Western Digital announced its expanded portfolio of WD_BLACK Solid-State Drives (SSDs), add-in cards and game docks.

For more information visit: www.WDBLACK.com

Unedited press release follows:

Western Digital Redefines the Next-Gen Gaming Experience with Expanded WD_BLACK Portfolio

Three new, innovative, high-performance SSD storage solutions purpose-built to equip gamers with the tools they need to optimize their gaming setup

Story Highlights

• Western Digital unveils upcoming NVMe™ SSD with next-gen PCIe® Gen4 technology touting up to 7000 MB/s1 sequential read speeds and up to 1M IOPs1 performance (1TB and 2TB models)

• New additions to WD_BLACK™ portfolio include one of the fastest Gen3 x8 add-in-cards in the market with SSD performance and a sleek Thunderbolt™ 3-powered NVMe SSD gaming dock

• New WD_BLACK lineup includes products with customizable RGB lighting controlled through the WD_BLACK dashboard (Windows® only)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) is helping gamers enhance their setups and adapt to the evolving gaming landscape heralded by the next generation of games with today’s introduction of 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.

“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 optimized 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 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. 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 capacities2 starting at $149.99 (MSRP USD).

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/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. The WD_BLACK AN1500 NVMe SSD Add-in-Card is available in 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities2 starting at $299.99 (MSRP USD).

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 WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is available in a 1TB capacity2 starting at $499.99 (MSRP USD). A non-SSD option, the WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock, is also available for purchase for $319.99 (MSRP USD).

Availability

• The WD_BLACK SN850 NVMe SSD standard non-heatsink model is expected to be available for purchase before the end of October 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 is now available for purchase at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators and the Western Digital store.

• The WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock and WD_BLACK D50 Game Dock NVMe SSD is now available for pre-order at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators and the Western Digital store.

Tune in to our WD_BLACK Digital Event at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET today for a deeper look into these products. To view the livestream, and for more information on the full WD_BLACK portfolio currently available, visit www.WDBLACK.com.

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.