using VR for training.

NASA is aiming to put astronauts back on the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission, currently scheduled for 2027. While the date could slip, the space agency will continue with training and other preparation for the highly anticipated mission, so that when the day for launch does finally come, the crew will be ready.

NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, has just dropped a video (top) showing how it’s utilizing virtual reality (VR) technology to prepare astronauts for spacewalks -- also known as extravehicular activities (EVAs) -- on the moon’s surface. 

Read more