Western Digital Unveils 3 SSD Solutions in WD_BLACK Portfolio for Gaming

Western Digital Corp. (WDC) is helping gamers enhance their setups and adapt to the evolving gaming landscape heralded by the next gen of games with introduction of 3 upcoming products for its BLACK portfolio of storage solutions.

These include its first NVMe SSD with next-gen PCIe Gen4 technology, a bootable Gen3 x8 add-in-card and a Thunderbolt 3-powered NVMe SSD gaming dock, each offering eye-catching RGB lighting options.

“As game developers move towards creating immersive titles that require higher performance, consumers need to equip themselves with the best tools to stay up-to-speed,” said Jim Welsh, SVP, consumer solutions. “Innovative, high-performance storage solutions are essential to keep up with this ever-changing landscape. Our latest WD_BLACK products have been purpose-built to allow gamers to meet the increasingly high standards of future games and gaming platforms. We’ve optimized these products to not only provide more storage for gamers but to elevate the gaming experience as a whole.“

Latest and upcoming WD_BLACK gaming portfolio includes:

WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD – Designed to feature the performance of PCIe Gen4 technology, this future-ready product will deliver R/W speeds up to 7000/5300MB/s ⁽¹⁾ (1TB model). Built with the WD_BLACK G2 controller and optimized for top-tier and high-intensive gaming (not intended for NAS or server environments), it will help gamers achieve PC performance. It reduces game load times and transfers files faster than its predecessor while using brand new cache technology⁽³⁾. In addition to performance, it also delivers improved low queue-depth performance over its predecessor, allowing both gaming and everyday users to experience smoother loading of applications. And, for the ultimate in aesthetics and customization, there will be an optional RGB-enabled heatsink model that cuts down on thermal throttling. The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD non-heatsink version will be available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB capacities ⁽²⁾ starting at $149.99 MSRP.

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WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD add-in-card

WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD add-in-card – For gamers looking to achieve performance in a current-gen setup, this bootable plug and play add-in card is one of the fastest PCIe Gen3 x8 solutions. Powered by 2 internal SSDs in RAID-0 and PCIe Gen3 x8 technology, gamers can experience read speeds up to 6,500MB/s ⁽¹⁾ and write speeds up to 4,100MB/s⁽¹⁾ (2TB and 4TB models), giving them fast game play so they can spend less time waiting and more time playing. Customizable RGB lighting (Windows only) complements your current rig while an integrated heatsink combats thermal throttling to help maintain peak performance. The WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card is available in one, two and 4TB capacities ⁽²⁾ starting at $299.99 MSRP.

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WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD

WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD – This compact, performance gaming dock SSD, with heatsink design, transforms a Thunderbolt 3-compatible laptop into an integrated and immersive gaming station. A solution for gamers looking to streamline their setup, the dock offers fast speeds with NVMe technology, more capacity for games, and multiple ports for accessories – all powered by a single Thunderbolt 3 cord. It is complete with customizable RGB lighting controlled through the WD_BLACK Dashboard (Windows only). The WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is available in a 1TB capacity⁽²⁾ starting at $499.99 MSRP. A non-SSD option, the WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock, is also available for purchase for $319.99 MSRP.

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Availability:

WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD standard non-heatsink model is expected to be available for purchase before the end of October 2020.
WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD heatsink model is expected to be available for purchase in 1Q21.
WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card is available for purchase at select company’s retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators and the firm’s webstore. .
WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock and WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is available for pre-order at select the firm’s retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators and the company’s webstore.

⁽¹⁾ As used for transfer rate, 1MB/s = one million bytes per second. IO/s = IO/s. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending upon host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.
⁽²⁾ As used for storage capacity, 1GB = one billion bytes and 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less depending on operating environment.
⁽³⁾ Based on internal testing using PCMark10 software to compare 1TB WD_BLACK SN750 and 1TB WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSDs.

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