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The WD_Black gaming line has been around for some time now and we have been fortunate to report on several items in the past few years. Admittedly, my personal favorite was one of the first, the WD_Black AN1500 which was well before its time as an add-in card that could hit speeds of 6GB/s and was bootable…to boot. The one thing that we find in each and every release of the WD_Black is that their build and performance are of a very high standard. Our report on the WD_Black P40 Game Drive Portable SSD is no different.
The WD_Black P40 is available in 500GB, 1/2TB capacities and this portable SSD is a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 SSD. This is rather important as, not only does this device move data back and forth at up to 2GB/s but also, one needs to realize that speeds like this can only be achieved when using a system compatible with this interface. Plugged into a simple USB 3.2 Gen 2 system, you will still reach speeds up to 1GB/s using the USB Type-C cable and, as well, there is a USB Type-A adapter that attaches to the Type-C cable to get you to the more common speeds of 540MB/s.
In the package, one will find the WD_Black P40 Game Drive NVMe SSD, a 2-foot Type-C to Type-C cable, Type-C to Type-A adapter, user manual and warranty booklet and a black folded sheet that speaks to PS5 installation and use.
The WD_Black P40 is fully supportive of Sony PS4 storage and play, however, only compatible with PS5 game storage as PS5 requires PS5 transfer speeds up to 5GB/s to play at full speeds.
The WD_Black is constructed of a black anodized aluminum 2-piece shell that is sealed with 4 hex Allen screws on the top.
It measures 4.21″ x 2″ x 0.51″ inches and its shock resistant case can sustain a drop of up to 2-metres.
Although the WD_Black P40 is compatible with both Mac and Windows for storage, its RGB lighting on the base of the unit can be fully controlled through Windows software only at this time and installation of the WD Dashboard.
Checking Amazon, we can find the WD_Black P40 priced at $120 (500GB), $150 (1TB) and $250 for the 2TB capacity. The P40 also comes with a 5-year warranty.
CRYSTAL DISK INFO VER. 8.17.7 X64
Crystal Disk Info is a great tool for displaying the characteristics and health of storage devices. It displays everything from temperatures, the number of hours the device has been powered, and even to the extent of informing you of the firmware of the device.
We can see that the WD_Black P40 uses a SN560 NVMe SSD, and as well, that this SSD is using the NVMe 1.4 protocol and is TRIM capable.
Let’s take a look at performance on the next page.
The long leaked SN850X is finally here. Sadly there’s like no data on it to talk about and the MSRP is fake as is tradition for storage devices so we can’t even discuss that. It exists tho which is what matters. Hopefully benchmarks and reviews will come in soon.