The new WD-BLACK SN770 hits the sweet spot between high-speed and affordability.
When it comes to gaming, speed really does matter. Milliseconds can make all the difference and the speed of a gaming rig will only ever be as fast as the slowest component in the chain, whether that be the network, internet connection, ping time or speed of memory. If your gaming rig relies on an old-school hard drive or even a SATA SSD, you could be missing out on performance.
Storage giant WD knows just how important speed is to gamers and it’s even launched a premium portfolio of products called WD_BLACK to bring faster speeds and higher performance to the gaming market. The latest product to come from the WD_BLACK stable is the SN770 NVMe game drive. This drive is compatible with NVMe M.2 motherboards and is WD_BLACK’s midrange, with only the SN850 offering faster speeds.
Able to be slotted straight into the M2 slot of a laptop or desktop with an NVMe M.2 socket, the SN770 uses the latest PCIe Gen4 interface to boost performance levels with read speeds as high as 5,150MB/s with sustained performance that can give gamers the edge. Gen 4 drives have four data lanes and each lane can deliver a theoretical maximum of 2GBs per second. On paper, a Gen4 PCIe can serve up to 8GBsfor a typical M.2 4 lane drive. However, take away PCIe overhead, the SN770 has a maximum read speed of 5,150 MB/s.
With read speeds as high as 5,150MBs, the WB_BLACK NVMe PCIe Gen4 is the way to turbo boost your … [+]
The new drive can boost gaming PC rigs by giving faster speeds and longer gameplay thanks to 40% faster performance over previous generations and up to 20% more power efficiency at maximum speed. Having a storage device with a power-saving function is particularly important if the drive is being used in a battery powered laptop.
Super-fast storage fuels in-game responsiveness minimizes stutter and provides smoother streaming for a performance boost that can be seen and felt. With capacities of 1TB and 2TB, the SN770 has the space to store huge game files so there’s no need to download files at every gaming session or to access them online. With the games stored locally on high-speed SSD storage, gamers can access the massive graphics files required by today’s sophisticated games very quickly. Having all that data available locally on a fast bus will pep up the response time of the game and give the gamer the edge in speed-critical situations.
To get the very best from this fast and affordable new SSD, you’ll need to have a Mac or PC that supports the full potential of the speeds offered by the latest PCIe Gen4 interfaces. Alternatively, you could use the drive in an external NVMe housing over USB 4 or Thunderbolt 4. Even if you are using the SN770 on an older machine, the drive will make the most of the maximum performance that a machine can offer, especially if the user has been used to using an old-school SATA SSD.
The WD_BLACK SN770 is the easiest and most affordable way to upgrade your gaining performance.
Another advantage of buying a storage solution like the WD BLACK SN770 is that it can be used with an older machine but can then be used when the user upgrades to a faster gaming rig or laptop with PCIe Gen4 compatibility.
Verdict: The new WD BLACK SN770 NVMe is an accessible and affordable option for gamers who want to transition to a PCIe Gen4 drive. It’s a blisteringly fast device that is also compatible with older PCIe systems and is purpose-built for gaming, making it an ideal choice for anyone who is building their own PC or who wants to upgrade to squeeze more performance from their computer and take their gaming performance to the next level.
Pricing & Availability: The WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD is available from today on Western Digital’s online store and select etailers, retailers and resellers. Capacities range from 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB with prices going from $59 to $269 / £56.99 to £340.99 / €71.99 to €434.99.
More info: www.westerndigital.com
