Western Digital Corp today introduces three new and upcoming products for its WD_BLACK portfolio of storage solutions. These include its first NVMe solid-state drive (SSD) with next-gen PCIe® Gen4 technology, a fully bootable Gen3 x8 add-in-card and a Thunderbolt 3-powered NVMe SSD gaming dock, each offering eye-catching RGB lighting options. The new products is aim to help gamers enhance their setups and adapt to the evolving gaming landscape heralded by the next generation of games.
“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, senior vice president, Consumer Solutions, Western Digital. “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 optimised these products to not only provide more storage for gamers but to elevate the gaming experience as a whole.”
The latest and upcoming WD_BLACK gaming portfolio includes:
WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD
Designed to feature the unprecedented performance of PCIe Gen4 technology, this future-ready product will deliver fast read/write speeds up to 7000/5300MB/s1 (1TB model). Built with the WD_BLACK G2 controller and optimised for top-tier and high-intensive gaming. The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD will help gamers achieve supreme PC performance, and is not intended for NAS or server environments.
It reduces game load times and transfers files faster than its predecessor while using brand new cache technology. In addition to high performance, the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD 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 customisation, 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 capacities2 starting at $225 (MSRP AUD).
WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card
For gamers looking to achieve next-gen performance in a current-gen setup, this fully bootable plug and play add-in card is one of the fastest PCIe Gen3 x8 solutions on the market. Powered by two internal SSDs in RAID 0 and PCIe Gen3 x8 technology, gamers can experience read speeds up to 6500 MB/s and write speeds up to 4100MB/s (2TB and 4TB models), giving them lightning-fast gameplay so they can spend less time waiting and more time playing. Customisable 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 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities2 starting at $399 (MSRP AUD).
WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD
This compact, high-performance gaming dock SSD, with heatsink design, transforms a Thunderbolt 3-compatible laptop into an integrated and immersive gaming station. An optimal solution for gamers looking to streamline their setup, the dock offers superfast speeds with NVMe technology, more capacity for games, and multiple ports for accessories – all powered by a single Thunderbolt 3 cord. The WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is complete with customisable RGB lighting controlled through the WD_BLACK Dashboard (Windows® only). The WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is available in 1TB and 2TB capacities2 starting at $849 (MSRP AUD).
A non-SSD option, the WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock, is also available for purchase for $549 (MSRP AUD).
Availability
The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD standard non-heatsink model will be available for purchase at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, and system integrators starting December 2020. The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD heatsink model is expected to be available for purchase in the first calendar quarter of 2021.
The WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card will be available for purchase at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers and system integrators starting 22nd October 2020.
The WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock and WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD will be available for purchase at select Western Digital retailers and etailers including Officeworks, Amazon, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi starting December 2020.
