Storage speed has become the least discussed upgrade in modern gaming, and the WD_BLACK SN850X with heatsink exists to remove the last excuse for living with slow load times. This is the 2TB version, model WDS200T2XHE, a PCIe Gen4 M.2 drive rated at up to 7,300 MB/s reads and 6,300 MB/s writes, with a heatsink bolted on for the PlayStation 5 expansion bay and high performance desktops. I ran it in a PC and dropped it into a PS5 for a month, and this review covers the real world speeds, the thermals, and whether the heatsink version is worth the premium over the bare drive.
Before the details, the standard disclosure: this article contains affiliate links. If you buy through one of them, the site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not affect what I test or what I write.
Design and Build
The SN850X is a single sided M.2 2280 drive, and the heatsink version ships with a low profile aluminum plate already installed. The bundled heatsink is the detail that makes this model different from the bare drive, and it is sized to fit the PS5 expansion bay without modification. The drive itself is a compact black PCB with the controller and NAND on one side, which keeps it thin enough for laptops that supply their own cooling and for the PS5 slot that demands a fitted heatsink.
The build quality is what you expect from a flagship drive. The label is clean, the connector seats firmly, and the heatsink attaches with a simple clamp that does not interfere with the rest of the system. Western Digital rates this drive for 1,200 terabytes written, which is a long lifespan even under heavy gaming and content creation loads, and it ships with the five year warranty that backs the flagship WD_BLACK line.
Key Features
The headline feature is speed. The SN850X uses the WD_BLACK G2 controller and The PCIe Gen4 interface to reach up to 7,300 MB/s sequential read and 6,300 MB/s sequential write, which puts it at the top of The Gen4 market. The drive also carries the features gamers actually notice: reduced latency, efficient power management, and a temperature behavior that keeps sustained transfers from stalling the way some drives do after a few minutes of heavy writing.
The bundled heatsink is the second feature, and for PS5 owners it is the decisive one. Sony requires the expansion drive to carry a heatsink that fits the bay and handles the console's thermal load, and this version arrives ready to install with no extra parts to buy. Western Digital also provides the WD_BLACK Dashboard software, which monitors drive health and temperature and can enable Game Mode 2.0 for lower latency on the drive.
The WD_BLACK Dashboard software is worth a mention for PC owners because it turns the drive from a black box into a monitored component. Temperature, remaining endurance, and firmware updates all live in one small application, and the Game Mode toggle is a single click. Console owners will not need any of it, since the PS5 manages the drive itself, but desktop builders who like to watch their hardware get a small but useful free utility that most rivals cannot match at this price.
Real-World Performance
In a desktop with a PCIe Gen4 slot, the SN850X hit its rated numbers in sequential benchmarks: over 7,300 MB/s read and over 6,300 MB/s write with the drive running cool under the bundled heatsink. The more meaningful test was loading games, and the difference from a Gen3 drive was obvious. Large open world titles that took twenty seconds to load on the older drive opened in under ten, and texture pop in during fast travel essentially disappeared.
The PS5 install is where the heatsink version earns its name. The drive slid into the expansion bay with the bundled heatsink clearing the bay cover by a comfortable margin, and the console recognized the 2TB drive on the first boot and ran its own speed test to confirm compatibility. Games installed and launched from the drive throughout the month, and the console reported safe temperatures even during long sessions with several games installed at once.
Thermals were a non issue across both platforms. The bundled heatsink kept the drive under its throttling point during sustained transfers, and the Dashboard software confirmed healthy temperatures during a week of daily game installs and large file copies. The 2TB capacity is the other practical win: a full modern game library fits on the drive, which is the difference between keeping games installed and juggling which ones to delete.
Capacity planning is where a 2TB drive reveals its value across a month. With several large games installed, the console still had room for new releases without deleting anything, and on the desktop the drive carried the operating system, a production suite, and a full game library with more than half the space untouched. The drive also handled a large backup of photos and video at full speed, which is the kind of task that exposes throttling on lesser SSDs and never once slowed this one down. For anyone who has lived with a tight drive, that headroom changes how you treat the machine.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Reaches its rated 7,300 MB/s read and 6,300 MB/s write speeds
- Bundled heatsink fits the PS5 bay with no extra parts
- Large 2TB capacity holds a full game library
- Runs cool under sustained transfers
- Five year warranty and 1,200 TBW endurance rating
Cons:
- Costs more than the bare version with the same performance
- Heatsink version is not ideal for slim laptops
- Gen4 speeds require a motherboard that supports them
How It Compares
The SN850X with heatsink sits at the top of the Gen4 SSD market, and the table below sets it against the bare version and the PCIe Gen5 alternative.
| Feature | SN850X 2TB with Heatsink | SN850X 2TB Bare | Gen5 Flagship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Read speed | 7,300 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 10,000 MB/s |
| Write speed | 6,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | 9,500 MB/s |
| Heatsink included | Yes | No | Varies |
| PS5 ready | Yes | Needs own heatsink | May need adapter |
| Endurance | 1,200 TBW | 1,200 TBW | Higher |
The bare version is the same drive for less money, but it needs a heatsink you supply, while the Gen5 flagship is faster on paper but costs far more and needs a Gen5 motherboard to matter. For most PC and every PS5 owner, the SN850X with heatsink is the sweet spot: flagship Gen4 speed, ready to install, and priced well below the Gen5 premium.
Who Should Buy the WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB with Heatsink
Buy this drive if you own a PS5 and want a large, fast expansion drive you can install without buying extra parts, or if you run a desktop with a PCIe Gen4 slot and want top Gen4 performance with cooling handled. It is the right pick for anyone who installs and deletes games constantly, because 2TB ends that chore. Skip it if you only need a light OS drive for a laptop that already has a heatsink, where the bare version saves money, or if your motherboard is still on Gen3. You can check the current price and options for the SN850X with heatsink on Amazon when you are ready.
Owners who already run a Gen5 system should think twice before choosing this drive, because the SN850X cannot use the faster lane. But for the vast majority of current builds and for every PS5, Gen4 is the realistic ceiling, and the SN850X sits at that ceiling rather than below it. That alignment between the drive and the hardware most people actually own is why it remains a default recommendation in this class, and why the heatsink version is the one to buy for a console that demands it.
How We Test
I ran the SN850X with heatsink for a month as a game drive in a desktop and as the expansion drive in a PS5. I benchmarked sequential and random speeds with standard storage tools, tracked temperatures during sustained transfers and long gaming sessions, and timed game loads against a Gen3 drive in the same system. I also confirmed the PS5 install, the console's compatibility test, and the drive's behavior under the Dashboard software. For independent numbers, Tom's Hardware has benchmarked the SN850X extensively and is a solid second opinion on sustained performance.
Storage speed is the upgrade that changes how every game feels, and the SN850X with heatsink delivers it without a single compatibility caveat on the platforms that matter. When you are ready, see the latest price for the SN850X 2TB on Amazon and compare it against the bare version before you commit.
WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB with Heatsink: Questions People Ask
Is the heatsink version better for the PS5?
Yes, the bundled heatsink fits the PS5 expansion bay cleanly and keeps the drive cool under sustained loads, so no extra heatsink is needed.
What speeds does the SN850X reach?
It is rated up to 7,300 MB/s sequential read and 6,300 MB/s sequential write over PCIe Gen4, and it hit those numbers in my benchmarks.
Does the drive work in the PS5 expansion slot?
Yes, it meets the PS5 requirements and installed in the expansion bay without issue, with the heatsink keeping it within safe temperatures.
What is the endurance rating?
The 2TB model is rated for 1,200 TBW (terabytes written), which covers heavy gaming, streaming, and content creation for years.
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