WD Black P50 SSD – seriously fast (Western Digital storage review)

Western Digital reserve the term WD Black for its gaming products. The WD Black P50 SSD is a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 x2 (20Gbps) capable external SSD.

It now comes in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB. The device has two interfaces.

USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 sees it reach 20Gbps sequential read speeds. At this time, few PC motherboards support that.

Most will use the e USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) data transfer rate scoring 1076.28/972.09 in the sequential read/write tests. It is very good on large files too. Probably because the SSD inside can theoretically run at over 2000MBps sequential read/write. It is certified for PS5 and Xbox X.

Bot note that you are paying quite a premium for USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 if you never use it. In that case, see Western Digital My Passport SSD – now up to 4TB (WD review).

Australian Review: WD Black P50 SSD (Model WDBA3S00)

Website	Product Page WD Black gaming products
Price	500GB – $259 (52 cents per GB) 1TB – $429 (43 cents per GB) 2TB – $619 (31 cents per GB) 4TB TBA
From	Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Good Guys, Officeworks, Bing Lee and online at Amazon WD store and Harris Technology
Warranty	5-years limited
Company	Western Digital (WD) is an American computer hard disk drive manufacturer and data storage company headquartered in San Jose, California. It designs, manufactures and sells data technology products, including storage devices, data centre systems and cloud storage services.
More	CyberShack Western Digital news and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

First impression – I love the faux shipping ‘Container’ design – Exceed

First impressions are all, and it looks tough. The faux shipping ‘Container’ design found in all WD Black is what gamers want.

It is 118 x 62 x 14mm x 115g. It comes in Black – that is it.

What I really like is the drop resistance – it has a metal case, and it comes with a USB-C to USB-C 3,.2 cable and a USB-C to USB-A converter (speeds are lower on earlier versions of USB).

Tests – Exceed (not tested on USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2)

It can reach 2000MBps sequential read on motherboards supporting UBC-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 or you can buy something like the Gigabyte GC-USB, a PCIe expansion card (requires x4, x8, or x16 slot). Cost – between $50 and $100.

On USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 Crystal Disk Mark, sequential read/write was 1076.28/927.09MBps. It did pretty well on larger data transfers too.

You can also run it directly off Thunderbolt 3 or 4 (40Gbps) ports, but these default to USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps).

Fast Facts

• Interface: USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (backwards compatible)
• Format: exFAT but can format for any OS
• Size: 100 × 62 × 14mmx x 115g
• Box: USB-C to USB-C 1 cable and USB-C to USB-A cable
• Theoretical Seq R/W: 2000MBps
• Optional 256-bit AES encryption on the fly
• Drop-resistant
• Includes WD Discovery Software for backup and passwords
• Warranty: 5 years
• Windows, macOS, Xbox X and PS5 (or earlier)

CyberShack’s view – WD Black P50 SSD can be very fast if you have the right interface.

There is not a lot of point in buying this unless you have the right interface and can use the speed. Because it is like buying a high-performance car and only being able to use 100kph roads.

WD’s games heritage, 5-year limited warranty and Discovery Software make this an excellent choice.