Customers have good things to say about the P40 Game Drive's performance, storage capacity, and ease of use, frequently praising its fast load times and compact size. Many appreciate the RGB lighting and compatibility with multiple gaming platforms. While some mention the drive can get warm during use and that the price point is a bit high, the positive feedback on its speed and functionality outweighs these concerns.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 2 Showing 21-40 of 220 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Size, Speed, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great hard drive - Compact and efficient
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a compact and speedy little drive that works great for expanding your gaming storage.
The drive is an NVME SSD in an enclosure. It comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter. This is great if you work with a mix of older and newer computers.
It's well constructed with a solid outer shell.
The disk registers as having 931GB of space available (this is about par for the course with most 1TB drives).
The drive appears to handle file transfers snappily, and I had no issues moving large files back and forth with it. I did notice that transfers were much MUCH faster plugging directly into a USB-C port (versus using the included adapter).
The LED lighting effects also didn't want to come on when using the adapter (the drive has a very cool rainbow effect along its edges).
1TB isn't a ton of capacity, but it's enough to handle a fair number of games. This is particularly true if you're running it off a gaming laptop where storage is always going to be a bit of an issue.
I very much recommend this drive to anyone wanting to expand their storage with a fast, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing drive.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Fast performance, cool RGB lights
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
## Design
The WD_BLACK P40 SSD Game Drive has a cool, rugged-looking exterior and is slim, lightweight and easy to transport, but also looks cool sitting next to your gaming console.
Once plugged in and powered up, the RGB LEDs on the drive light up and complement the gaming-centric design of this drive very well. The RGB lights can be customized with the “Dashboard” (which is Windows-only) software that is found on the drive itself. If you plan to format the drive, you may want to copy this file off first.
The LEDs are located near the 2 long sides of the drive pointing down, meaning you really only see the colors off the reflection of the surface it is setting on. If you would like them to be more noticeable, you can flip the drive over so the LEDs point up and are then clearly visible.
## Performance
While WD claims up to 2000MB/s performance, this requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection, which requires relatively new computer hardware. Using the USB-C connection on my Dell G15 laptop released in 2021, I was able to achieve just over 1000MB/s according to CrystalDiskMark (results attached). The drive is able to transfer large files very quickly, which is great for working with HD video files or large game files. The roomy 1TB of storage gives you plenty of room for your game library or for working on movie projects. Of course, individual results will vary based on your hardware and what type of port (USB 2.0, USB 3.1, etc) you plug the drive into.
## Features
The drive works with PS5 and PS4, XBox Series X|S and One, Windows and macOS, although the RGB customization software only works with Windows. The software allows you to customize the RGB lighting effect. By default, the RGB effect will be set to “Rainbow” which cycles through all the colors, but there are over 10 other options, including setting it to a static color or another effect such as “wave” or “flash”.
The drive has a USB-C port and comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter for plugging into “traditional” USB ports.
## Summary
The WD_Black P40 Game Drive is lightweight and small, making it very easy to carry with your gaming laptop or to discreetly set it next to your gaming console. This external SSD is very fast and I achieved just over 1000MB/s performance on my Dell G15 laptop. The RGB lights are a nice touch and can be customized with the included Windows software.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Good external drive for adding fast storage
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The WD Black P40 game drive provides an easy way to add fast storage for your gaming PC (or Xbox or PS5). This is especially nice for those want add storage but may not be as comfortable with installing an internal drive in a PC, or perhaps if using a gaming laptop, may not have an open M.2 slot.
Setup is really quite easy--it's plug and play. Windows pops up with a window to show the installer for the WD Dashboard utility, which is very good. Otherwise the drive is ready to go immediately. The drive supports up to a 2000MB/s transfer rate via USB; the cable is a Type-C but helpfully there is an adapter for Type A connections. How fast the drive performs is dependent upon the USB feature support that you have. I did hit the rated 2000MB/s (see the attached photo screenshot from CrystalDiskMark), but it varied depending on the machine I used. My Asus gaming laptop hit the higher mark, but my homebuilt gaming desktop did not. A slower interface halved the performance to around 1000MB/s, which is vastly faster than mechanical hard drives and still faster than a SATA SSD. Xbox and PS5 performance will vary, and the Xbox Series X/S will restrict playing games to older Xbox One/X360 games (archiving of Series X/S games will work though).
The design is consistent with other WD Black external storage products except for the addition of the RGB, and the case gets warm but not too hot. It's also pretty small and thus very portable. I thought the included Dashboard software excellent; it provides an easy to read interface detailing all the drive info. It also includes the control software for the RGB lighting, which can be connected to 3rd party lighting platforms. The lighting is a nice touch and adds a bit to the otherwise industrial look. It's pleasing yet not over the top.
Overall, I think it's a good drive for those looking for fast external storage. You'll need to check your USB connections if you want to ensure top performance, but even connected to slower USB interfaces it's still vastly preferable to mechanical drives.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Performance
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I have used an external SSD for my game storage and backup for years. The benefits to using an external SSD is that it makes my gaming library extra portable, and I save a ton of time because I do not have to redownload all my games to another computer. For the last 3 days I have been testing the Western Digital, Black series P40 game drive and I love it.
The P40 uses the new USB 3.2 gen 2X2 standard which allows it to operate at up to 2 GBps. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of devices that use the 2x2 standard yet. In my case my 2021 and 2022 gaming laptops do not support the new 2X2 standard. However, that does not mean that I was not able to get a performance boost. The P40 still performed twice as fast as any other portable SSD I own. For comparison, previous generation drives such as the Samsung T5 and WD Passport SSDs only operate at 500 MBps max. In my benchmarks of the P40 it operated at a little over 1 GBps read and write speeds.
As for real world performance, the P40 is a beast. Whether I was doing data transfers or playing games from the drive it was always blazing fast. Also, the aluminum case did an excellent job of heat dissipation. The P40 did get warm with long term use but it never got too hot. It also has built-in RGB lights that are controlled in the WD Dashboard app. Additionally, it also can be controlled with the ASUS Aura Sync app. Meaning I can synchronize the lighting with any compatible RGB keyboards, mice, fans, etc. The only thing I did not like about the drive was that the provided cable was too long and rigid.
With that said, this is a fantastic removable SSD that performs well, and I can’t wait to test its full potential on a Gen 2X2 port. Until then, I still highly recommend this drive.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Speed, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Gaming Versatility on the go!
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Posted . Owned for 6 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I recently acquired the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive, and I must say, it has revolutionized my gaming experience. This portable SSD is a game-changer for anyone seeking to expand their storage capacity and enhance their gaming performance. With its impressive features and exceptional performance, it has become an essential companion for my gaming adventures.
First and foremost, the WD BLACK P40 offers an impressive storage capacity of 1TB. This ample space allows me to store a vast library of games, including large titles with massive file sizes. Say goodbye to the frustration of constantly juggling games on your console or PC; this game drive provides the freedom to keep all your favorite games in one place.
The lightning-fast transfer speeds of the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface make loading games and accessing files a breeze. I am consistently impressed by the snappy load times and seamless gameplay this drive delivers. Whether I'm exploring vast open worlds or engaging in fast-paced multiplayer battles, the WD BLACK P40 ensures smooth and uninterrupted gaming sessions.
The compatibility of this game drive is exceptional. It works seamlessly with PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox, providing cross-platform versatility. I appreciate the convenience of being able to connect it to multiple devices without any compatibility issues. Switching between platforms has never been easier, thanks to this drive's broad compatibility.
One standout feature of the WD BLACK P40 is its rugged design. The drive's durable construction and shock-resistant technology provide reliable protection for my games and data, even during travel or intense gaming sessions. I no longer worry about accidental drops or impacts affecting my stored content, as this drive is built to withstand the rigors of gaming life.
Additionally, the compact and portable design of the WD BLACK P40 makes it perfect for gamers on the go. It easily fits in my pocket or bag, allowing me to bring my game library wherever I go. Whether I'm visiting a friend's house or attending a gaming event, I can effortlessly connect the drive and dive into my favorite games with ease.
Setting up the WD BLACK P40 is a breeze. Its plug-and-play functionality ensures a hassle-free installation process. Simply connect the drive to your device, and you're ready to go. The drive is recognized instantly, and transferring games is a straightforward process that requires no additional software or complex configurations.
In conclusion, the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive is a must-have accessory for any gaming enthusiast. Its impressive storage capacity, blazing-fast transfer speeds, rugged design, and wide compatibility make it an indispensable addition to any gaming setup. If you're looking to expand your gaming library and elevate your gaming performance, look no further than the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive. It's a reliable and powerful companion that unlocks the full potential of your gaming experience.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great SSD for gaming!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Western Digital BLACK 40 Solid State Drive is a must have for your gaming experience. Whether gaming on PC, Xbox Series X/S, or PS5, you can utilize this drive for much needed 1TB of extra storage when it comes to gaming. I used this SSD on the PC and will review based on that.
Out of the box, the hard drive itself is about the size of a credit card, just a bit longer. It has a nice solid feel to it and does not feel very fragile. It is also lightweight, but enough weight to it to make it feel durable, which is a securing thought with something that stores information. There is a little folded page that diagrams how to hook the hard drive up on each source and info on formatting the hard drive to which ever source you are choosing to use. It comes with a beefy USB-C cable that is around a foot and a half in length. If using this drive for PC, you will just use the USB-C cable connected to a Thunderbolt port. If connecting to the Xbox or the PS5, it comes with an adapter to plug in regular usb port. I formatted the drive on PC using the Thunderbolt port, and when I tried plugging it in using the regular USB 3.2 port, I could access the drive from Windows Explorer, but it would not show up on the Xbox app or Steam download drives. When I plugged it back into Thunderbolt port, it instantly recognized it again, so i'm not sure if it can be used on PC with the USB 3.2 ports.
When first plugging in the drive into the PC, you will want to go to Windows Explorer and find the WD_Black Drive. Open it and inside will be a program to install the WD Dashboard, which is used to monitor and use features of the WD_Black drive. After installing the dashboard, you will want to exit out of everything, go back to windows explorer, right click on the drive, go to format.. Once in the format screen you will set the file structure to NTFS, quick format and you can rename the drive if you want. Hit the format button and it will format the drive for PC use. Doing so however will delete the Dashboard install program so make sure you install the program before Formatting. After that, you can create your game folders and link them in the XBOX app or steam store as the primary download location.
Using the dashboard app lets you view the performance of the SSD, the health of it, how much space is used and remaining, and lets you set the RGB functions that are on the SSD too. The outer ring of the drive is LED lit and you can select between many choices for which one to use. The dashboard program also lets you see your drives temps and interface speed capability.There are some additional tools available depending on what hard drive you are viewing and allow you to manage your SSD better.
Gaming performance is as expected. The load times are very short when testing games like Doom Eternal, Dead By Daylight, and the new Modern Warfare 2. Loading is usually so quick you just end up at the mercy of your internet connection for any online play. Transfer speeds outside of gaming are pretty good. Transferring an 8GB file from an internal SSD to the WD_Black drive took about 30 seconds.
Overall the performance and value of the WD_Black SSD is pretty good, but unfortunately with gaming, 1TB just never seems like enough! I would still say this drive is well worth getting. It is sleek, adds some style with the RGB and will get you the fast speeds you need to load your games in a flash!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Nice fast external SSD
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The WD_Black P40 is a fast NVMe SSD drive in a well built external RGB enclosure with a very fast SuperSpeed 20 Gb/s USB-C interface. The case feels very solid in my hands and the top seems to be made of aluminum to help dissipate heat.
It comes with a USB-C cable and a USB-A adapter along with their WD_Black Dashboard software (Windows only) to allow you to customize the RGB lighting, check on the drive’s status, along with tools to erase/sanitize the drive.
There seems to be some issue as some options were grayed out and not available due to “driver limitations”. The Dashboard seems to think there are no USB drives attached even though I have the WD_Black P40 drive connected to my computer’s USB-C port. In addition, the Interface Speed Status was not available in the Dashboard. This issue occurred with all of my computers that I tried with the WD_Black P40 Dashboard software. The ability to change the RGB lighting effects seem to work well.
CrystalDiskInfo reports the internal drive as a Western Digital SN560E using UASP (NVM Express 1.4) interface. This is a very new SSD that I didn’t find much information about after searching the web. According to Western Digital it has a rated speed of up to 2000 MB/s.
For real-world testing, I plugged the drive into my Lenovo Desktop’s USB-C port and the transfer rate copying over 33 GB of game installation files reached about 280 MB/s but went down to under 10 MB/sec when copying a lot of smaller files. When I plugged the drive into a Superspeed USB-A 10 Gb/s port, I saw speeds reaching 350 MB/s.
When I plugged the drive into my Microsoft Surface Laptop 4’s USB-C port, it gave 450 MB/s to 600 MB/s transfer speed when copying over 33 GB of files. To me, that’s pretty darn fast.
After copying over 66 GB worth of file, the drive only got slightly warm so I think the external enclosure adequately dissipates heat during normal use cases.
I probably wouldn’t want to run an application that constantly reads/writes to the drive since fast NVMe drives can run hot under this situation.
Overall, I can easily recommend the WD_Black P40 SSD drive to anyone looking for fast portable storage for their computer.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Lightening Fast and Cool Lights
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This 1TB SSD from Western Digital is an excellent addition for my storage needs.
The packaging looks cool as it is all black with white and orange lettering. Inside the box you have the hard drive, a USB-C to USB-C cable along with a USB-C to USB-A adapter in case you are still using that one and a quick install guide. The form factor of this drive is perfect. I would describe it to be about the size of a stick of RAM but with a protective enclosure around it. It is extremely light but the housing is well constructed and feels durable.
Plugged the drive into my laptop to test moving files back and forth and it was very impressive. I transferred 35 GB worth of movie files and it took just over one minute. Transferring files back to my internal drive was just as quick. The lights on the bottom of the housing are a cool addition. If using it on a Windows machine, you can download an application that helps you customize the lighting effects to your preferences. Another thing worth noting is the 5-year warranty. I use online storage as well as physical hard drives to protect my data but knowing if this has any issues in that period of time, I'm covered.
This drive is affordable and extremely fast. Definitely worth a look!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Speed
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great gaming drive
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was in need of a external drive to store my games on. I planned on transferring my RPG's on to it so I could leave my laptop clutter free. Well this does that and then some. First off I like the fact I can change the RGB colors to many different patterns and colors to make my rig pop. So here is a list of my likes and dislikes.
Likes:
small size, but not too small it will get lost.
fast read and write speeds (although I do have faster ones)
metal case means it can handle some spills and falls with no worry.
long cord to plug into back of desktop and still have room to see it in front of you (gotta see them lights)
comes with software to configure your lights, patterns and other settings to keep it running smoothly.
stays cool (or at least does not get hot) while being used with gaming situation.
Dislikes:
USB configuration is too high for even the most modern rigs, so the advertised speed will not ever be reached for a few more years I think (see picture in review)
cable is stiff and sometimes it is hard to get drive to lay flat.
size is good, but I have smaller ones (dimensions) that seem to be faster on the read/write, but they are smaller in capacity as well.
So, Yes I am glad I got this and will be looking forward to many gaming sessions in the future.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size, Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Graphic Designer MUST HAVE!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
After recently losing countless photoshop files for my work on my HDD drive, I was in the market for an external hard drive that would help me avoid this disaster from happening again. After researching different drives at various price points, I stopped at the WD-BLACK P40.
The design of the drive was what caught my eye. To begin with, the matte black finish with the rugged/sturdy exterior seemed unmatched (being someone who has a thing for matte black products, this was a huge bonus). The drive is very compact and is sure to turn some heads when the LED lights kick on when plugged in; looks very nice on any desk setup and is very easy to take on the go. But enough about the looks, let's talk performance...
Being someone who has had numerous drives in the past, the speed of this drive has remained at the top! Fast conversion speeds are something I greatly appreciate as a designer; no matter the file size, the speeds do not suffer. Although this drive is designed for gaming purposes, it has served me well in my work, and I strongly recommend it to any other designer looking for a reliable external drive!
ONLY CON: To change the colors of the LED lights, you must enter the drives app on a windows computer. I use MAC, so I have been unable to make this small change.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Performance, Speed
Cons mentioned:
Heat
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Performs better than expected, but runs hot
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The drive connects to the front of the ps5 using the usb c port. Speeds are great, and it's a lot faster than running games off a ps4 itself since those use older physical drives. Probably even beats an ssd inside a ps4. I've been using this over a year now, and haven't had any performance or technical issues, that is aside from the cable.
The cons are that it gets very hot, and the provided cable is very low quality. My cable was bent slightly since my drive sat to the side of the console. After a year or so (and not adjustment to the cable) it started to tear on its own, revealing the inside of the cable. I've never seen this with cables just sitting there, but I guess the slight bend was too much for this cable. Moving this around causes the drive to not be properly detected and prompts the user to repair the drive.
I'd give it a 3.5 stars for the shoddy quality, but performance is good enough.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Small form factor and cool RGB
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Western Digital P40 1TB external drive is a great way to add space to your PS4, PS5 or Xbox gaming console, I happen to use it for my gaming laptop which leaves the internal SSD for programs and windows applications. This P40 is the successor to the P50 drive that came out last year and I have that as well and it has been a great drive for me. The P40 is slightly smaller and offers RGB lighting in the form of two strips on the bottom of the drive and the drive is incased in plastic instead of metal as the P50 was. A USB C interface is what you will need, but Western Digital has included a USB C to USB A 3.0 High speed adapter for you incase you don’t have USB C available. Western Digital dashboard software is an included handy application (on the root of the drive) where you can update the firmware of the drive, adjust the RGB colors, check performance of the drive, tools (shows drive life, temp, etc), and settings. Also, temperature monitoring of the drive can be done, and this drive will get warm to the touch, but not hot. Temperature has peaked at about 115 degrees F. I used CrystalDisk Mark 8 to preform some speed tests and the advertised speeds are up to 2 GB, but I was only able to see and average of 1.1 GB in my Peak performance testing and .844 GB in my real-world testing. I am not sure if this is a limitation of my devices, but I tested on a 2022 Lenovo Gaming laptop, 2021 Asus G15 gaming laptop and HP Omen desktop from 2018. All produced the same or very similar results. In contrast, I was seeing the same speeds on my older P50 drive. Either way, the speeds have been sufficient for me to use this for Call of Duty Warzone, and MWII with out issues and loading times are fast, I am usually one of the first ones loaded in the game when I play. Western Digital provides a full 5-year warranty on this drive and I fully confident that this will last the test of time.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Speed, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
WD_BLACK p40 game drive
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I absolutely love the WD_BLACK p40. It is built with the utmost excellence, and I'm a huge fan of the tactical style they chose with this. The lights look amazing flipped up or down, and on top of that, the download and copying speed on my playstation is lightning quick. I would say I've been overall very satisfied with both the design and functionality of this game drive. It's so nice to be able to play many PS4 games at once, then quickly copy a PS5 game onto the console. Definitely recccomended for anybody who wants to get their moneys worth for a good product.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Outstanding external drive
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
tldr: The WD_Black P40 1TB is a great external drive with incredibly fast transfer speeds, cool but tastefully applied RGB lights, and at a sale price is a great value. The speed of this drive makes me confident I’m going to get great performance now and even better when I upgrade my PC or add an interface card that will give me the full speed of this drive. Definitely recommended.
Long review if you’re interested-
The only weakness I could find on this drive is the caching, whether it be RAM or very high speed flash memory that is in the drive, only the first 4-5GB of a single file transfer will move to the drive at maximum speed, once the cache is full, the write speeds eventually fall off to below 450MB/s (3.6Gbps) down from a high of 1.4GB/s (11.7Gbps, indicated in Windows, not super accurate due to PC caching) Most benchmarking tools do not use huge files for testing, so this drive looks like a real champ in benchmarks, but the blistering write performance does fall off on files larger than 4-5GB. After the initial 4-5GB, the drive will slow down to less than half speed during the rest of the file write. The drive recovers (flushes the cache) quickly and maintains maximum performance. This is clearly the fastest and most responsive USB storage device I’ve ever used.
The drive is physically attractive, with a blackout case with tasteful branding markings, all business, no silly colors for this -gaming- drive. The ridged design gives it a cool feel, like an ammo box or other perk box you might pick up in a game, but it also appears functional, giving a little air space to the drive on the bottom side to help with cooling. The RGB is also tasteful, if you are an RGB fan, you might enjoy that the Western Digital Dashboard software allows you to integrate the color scheme with your preferred RGB control software; Razer Chroma, ASUS Aura, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, and MSI Mystic Light. I use the Gigabyte RGB Fusion and was able to immediately see the drive in the Gigabyte software and take control of the lighting with no mess. I did not test the lighting very thoroughly, but it did respond to my changes in the software immediately. The lighting is on the “bottom” of the drive, is not terribly bright or offensive, and you can flip the drive to see more light or less, depending on preference.
The USB naming convention is now incredibly confused and has changed (again), so PCs with ports that were listed as USB 3.0 are the same as USB 3.1 and ALSO the same as USB 3.2. Seriously. So now there is USB 3.2 family with a “Generation” or “Gen” to indicate it’s speed tier. USB 3.2 (remember, also USB 3.0 and USB 3.1) by itself is limited to 5Gbps. Then you have USB 3.2 Gen 1 (10Gbps cable length limited), 2 (10Gbps), and now 2x2 (20Gbps). I am going to try to explicitly name the ports that I am using for this review to avoid any confusion, but with the stupid naming now, it’s doubtful that it will help.
I found I do not have any computers or devices with a full USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) port. All of my testing was done with the manufacturer provided cable directly connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) CPU direct port on my PC test and directly to the Thunderbolt 3 port on my 2016 MacBook Pro. The Thunderbolt 3 standard is compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2, but is not compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 without a dock or adapter of some sort, so I expect to have similar speeds to the PC. I found the CPU direct port on my PC was considerably faster than the front panel port which is rated the same, but is connected via the chipset bus instead, so I stuck with the fastest port I have available.
I have a couple of comparisons with my Samsung T7 ($50 cheaper, but no RGB) to show also. For testing on the Samsung T7, I used the WD provided cable, as the Samsung provided cable gave almost identical results, so I stuck with the (very slightly) faster WD cable for comparing both drives.
I am using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test as it is the simplest and easiest to use free benchmark and makes a nice chart that shows what kind of video operations the drive can handle according to their standards. While you may not be using the drive for video operations, it’s a great benchmark to get a feel for the actual top end real performance you can expect; video editing is very taxing for storage devices. I also ran benches with CrystalDiskMark 8 and 3DMark Storage Benchmark on the PC, but I think it’s better to use the “same” software on both platforms to try to get comparable results.
Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Results:
WD_Black P40 Stress File size 2GB-
Read: 918.1 MB/s (7.7Gbps)
Write: 847.6 MB/s (7.1 Gbps)
3DMark Storage Benchmark test result: 858
Samsung T7 Stress file size 2GB-
Read: 896 MB/s (7.5 Gbps)
Write: 790.6 MB/s (6.63 Gbps)
3DMark Storage Benchmark test result: 771
These benchmark speeds show you how fast this drive can be, even on USB 3.2 Gen 2, it will undoubtedly run faster with a true USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection, as it’s well able to saturate the slower USB connection that I have. Reading should be much faster, and writing will be comparable up to that ~4GB threshold, then come down to still fast, but markedly slower speed which could not saturate the USB connection beyond 4GB.
The drive does not get hot, even when working full tilt in the 3DMark Storage Benchmark, the highest exterior temperature I was able to measure on the case was 112F, which pretty much qualifies as “warm”. When the drive is not actively reading or writing, it cools off to about 15F above the room’s ambient temperature.
Xbox performance was less than stellar, but that is no fault of the drive itself it seems. According to the WD marketing, this drive is intended to be able to run original Xbox 360 and Xbox One games directly from the drive, which works perfectly well. There is a noticeable difference between using the on-board storage and using the external drive, but it’s faster than either of the older consoles when loading old games that don’t have timed load screens. As far as archiving games “Optimized for Xbox X|S”, the drive itself seems to be way faster than the Xbox can copy/move via USB. After confirming that Microsoft lists the USB ports on the X|S are USB 3.1 Gen 1 (the exact same thing as USB 3.2 - 5Gbps), the drive manages to copy or move game files only at a max speed of 2.6 Gbps, which appears to be well below the theoretical real world speed of the interface, which can run as fast as 3.2 Gbps in published benchmarks. When writing games to the drive via Xbox USB, it shows the drive’s high speed cache allows the 2.6 Gbps throughput, then drops to roughly half that speed (1.39 Gbps) after 4-5 GB of write, then maintains that lower throughput through the rest of the write function. This seems to indicate there is a high speed buffer of SLC(?) flash, likely 4GB in the drive that allows snappy performance for most tasks, but once it’s full, then the slower flash memory on the drive becomes the limiting factor. It seems the speed on the drive when reading from the WD P40 and writing to the Series X internal SSD is rock steady at the 2.6 Gbps speed and does not falter. This makes sense as the high speed cache on the drive is not involved in read operations.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
WD Black SSD
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great SSD for portable gaming. I have mine hooked to my Legion Go and you can't tell that your running the game from an external drive. Well worth the money.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use, Storage
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Helped so much
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
A must have for any Ps5 or Xbox user! More than doubles the amount of storage you have for games, has a nice slim design, and very simple to set up, less than 5 minutes!! =]
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Electronic
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love the slim device, and it works great. I love the black slim design.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Speed
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Reliable, Ssd, Cool RGB lighting
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve always have used WD hard drives or ssd. My laptop only has 512mb so added this for my steam games. Got it in my US-C port but comes with a usb normal adapter. Speeds are good no issues. Lights are a nice touch for a cool setup.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Ease of use
Cons mentioned:
Heat
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Small and does a great job
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Posted . Owned for 4 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This external hard drive was easy to connect and use. So far, it hasn't given me any issues when transferring files or downloading games. It gets warm, but not hot, but if a more demanding game were being played, players should monitor the drive just to be safe. The paint in the raised edges will eventually fade if dragged across surfaces, but it's very minor cosmetic wear. Overall, it's well worth the investment.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Storage extension
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Posted . Owned for 1 year when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This storage extension is sleek, looks nice and i love the led lights on it, very simple to use, just plug it in and your ready to use it, id recommend it if you need more storage for games or others things.