WD Black SN850 vs Samsung 980 Pro – Which is best NVMe SSD?

April 7, 2023
Michel P
Digital Technology
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In the SSD industry, Western Digital (WD), Samsung, and other companies have introduced several superb devices, including WD Blue, Samsung 980 PRO, Samsung 970 EVO Plus, WD Red, etc. One of the top PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs is the Samsung 980 Pro.

A significant rival of the Samsung 980 Pro is the WD Black SN850. Both of these SSDs have nearly comparable read/write data speeds during benchmark tests. However, many users confuse the Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850. Hence, this article will give a detailed comparison between SN850 vs. 980 Pro.

WD Black SN850

The SN850 is a 96-layer TLC 3D NAND drive with a quad-lane PCI Express 4.0 interface. It is made in the same M.2 2280 form factor, which is thin, light, and portable. It provides a flawless gaming experience by loading games at a rate equal to or greater than the PS5 drive.

To provide you with complete control, it uses the WD BLACK dashboard. This allows you to keep track of the condition of your drives and use Game Mode to boost performance so that your device performs at its best while playing a series of games.

Samsung 980 Pro

The 980 PRO uses a small M.2 2280 form factor for optimal board design flexibility, making it simple to plug into desktop and laptop systems. The drive can generate high-performance computing systems because of its excellent power efficiency.

The 980 PRO uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, which doubles the data transfer rate of PCIe 3.0 and increases adaptability by being fully compatible with PCIe 3.0.

Comparison between SN850 vs. 980 Pro

We will examine the WD Black SN850 vs. Samsung 980 Pro based on six key criteria: form factor and interface, capacity, performance, endurance, reliability and warranty, and price.

Form Factor and Interface

We’ll start by comparing the form factor and interface of the SN850 and the 980 Pro. Both the SN850 and 980 Pro make use of the same form factor, which is M.2 2280. SN85 uses PCIe 4.0 x4 and NVMe 1.4 interface, whereas Samsung 980 PRO uses PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 and NVMe 1.3c.

Capacity

Storage space is essential when choosing an SSD or HDD because a large storage size enables you to save more files and data. Comparing the SN850 to the 980 Pro, the SN850 offers three capacity options (500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB), while the 980 Pro offers four options (250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB). Therefore, compared to WD Black SN850, Samsung 980 Pro offers higher capacity alternatives if you require storage space.

Performance

Performance is one of the most crucial aspects when deciding on an SSD. The SSD’s quick read and write speeds can improve computer performance and your user experience. This section compares the performance of the SN850 and the 980 Pro.

The 500 GB SN850 has a maximum sequential read speed of 7000 MB/s and a maximum sequential write speed of 4100 MB/s. For a 1 TB SN850, the sequential read and write speeds are 7000 MB/s and 5100 MB/s, respectively. The 2 TB SN850 has a sequential write speed of 1750 MB/s and a sequential read speed of 7000 MB/s.

The 250 GB 980 Pro can sequentially read data at up to 6400 MB/s and write data at up to 2700 MB/s. The 500 GB 980 Pro can sequentially read data at up to 6900 MB/s and write data at up to 5000 MB/s. The 1 TB 980 Pro can sequentially read data at up to 7000 MB/s and write data at up to 5000 MB/s. The 2 TB 980 Pro can sequentially read data at up to 7000 MB/s and write data at up to 5100 MB/s.

In terms of performance, the SN850 is marginally superior to the 980 Pro. SN850 might be slower than 980 Pro because different factors can influence reading and writing performance.

Endurance

Performance is not the only important aspect of an SSD; endurance is also vital to a device. TBW (Total Bytes Written) is often used to determine how long an SSD will last. 500 GB SN850 will have a 300 TBW rating, 1 TB SN850 will have a 600 TBW rating, and 2 TB SN850 will have a 1200 TBW rating. 150 TBW will be the capacity rating for the 250 GB 980 Pro, 300 TBW for the 500 GB 980 Pro, 600 TBW for the 1 TB 980 Pro, and 1200 TB for the 2 TB 980 Pro. Consequently, WD SN 850 and Samsung 980 Pro are equivalent in this regard.

Reliability and Warranty

We will explain the fifth factor in our comparison of the SN850 and the 980 Pro: reliability and warranty. Both the SN850 and the 980 Pro offer good reliability and warranties. There is a five-year limited warranty granted for SN850 and the 980 Pro.

Price

The budget would be another factor to consider when selecting an SSD. The SSD price plays a significant role when comparing the SN850 and 980. The official website states that the 2TB SN850 costs approximately $320, and the 2TB 980 Pro costs roughly $348.

When comparing the costs of SN850 and 980 Pro, the 980 Pro is more expensive. You can check out the company’s official website to learn more about the prices for various storage sizes.

Overall, the SN850 and 980 Pro provide outstanding performance in their respective application modes, and you can decide based on your needs.

WD Black SN850 and Samsung 980 Pro Specification Comparison

The specification comparison of both Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850 is demonstrated in the table below:

Specifications	WD Black SN850	Samsung 980 Pro
Theoretical Write Performance Speed (Max.)	5,300 MB/s	5,000 MB/s
Storage Variants	500GB, 1TB, 2TB	250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Form Factor/Interface	M.2 (2280)/PCIe Gen 4.0 x 4, NVMe 1.3	M.2 (2280)/PCIe® Gen 3.0 x 4, NVMe™ 1.3c
Theoretical Read Speed (Max.)	7,000 MB/s	7,000 MB/s
Encryption	No hardware encryption	AES 256-bit Encryption
Random Read (4K, QD32) (Max.)	Up to 1,000,000 IOPS	Up to 1,000,000 IOPS
S.M.A.R.T.	Supported	Supported
Random Write (4K, QD32) (Max.)	Up to 1,000,000 IOPS	Up to 1,000,000 IOPS
Heatsink Option	Available	Available
Warranty	5 Years	5 Years
MTBF (Reliability)	1.75 Million Hours	1.50 Million Hours
T.R.I.M.	Supported	Supported
NAND Type	BiCS4 96L TLC	Samsung 128L 3D TLC
Controller	WD Second Generation	Samsung Elpis
Bus Type	PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.4	PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3c

When can I use WD Black SN85?

With its rapid transfer rates, quick load times, and minimal latency, the WD Black SN850 offers the greatest benefits when used with home PCs since it provides fast response rates. It’s an excellent device for setting up a PC operating system and may also be used as a backup hard drive for massive data or games that require large storage space or capacity.

When can I use Samsung 980 Pro?

Excellent workstation performance is what PCIe 4.0 SSDs like the Samsung 980 Pro are made for. Considering its price and overall performance, Samsung 980’s 2 TB version seems the best because of its storage compared to WD Black SN850.

Although WD Black SN850 wins all the benchmark results, the differences are minimal. Both SSDs (Samsung 980 Pro and WD Black SN850) have almost identical parameters. Therefore, your specific needs and requirements will determine which SSD to select.

Conclusion

After carefully considering the benchmark results, performance, price, endurance, reliability, capacity and other factors of both the SN850 vs. 980 Pro, it’s safe to say that both devices offer almost the same benefits. However, your choice of device depends on its use and your exact need. For instance, WD Black SN850 has 300 more theoretical write speeds than Samsung 980 Pro, while Samsung 980 Pro has more storage variant options for users than WD Black SN850.

If you are looking to achieve optimal performance with NVMe drives on dedicated servers, you should contact ServerMania today. ServerMania is a server hosting company that provides custom dedicated server hosting, cloud servers, hybrid servers, VPN server solutions, E-commerce servers, game servers, colocation, and IP transit services.