Western Digital released an 8TB version of its WD_Black SN850P NVMe SSD that’s officially licensed for the PlayStation 5 console. This doubles the capacity of the previous largest WD_Black SSD for the PS5, which was 4TB. However, the 8TB version is much more expensive, coming in at $999.99 on the Western Digital page, almost thrice the price of the $349.99 4TB version.
The 8TB version is the largest possible SSD you can get from WD_Black for the PlayStation 5, but it’s a bit slower in sequential reads compared to its stablemates by about 100 MB/s. However, it’s unlikely that you’ll notice this difference in actual gaming performance. All other metrics, including random read and write performance and endurance, fall within the expected values.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB | 8TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read Performance | 7,300 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 7,200 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Performance | 6,300 MB/s | 6,600 MB/s | 6,600 MB/s | 6,600 MB/s |
| Random Read | 800K IOPS | 1200K IOPS | 1200K IOPS | 1200K IOPS |
| Random Write | 1100K IOPS | 1100K IOPS | 1100K IOPS | 1200K IOPS |
| Endurance (TBW) | 600 | 1200 | 2400 | 4800 |
However, this massive SSD for your PlayStation 5 comes at a cost. It’s almost thrice the price of its 4TB version and about $150 more expensive than the 8TB WD_Black SN850X NVMe SSD without a heatsink, which is the basis of the SN850P.
Here’s a comparison of the prices of the vanilla SN850X versions versus their PlayStation 5-certified cousins.
| Capacity | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB | 8TB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SN850P for PS5 Consoles | $119.99 Sale Price ($149.99 RRP) | $189.99 Sale Price ($219.99 RRP) | $349.99 Sale Price ($389.99 RRP) | $999.99 RRP |
| SN850X with heatsink | $99.99 Sale Price ($129.99 RRP) | $159.99 Sale Price ($199.99 RRP) | $369.99 RRP | - |
| SN850X without heatsink | $89.99 Sale Price ($119.99 RRP) | $159.99 Sale Price ($179.99 RRP) | $309.99 Sale Price ($349.99 RRP) | $849.99 RRP |
The only physical difference between the SN850P and the SN850X with the heatsink is that the former is about 0.2 inches shorter, allowing it to fit more freely inside the PlayStation 5. Nevertheless, despite its taller size, the SN850X with heatsink still fits inside the PS5 SSD slot.
Unfortunately, the 8TB version of the SN850X isn’t available yet with a heatsink. So, if you want an 8TB SSD that won’t overheat in your console, you must pay the $150 premium on the SN850P version. This larger capacity is becoming crucial as new AAA titles are getting larger and larger every year. For example, the PC port for God of War: Ragnarok requires at least 190GB and GTA VI is expected to require between 150 to 300GB when it arrives. If you’re the type to hoard a lot of AAA games on your PlayStation 5, then you need this upgrade in your console.
