SN850 vs SN850X: Which Is Better?🔥

If your hard disk is running out of space or has generally become slower, the best option is to upgrade to an SSD. SSDs are faster than HDDs and guarantee efficiency during high-end gaming, video editing, and 3D rendering. Which is the best SSD to upgrade to between SN850 vs SN850X?

Well, to help answer that question, this guide seeks to give a comprehensive comparison of both SSDs whose manufacturer is Western Digital (WD) company. To help you better understand both SSDs, this article will compare them based on storage capacity, speed, purchase price, specifications, game performance, and overall performance.

WD Black SN850 vs SN850X: Comprehensive Comparison

Both WD Black SN850 and WD Black SN850X are solid-state drives (SSDs) manufactured by Western Digital. With regards to the release dates, SN850 came first. Essentially, the SN850X is a successor and potential replacement of the SN850.

Sometimes, when you want to buy a new NVMe SSD, you may wonder which one to choose from among the two. In this section, we'll briefly introduce the two drives and then extensively compare them based on different aspects.  

1️⃣ WD Black SN850 SSD

The SN850 was officially released in February 2021. As the first of its kind regarding PCIe Gen4 technology, this SSD is suitable for top-tier gaming. It comes with a storage capacity of up to 2 TB, allowing you to store larger game files.

The sequential read speed for this drive is 7,000MB/s, while its sequential write performance is 5,300MB/s. To help you customize your gaming needs, the SN850 has downloadable WD_Black Dashboard software.

2️⃣ WD Black SN850X SSD

The SN850X was officially released to the market in August 2022. This SSD from Western Digital was meant to improve on the SN850. It has a minimum storage capacity of 1 TB and a maximum of 4 TB. It has a WD_Black Dashboard software that controls your RGB style and checks your drive's health.

It has a top-notch sequential read speed of 7,300MB/s and a write speed of 6,300MB/s. This NVMe drive brags of unique features such as overhead balancing, predictive loading, and adaptive thermal management.

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Comprehensive Comparison of Both SSDs

With a brief introduction to the two SSDs, it's time to compare and understand them deeper. Although both drives are from the same company, they have varying features. We'll compare them based on specifications, price, capacity, game performance, and overall performance.

#️⃣1. Specifications                 

Probably, the first thing that comes to mind when you want to choose between the two SSDs is their specifications. This could cover speed, storage capacity, warranty, interface, form factor, etc. Below is a table that compares SN850 vs SN850X based on specifications.

Specification	SN850X	SN850
🗂️Sequential Read Speed	7,300MB/s	7,000MB/s
🗃️Sequential Write Speed	6,300MB/s	5,300MB/s
🎯Storage Capacity	1 TB to 4 TB	1 TB to 2 TB
💰Warranty	5 years	5 years
🎨Hardware Interface	PCI Express 4.0	PCI Express 4.0
🧩Brand	WD_Black	WD_Black
✨Form Factor	M.2 2280	M.2 2280 S3-M
📈Weight	0.264 ounces	0.264 ounces
💾Flash Memory Size	1 TB	1 TB
💻Compatible Devices	Laptop, Motherboards	Laptop, Motherboards

Based on the above WD Black SN850 and WD Black SN850X SSD review, the choice is on you concerning the one that you like.

#️⃣2. Purchase Price

This section will give the prices of the two SSDs listed on Amazon and the Western Digital (WD) official website.

SN850

• 500GB is available for $84.50 on Amazon but not on the WD official website.
• 1 TB is available for $85.00 on Amazon and $89.99 on the WD official website.
• 2 TB is available for $149.99 on the WD official website but is currently unavailable at Amazon.

SN850X

• 1 TB is available for $79.98 on Amazon and $79.99 on the WD official website.
• 2 TB is available for $129.99 on Amazon and $129.99 on the WD official website.
• The 4 TB model is available for $289.99 on Amazon and $349.99 on WD's official website.

You can now select and purchase your best storage capacity based on the above prices.

#️⃣3. Storage Capacity

The SN850X offers a storage capacity of up to 4 TB. It provides storage options of 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB. On the other hand, the SN850 provides a maximum storage capacity of 2 TB with storage options of 500GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB. The difference is that the SN850 lacks 4 TB while the SN850X lacks the 500GB drive option.

Moreover, the RBG cooler option is available for the 1 TB and 2 TB versions of the SN850X, while the SN850 uses non-RGB cooler options for all its drive capacities.

#️⃣4. Game Performance

SN850 enhances the drive's responsiveness in Game Mode by suppressing low-power states. Unique approaches such as overhead balancing, predictive loading, and adaptive thermal management were applied in SN850's Game Mode 2.0.

It also uses a speculative loading algorithm to get information about an upcoming queue depth when processing most games' workloads. SN850X uses the WD_Black Dashboard software to optimize gaming activities on your drive. It checks the drive's health status and provides the relevant tools and settings to enhance your gaming experience.

In addition to turning Game Mode on/off via the dashboard software, SN850X comes with Game Mode 2.0, which allows you to automatically detect when a game gets launched. 

#️⃣5. Overall Performance

Powered by its PCIe Gen4 technology, SN850X has sequential read speeds of 7,300MB/s and sequential write speeds of 6,300MB/s. With these high speeds, the SSD guarantees reduced loading time when playing games and faster data transfers. This drive is specifically important in applications that need to access large files quickly when running.

This includes applications related to gaming, 3D rendering, and video editing. The SN850 also uses the PCIe Gen4 technology to enhance responsiveness and your overall gaming experience. This is made possible with sequential read speeds of 7,000MB/s and sequential write speeds of 5,300MB/s. The SN850 speeds are also high, just like in SN850X, although the latter is slightly faster.

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How to Choose Between SN850 and SN850X

Since they are products from the same company, SN850 and SN850X have many features in common. Despite that, the factors you can consider when choosing between the two include speed, storage capacity, and purchase price. The SN850X has sequential read and write speeds of 7,300MB/s and 6,300MB/s respectively.

Both speeds are higher than that of SN850, which has 7,000MB/s and 5,300MB/s, respectively. Based on this factor, you can choose the SN850X if the application you intend to run requires high performance to boost its efficiency. However, if you intend to run average applications that don't necessarily require high speeds, you can be comfortable with SN850.

Regarding storage capacity, SN850X offers up to 4 TB of storage, while SN850 only offers 2 TB. Again, if you intend to run programs that require large storage, SB850X is the best option. However, if you can comfortably work with a storage capacity of 2 TB without any interference, you can pick SN850.

Lastly, SN850X seems to cost less than SN850. For example, 1 TB and 2 TB of SN850X cost $79.98 and $129.99 respectively on Amazon. On the other hand, 1 TB and 2 TB of SN850 cost $85.00 and $149.99 respectively on Amazon. This is something unique with the SN850X since it comes at a lower price, yet it provides better features.

Since most people consider price when purchasing items, I think SN850X gets better placed between the two SSDs. 

Bonus: Upgrade to a New SSD Easily Without Losing Data

Deciding to upgrade your computer to SSD is always a good decision since you will boost your system's speed and performance. However, upgrading to a new drive is not easy, especially if you have a lot of data to move with. Sometimes, data may also get corrupted during the transfer process.

One tool that can help you overcome this and seamlessly upgrade to a new SSD is EaseUS Disk Copy. This unique software allows you to move large files from one hard drive to another quickly and securely. It is specifically useful if your current hard drive or SSD got depleted of storage and you want to transfer your data quickly.

EaseUS is also important to replace a failing hard drive and perform data recovery.

The main features of EaseUS Disk Copy include:

• Upgrade the hard drive while maintaining the safety of your data.
• Clone an old hard drive to a new one.
• Create a WinPE bootable disk.
• Migrate windows between PCs without reinstallation.
• Recover data from a failing hard drive.

To start enjoying these features provided by EaseUS Disk Copy, ensure you download and install them on your computer today. The steps to get started with this software are very simple.

Prior Notice:

• The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
• All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.

Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, choose this disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout". 

• "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
• "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
• "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.

Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK" and then click "Next".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

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Wrapping Up

In conclusion, both SN850 and SN850X have fast performance speeds. In this comprehensive guide of SN850 vs SN850X, we've established that both drives use the PCIe Gen4 technology. Overall, WD Black SN850X performed higher read and write speeds than SN850.

Also, SN850X offers a storage capacity of up to 4 TB, while SN850 provides a maximum of 2 TB. Regarding price, the SN850X provides a cheaper option than the SN850. If you've chosen to upgrade from HDD to SSD, the best tool for seamless data transfer is EaseUS Disk Copy.

This data transfer tool will allow you to move all your files from your old drive to an SSD without any loss. The software is fast, flexible, and safe. Ensure you download EaseUS Disk Copy today for all your data transfer needs.

FAQs on SN850 and SN850X

Below are frequently asked questions about SN850 vs SN850X.

1. Is WD SN850X Good for PS5?

Yes, SN850X is much recommended for PS5. This is because it has fast read and write speeds that boost your gaming experience. Specifically, it has a sequential read speed of 7,300MB/s and a write speed of 6,300MB/s. 

2. Is WD Black SN850 Faster than Samsung 980 Pro?

The SN850 has a faster write speed (5,300MB/s) compared to the Samsung 980 Pro, which has a write speed of 5,000MB/s. Although both drives have a sequential read speed of 7,000MB/s, the SN850 is considered slightly faster because of the 300MB/s advantage regarding the write speed.

3. What Is the Power Consumption of SN850X?

The SN850X has a power draw of 1.1W when idle, 4,1W when working on average, and 6.8W in peak performance.