Sandisk has just unveiled what might be the ultimate storage solution for PC enthusiasts with their new WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD. This PCIe Gen 5.0 powerhouse promises blistering speeds up to 14,900 MB/s, making it the world’s fastest client SSD currently available – even beating Kingston’s by a slight margin.
My WD_BLACK SN850X is still running great and fast after a couple of years inside my gaming PC and this is exciting news.
The new flagship SSD is clearly aimed at those of us who demand the absolute best from our systems—whether you’re a hardcore gamer or a content creator working with massive 4K/8K video files.
What’s particularly impressive about the SN8100 is not just its raw speed figures (14,900 MB/s read and 14,000 MB/s write), but also the remarkable improvement in power efficiency. According to Sandisk, this new drive is twice as power efficient as their previous PCIe Gen 4.0 offerings, which should help with thermal management in compact builds. May not be too relevant to those owning a desktop PC and don’t really care about power.
The drive utilises Sandisk’s advanced BiCS8 TLC 3D CBA NAND technology, which apparently delivers this exceptional performance whilst maintaining optimal operating temperatures without requiring elaborate cooling solutions. For those keeping score, the random performance hits over 2,300,000 IOPS on the 2TB-4TB models.
One aspect that particularly stands out is the endurance rating—up to 2,400TBW for the 4TB model. This means you can write and rewrite massive amounts of data without worrying about premature drive failure, which is crucial for intensive workloads like video editing or AI training.
Capacity options range from 1TB all the way up to a massive 8TB (it’s massive!), giving ample room for expanding game libraries and creative projects. And we all know how big games are these days.
It’s worth noting that both AMD and Intel executives have endorsed the drive, suggesting strong compatibility with their latest processor platforms. Joe Macri from AMD highlighted how the SN8100 “revolutionises storage performance,” while Intel’s Todd Lewellen pointed to how it complements their Core Ultra processors for accelerating gaming and professional workloads.
For those concerned about thermals (as anyone with a high-performance build should be), Sandisk is also offering a variant with an integrated heatsink. The passive cooling design uses anodised aluminium and includes customisable RGB lighting to match your system aesthetics.
Availability and Pricing
The standard WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD will be available starting June 2025 through Sandisk’s website and select retailers, with Australian pricing set at A$329 for the 1TB model, A$499 for 2TB, and A$899 for the 4TB version. The heatsink variant will follow later in October 2025.
