3 years ago
Jakub Dominik
Purchasing extra NVMe SSD storage for PS5 must be one of the most confusing and frustrating things I have ever experienced. There are many options and different specs, but that is not all. You also need to think about the heatsink, one that is low profile enough so you can install it safely in your PlayStation 5.
These problems are finally solved thanks to Sony's first officially licensed M.2 SSD – the [WD_BLACK SN850 M.2 NVMe SSD](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-100516233-15292614) drive from Western Digital.
**Store more, Play more, Fast.**
https://www.westerndigital.com/content/dam/store/en-us/assets/products/internal-storage/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd-for-ps5/gallery/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd-for-ps5-front.png
Western Digital is a company that specializes mainly in computer storage space. They are well-known and respected among the PC enthusiast crowd and console gamers as their NVMe storages are among the best on the market. Nothing is surprising in the fact that Sony chose Western Digital.
WD_BLACK SN850 is one of the industry's fastest and best-performing gaming NVMe drives. With an official license from Sony, one of the best drives has become **THE** drive to go for every gamer equipped with PlayStation 5 console.
WD_BLACK SN850 has undergone extensive and rigorous testing to ensure the product is 100% compatible with PS5. All that means you will never have to worry about compatibility issues when choosing SN850 with the official Sony License.
**WD_BLACK SN850 Specifications, Features, and Pricing**
Guarantee of full compatibility with your PS5 thanks to an official Sony license. Play PS4 and PS5 games directly from the drive without moving to PS5 primary storage. All-in-one heatsink design and exceptional quality assure smooth and cool operation and a hassle-free installation. Officially licensed SN850 drive comes in two versions and model numbers:
1TB Heatsink WDBBKW0010BBK-WRSN
2TB Heatsink WDBBKW0020BBK-WRSN
Each includes a 5-year limited warranty.
The 2 TB model can fit up to 50 games on your PS5 - The number of games is based on a 36GB average per game. The number of games will vary based on file size, formatting, other programs, and factors.
**Speeds**
Both drives have a sequential read speed of **7000 MB/s**
and a sequential write speed of **5300 MB/s** for the 1TB model and **5100MB/s** for the 2TB one. Both versions operate under **the PCIe Gen4** interface.
**Endurance – How Many Terabytes SSD Can Write in its Lifetime (TBW)**
2TB - **1200 Terabytes**
1TB - **600 Terabytes**
For example, to reach TBW of the 1TB model within a year, you would have to write 1,643 TBs of data daily! Installing a 50 GB game every single day for a year would amass to just 18.250 TBs yearly. As you can see, you don't have to worry about NVMe longevity.
**Dimensions**
Length: 80mm
Width: 23.4mm
Height: 8.80mm
Weight: 24 grams
**Temperatures and Compatibility**
0°C TO 70°C operating temperature.
-55°C TO 85°C non-operating temperature.
Drives are compatible with Windows 8.1, 10, 11, and PlayStation 5 with software version 21.02-04.00.00 or higher.
**Price**
WD_BLACK SN850 1TB variant costs **£179.99**, and the 2TB costs **£289.99**.
As of writing this article, SN850 is only available at [Western Digital](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-100516233-15292614) from July 11 - July 25, but options from other retailers (like Amazon) are coming soon.
**WD SN850 vs Competition**
To understand how SN850 benefits from a partnership with Sony, we compare Western Digital Licensed drive with some of the industry's finest NVMe SSDs.
There is much choice in an SSD NVMe space. Most companies have strong alternatives, like the Samsung 980 PRO, which offers the same read speeds of 7000MB/s although slightly lower 5000MB/s write speed. The heatsink is available at an extra cost and requires installation. Another popular choice, although this time for its price point, is the P5 Plus from Crucial. The attractive price comes at the cost of higher operating temperatures and lower speeds of 6600MB/s write and 5000MB/s read, respectively. Yet again, in this case, the heatsink is purchased separately, and installation is required.
There are also faster drives, like the PNY XLR8 with 7500MB/s read and 6850MB/s write speeds. It is worth noting that the PS5 console limits NVMe write speeds to a maximum of 6100MB/s. Hence, the advertised speeds here look like a marketing move, if anything else. PNY also refuses to give any official information about the drive's endurance, which is a slight concern.
All these drives are "PS5 compatible", although not officially approved/licensed by Sony. You can always buy a drive and get a third-party heatsink to realize it's too big to fit or it doesn't do the job (cool) properly. There is always a risk, and it's easy to make mistakes, especially when you just discovered what NVMe SSD drives are.
**Final Verdict and Personal Thoughts**
https://www.westerndigital.com/content/dam/store/en-us/assets/products/internal-storage/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd-for-ps5/gallery/wd-black-sn850-nvme-ssd-for-ps5-angle.png
There is no doubt that WD_BLACK SN850 is a fantastic drive, one of the best on the market, especially now that it has official Sony licensing. We can all agree that most of us who prefer to game on consoles, particularly on PS5, do it because of the ease of use (and games, of course). The nature of console gaming is "plug and play". Sony and Western Digital extended this idea of ease of use, creating a top-performing and hassle-free NVMe SSD.
WD_BLACK SN850 is fast, as fast as you virtually need it for PS5. It comes with an all-in-one heatsink, ready to be plugged in. The M.2 SSD eliminates compatibility worries thanks to official licensing. The only downside I would point out is a little bit of a steep price for both models. This isn't surprising, as the SN850 is the first Sony licensed SSD for PS5. The price will decrease as time flies.
On the other hand, peace of mind and the fact that I will never have to measure every heatsink I find on Amazon to make sure it will fit inside my console sells me over. Overall, the Sony licensed WD_BLACK SN850 gets my recommendation. I would recommend it, especially to people who are not really into tech and want a console with enough storage to game on, hassle-free happily. And if you are a tech geek, you will surely appreciate those drives' all-in-one build and top-of-the-line performance.
As a PC enthusiast, I know how vast and often complicated and confusing hardware can be. It's great that Western Digital and Sony made it a little bit simpler, especially for console gamers. Sony made another significant step in expanding its hardware portfolio, and it's a good thing. It's good to see well-established enthusiast brands like Western Digital partnering with makers of arguably the best gaming consoles.
Once again, if you're interested in purchasing an officially licensed Sony NVMe SSD from Western Digital, you can click [here](https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-100516233-15292614). Western Digital confirmed the product is coming to more retailers in the UK after July 25, so keep an eye out.
**Disclaimers**
Jakub Dominik is a gaming and technology journalist for Stock Checker. You may follow him on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Hexagon90x).
Images used in this article belong to Western Digital and Sony, respectively.