WESTERN DIGITAL INTRODUCES NEXT-GEN PCIe® GEN4 TECHNOLOGY WITH THE WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD

Western Digital continues to support eSports in Thailand with the launch of its third nationwide gaming tournament: WD_BLACK x FIFA Online 4 Winter Cup 2020

BANGKOK, Thailand, 18 November 2020 – Western Digital today introduced the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD that comes with next-gen PCIe® Gen4 technology optimized for top-tier gaming. Together with the recently announced WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card and WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD, this is the third latest SSD addition to the expanded WD_BLACK™ portfolio that is aimed to help gamers achieve supreme performance.

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 optimized for top-tier and high-intensive gaming (not intended for NAS or server environments), the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD will help gamers achieve supreme PC performance. It reduces game load times and transfers files faster than its predecessor while using brand new cache technology3.

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. On top of that, 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 capacities2 starting at THB4,990.

Expanded WD_BLACK gaming portfolio

On top of the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD, the expanded WD_BLACK gaming portfolio also includes:

  • WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card – A fully bootable, plug and play add-in card that’s 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/s1 and write speeds up to 4100MB/s1 (2TB and 4TB models), giving them lightning fast gameplay 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.
  • 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 customizable RGB lighting controlled through the WD_BLACK Dashboard (Windows® only).

The new expanded WD_BLACK portfolio would be unveiled for the first time in Thailand at the Western Digital booth (Booth #D9) at the Commart Xtreme show happening on 26 – 29 November 2020. Booth visitors would be able to experience the full suite of WD_BLACK gaming solutions and participate in exciting activities onsite.

For more information on the full WD_BLACK portfolio, visit www.WDBLACK.com.

WD_BLACK x FIFA Online 4 Winter Cup 2020

In a continued effort to support eSports in Thailand, Western Digital also returns with its third nationwide eSports tournament in 2020 – WD_BLACK x FIFA Online 4 Winter Cup 2020. This Championship is open to all gamers, and registration can be done from now until 2 December 2020.

There are three categories open for registration, and they include Open Qualifiers, University Open Qualifiers and iCafe Open Qualifiers. These online Qualifiers will start on 4 Dec 2020.

Last eight team winners from these three categories, consisting of four teams from Open Qualifiers, two teams from University Open Qualifiers and two teams from iCafe Open Qualifiers, will then proceed to battle it out at the Grand Finals, which will take place offline on 23 – 24 January 2021.

Participants taking part in this Championship stand a chance to win prizes worth THB300,000.

For full details on this Championship, please visit https://wd.beyondgodlike.net.

 

About Western Digital

Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. As a leader in data infrastructure, the company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Our data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk®, and WD® brands.

1 As used for transfer rate, 1 MB/s = 1 million bytes per second. IOPS = Input/Output Operations Per Second. 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 = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = 1 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.

 

© 2020 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Western Digital, the Western Digital logo, G-Technology, SanDisk, WD, WD_BLACK and the WD_BLACK logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. NVMe™ is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. PCIe® is a registered trademark and/or service mark of PCI-SIG in the United States and/or other countries. Thunderbolt and the Thunderbolt logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or other countries. Windows is a trademark or registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.  All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Product specifications subject to change without notice. Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products are available in all regions of the world.

 

# # #

 

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including the expected availability, benefits, capabilities, capacity, performance and/or other features of the WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD, WD_BLACK AN1500 Add-in-Card, and WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock products. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate including, among others: changes to specifications from standards organizations, future responses to and effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, volatility in global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the storage ecosystem; impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in competing technologies; our development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, divestitures, mergers and joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the company’s most recently filed periodic report, to which your attention is directed. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Posted in