WD_Black SN8100 2TB NVMe SSD - PCIe 5.0x4, M.2 2280, Up to 14,900MB/s Read Speed, up to 11,000MB/s Write Speed, Best for AI Applications, Gaming, and Video Editing - WDS200T1X0M

Coming from SN850x, those m.2 were already so fast but this one is almost double the speed, loading window only takes 3s (after initial mobo check). Heat management is not an issue at all unlike Samsung 9100 Pro that runs much hotter and very easy to install and I had no problem with the benchmark from CrystalDisk neither. Only downside is that it’s not yet affordable enough for many, $240 for 2tb, BUT don’t sleep on SN8100, they are very very reliable, great heat management and incredible random read/write. If budget is not an issue, by all means, get these!

I have a Dell 5820 Tower and I wanted a larger boot drive that was compatible. I cloned the existing 1TB NVMe SSD drive with Acronis, you can get from the WD website. Swapped the new drive in and it booted up no issues. The software even expanded the partition. Heat has been very stable and the PC is running great. Boots quickly and this one is faster than what I originally had. I have a Flex Bay system and the upgrade went a lot easier than I expected.

Expanding the storage on my children's PlayStation 5 was a worthwhile investment. The chosen solution offers excellent value, rapid performance, and ample capacity for future game downloads, eliminating the need to delete existing titles. The installation and setup process was straightforward, and witnessing my children's joy made it a truly rewarding experience.

First off, for someone reading this review that may not be fully aware, do NOT buy this hard drive if you have an older or more cost-efficient motherboard that only has up to PCIe Gen4 capability, as it will not allow you to achieve the manufacturer's target speeds. This is a PCIE Gen 5 NVMe SSD, which means it is made to pump with the latest PCIe Gen5 technology to maximize throughput. My Gaming Rig Build: I have an MSI MEG X670E ACE motherboard in a full MSI build prioritized for gaming, with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 16-core CPU with all performance cores. I went this route becuase WD Black NVMe SSD's were/are arguably more optomized for performance gaming over the Samsung Pro's, but you cannot go wrong with a Samsung Pro SSD either. I originally ran (2) WD Black SN850X PCIe Gen4 SSD's in the build, as PCIe Gen5 SSD's were still new at that time, so I wanted to wait until they were more mainstream, tested, and the kinks were worked out. I finally decided to clone my primary boot drive (Using Acronis True Image for Sandisk) and upgrade to this one, and it is literally double the speed. Using Blackmagic's Disk Speed Test for Comparison w/ 5GB loading: - WD Black SN850X PCIe Gen4 - 5,200 MB/s Write and 5,250 MB/s Read (Avg. rounded up) - WD Black SN8100 PCIe Gen 5 - 10,500 MB/s Write and 10,200 MB/s Read (Avg. rounded up) The results speak for themselves. I would assume that even newer PCIe Gen5 motherboards with the latest CPU's can get more performance out of this drive, but it is literally double the speed of it's fastest predecessor the SN850X. So far, it is stable and zero issues. Thermals also running around 82-degrees Farenheit right now on the SN8100, as my Gen5 SSD slot has a dedicated heat sink and the drive is fully exposed to the open case.

Very fast and stayed at 41c and under while benchmarking.

Is PCIE 5 necessary today? No. But I've never seen a faster SSD, and I'm ready for the future. Pros: -Temps stay cooler than my other (PCIE 4) WD_Black SSD, which is remarkable. -Blazing fast file transfers, game loading, etc -Was super easy to install -Future-proof Cons: -Price Overall fantastic SSD. I knew I was overpaying going into it, but this is a luxury purchase which I wanted. No regrets.

I had moved away from WD over the past several years after I was getting better performance with different NVMEs. However with this SN8100 2 TB, they are back on top for speed and now my favorite brand again. Just look at these benchmarks. Also, I recently got a new Mobo and processor and my old gen 5 nvme wasnt cutting it for performance. I am so glad I picked this up. Tested on a Aorus elite z890 with a Ultra 7 265k chip. Honestly not sure how I am getting those write speeds that are better than spec., but I wont complain. IMO, a good price on this gen5 performance. If you are upgrading, this is the nvme to get. Wow, I just cant .. wow best performance I have ever seen.

I upgraded to this drive from a samsung 980 Pro and let me tell you, the difference is night and day. I could just instantly tell the difference when I installed this. You can install an entire couple hundred gigabyte game in just a couple minutes. Make sure you have a pcie gen 5 compatible motherboard and cpu, and a spot to put it on your motherboard, otherwise it doesnt make much sense to upgrade. Other thing, it really doesn't run that hot, I have a nice motherboard (crosshair x670e Extreme) so I have a pretty good heatsink attached to the place this drive is installed, but I am just using passive cooling and its more than adequate. This drive goes for a tiny bit more than the 9100 pro, but the benchmarks say this is a bit better and it doesn't run quite as hot. It really makes a big difference too!!!