The new Western Digital Black SN850 Internal Gaming Solid State Drive has different capacity option with varying performance speeds. If you are interested in what the differences are, you can check out this comparison guide between the 500GB, 1TB and 2TB WD_Black SN850 SSDs.
Quick Summary
When compared to the 500 GB and 2 TB capacity options, the 1 TB WD_Black SN850 SSD has the fastest maximum sequential write speeds. Otherwise, all three capacities have identical maximum sequential read speeds.
The 500GB, 1TB and 2TB SN850 solid state drives also have the same endurability, compatibility, temperature ranges, RGB lighting features, warranty coverage period and more.
If you are interested, you can purchase any of the aforementioned storage drives on Amazon with the following links:
- Western Digital 500GB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD
- Western Digital 1TB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD
- Western Digital 2TB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD
You can see how the SN850 compares to the SN750 with this article.
WD_Black SN850: 500GB vs. 1TB vs. 2TB Comparison Chart
| Western Digital 500GB WD_Black SN850 SSD | Western Digital 1TB WD_Black SN850 SSD | Western Digital 2TB WD_Black SN850 SSD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variants | Without Heatsink With Heatsink | Without Heatsink With Heatsink | Without Heatsink With Heatsink |
| Dimensions | Without Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 22.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 2.38 mm With Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.20 mm x 23.40 mm ± 0.20 mm x 8.80 mm ± 0.20 mm | Without Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 22.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 2.38 mm With Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.20 mm x 23.40 mm ± 0.20 mm x 8.80 mm ± 0.20 mm | Without Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 22.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 2.38 mm With Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.20 mm x 23.40 mm ± 0.20 mm x 8.80 mm ± 0.20 mm |
| Interface | PCIe Gen4 x4 | PCIe Gen4 x4 | PCIe Gen4 x4 |
| Backwards Compatible Interfaces | PCIe Gen3 x2 PCIe Gen3 x1 PCIe Gen2 x4 PCIe Gen2 x2 PCIe Gen2 x1 | PCIe Gen3 x2 PCIe Gen3 x1 PCIe Gen2 x4 PCIe Gen2 x2 PCIe Gen2 x1 | PCIe Gen3 x2 PCIe Gen3 x1 PCIe Gen2 x4 PCIe Gen2 x2 PCIe Gen2 x1 |
| Operating System Compatibility | Windows 10 Windows 8.1 | Windows 10 Windows 8.1 | Windows 10 Windows 8.1 |
| RGB Lighting? | Yes (Heatsink version only) | Yes (Heatsink version only) | Yes (Heatsink version only) |
| WD_BLACK Dashboard Support? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum Sequential Read Speed | Up to 7000 MB per second | Up to 7000 MB per second | Up to 7000 MB per second |
| Maximum Sequential Write Speed | Up to 4100 MB per second | Up to 5300 MB per second | Up to 5100 MB per second |
| Endurance | 300 TBW | 600 TBW | 1200 TBW |
| Operating Temperature Range | 32°F to 158°F (or 0°C to 70°C) | 32°F to 158°F (or 0°C to 70°C) | 32°F to 158°F (or 0°C to 70°C) |
| Storage Temperature Range | -67°F to 185°F (or -55°C to 85°C) | -67°F to 185°F (or -55°C to 85°C) | -67°F to 185°F (or -55°C to 85°C) |
| Warranty | 5-year limited warranty | 5-year limited warranty | 5-year limited warranty |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. |
Variants
The 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacities can be purchased either without a heatsink or with a heatsink.
Dimensions
All three capacity options should be identical in physical size with a heatsink pre-installed. The storage drives should also be the same size without a heatsink. You can take a look at the measurements (which is displayed in length by width by height) below:
- Without Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 22.00 mm ± 0.15 mm x 2.38 mm
- With Heatsink: 80.00 mm ± 0.20 mm x 23.40 mm ± 0.20 mm x 8.80 mm ± 0.20 mm
Interface
The 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB capacity options all utilize the PCIe Gen4 x4 interface.
Backwards Compatible Interfaces
All three internal solid state drives in this versus guide are also backwards compatible (although the performance speeds will be limited) with the following interfaces:
- PCIe Gen3 x2
- PCIe Gen3 x1
- PCIe Gen2 x4
- PCIe Gen2 x2
- PCIe Gen2 x1
Operating System Compatibility
All of the capacity options of the Western Digital Black SN850 are compatible with the following operating systems:
- Windows 10
- Windows 8.1
RGB Lighting
The heatsink-equipped versions of the three capacities also feature RGB lighting as you can customize how the internal solid state drives will light up inside your PC.
WD_BLACK Dashboard
To can change the aforementioned RGB lighting, as well as monitor the health and optimize the performance of the WD_Black SN850, you can use the free and downloadable WD_BLACK Dashboard software.
Maximum Sequential Read Speed
The 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB versions have the same maximum sequential reading speed:
- 500 GB WD_Black SN850: Up to 7000 MB per second
- 1 TB WD_Black SN850: Up to 7000 MB per second
- 2 TB WD_Black SN850: Up to 7000 MB per second
Maximum Sequential Write Speed
When it comes to the maximum sequential writing speed, the 1TB SSD is the best out of this group, beating the 2TB version by 200 MB per second and the 500GB version by 1000 MB per second. You can take a look at the max sequential write speed specs for all three storage drives below:
- 500 GB WD_Black SN850: Up to 4100 MB per second
- 1 TB WD_Black SN850: Up to 5300 MB per second
- 2 TB WD_Black SN850: Up to 5100 MB per second
Endurance
Solid state drive’s endurance is measured in Terabytes Written (or TBW for short), which means the amount of data that can be written on an SSD during its expected lifespan. The endurance is the same for all three capacity options if you take into account the TBW in relations to capacity of the drive.
You can check out the SN850 endurance specs below:
- 500 GB WD_Black SN850: 300 TBW
- 1 TB WD_Black SN850: 600 TBW
- 2 TB WD_Black SN850: 1200 TBW
Operating Temperature Range
The 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacity options have the same operating temperature ranges of 32°F to 158°F (or 0°C to 70°C).
Storage Temperature Range
The three capacities also have identical storage temperature ranges at -67°F to 185°F (or -55°C to 85°C).
Warranty
The Western Digital 500GB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD, Western Digital 1TB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD and Western Digital 2TB WD_Black SN850 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD each comes with a 5-year limited warranty.
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