The new WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 is completely pointless

Save yourself some money and buy the regular WD Black SN850 instead

(Credit: WD_Black)

WD Black has announced a new NVMe SSD for PS5, but candidly speaking, it’s completely pointless. Here’s why you should opt for the regular WD Black SN850 – one of our picks as the best SSD for PS5 – over this “officially licensed for PlayStation 5” model.

While it’s comforting to see Sony’s stamp of approval on this drive, the new WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD for PS5 is the same as the original WD Black SN850. It has the same 7000MB/s read and 5300MB/s write speeds and comes in two capacities, 1TB and 2TB. Curiously, there’s no 500GB version this time around.

The sole difference is that the SSD now sports a blue LED when in operation. The LED admittedly looks nice in photos, but it’s an utterly pointless addition as you’ll never actually see it. 🤦‍♂️

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny

• 🆕 New officially licensed for PS5 WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD

• 💰 Price: $169.99 for the 1TB model, $279.99 for the 2TB model

• 💽 Capacities: 1TB and 2TB

• ✅ You’re better off buying the regular WD Black SN850 NVMe SSD

Our comprehensive PS5 SSD upgrade guide shows that the drive is hidden underneath the SSD bay’s cover and the PS5’s cover plates. So, unless you have X-ray vision, that LED won’t be visible… 👀

(Credit: The Shortcut)

The blue LED does serve one purpose, though. It allows WD Black to charge slightly more for its new PS5-certified drive. The MSRP for the new SSD drives is $169.99 for the 1TB model and $279.99 for the 2TB model. That’s a small markup of $10 and looks even more egregious when you consider that the standard WD Black SN850 1TB drive is currently $113.99 at Amazon, and the 2TB model is $197.59. That’s a saving of $56 and $82, respectively.

Another reason there’s no need to opt for the new officially licensed version of the WD Black SN850 is that the standard model already has Sony’s seal of approval. PlayStation 5 lead system architect Mark Cerny tweeted that he put his money down for WD Black’s NVMe SSD. 👇

Mark Cerny @cerny

Our solution to our very active two gamer PS5 household? His-and-hers SSDs :-) Couple of awesome options for 7000MB/s, ended up putting my $$ down on this one. Going to be SWEEET!!!

What’s more, I have the WD Black SN850 installed in my PS5, and it works perfectly. It meets all of Sony’s SSD requirements and has a built-in heatsink. The only thing that’s missing is a blue LED… 🤷‍♂️

• 🆚 Can’t decide? Check out our PS5 vs Xbox Series X comparison

It can be easy to be swayed by an “officially licensed” product badge, but you’re throwing money away for a slightly rejigged and rebranded model here. You could pick up one of the best PS5 games or some of the best PS5 accessories with the money you save.