Quit worrying about game install sizes with these future-proof SSDs

There's one word that immediately strikes fear in every gamer's heart: backlog. With endless games to play, it's difficult to ignore the urge to pick up the latest multiplayer open-world RPG every couple of weeks, and games you purchased but never installed often end up lost in the dreaded backlog. When the latest first-person shooter is taking up so much space on your hard drive, what's a gamer to do?

The clear solution is high-performance, future-proof SSDs that can keep up with the ballooning install sizes of the latest games. Wading through the options for SSDs can seem harrowing, but the choice is actually quite simple. Whether your pile of shame is filled with countless indies or massive AAA behemoths that love to gobble up gigabytes, the WD_BLACK™ series of award-winning SSDs offers top-tier gaming performance.

Purpose-built performance

When it comes to gaming PCs, there are a lot of ways to cut costs around a build without sacrificing performance. The SSD should never be skimped on, though. Without a solid SSD that can keep up with today's gaming demands, great titles that get bought up during sales just sit in a ready-to-install library, filling up a digital backlog. It's simple: Games that are installed on a system are far more likely to be played.

The WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe™ SSD is an excellent solution for gamers facing backlogs, offering storage solutions ranging from 1 TB to 8 TB¹. With that much space, the struggle to choose which game to uninstall and make room for something new is a thing of the past.

The WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD isn't just high-capacity, though. It's built with Western Digital® TLC 3D NAND technology to maximize the storage of gaming PCs, delivering top-of-the-line performance not just for gaming but also for streaming and recording. Those long streaming sessions and late nights with the squad can generate a lot of heat, which can affect a gaming rig. All SN850Xs from WD_BLACK are equipped with an optional heat sink to help keep the gaming rig cool and functioning at its best even when the gameplay is hot. But these SSDs don't just perform well—they also look good, with a sleek, modern aesthetic.

What about next-gen?

Like most tech-adjacent hobbies, gaming is all about what's coming next: the next match, the next game night, the next launch—and most importantly, next-gen. For a future-proof gaming system, WD_BLACK offers the SN7100 NVMe SSD. Designed to get players in the game faster than ever before, this next-gen SSD features up to 7,250 MB/s read and 6,900 MB/s² write speeds² in the 1 and 2 TB¹ models for a 35% performance boost over its predecessors³.

Like the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, the WD_BLACK SN7100 NVMe SSD is designed for a purpose. The DRAM-less drive is 100% more power efficient at maximum speed than previous generations³, making it ideal for laptops and gaming handhelds. When considering power consumption for gaming devices, the role of SSDs is often overlooked, but the WD_BLACK portfolio is designed to incorporate technology that is as efficient as it is powerful. With up to 2 TB of storage and blistering-fast read and write speeds designed for gaming on the go, the WD_BLACK SN7100 NVMe SSD offers reliable and portable next-gen performance.

Take control with the WD_BLACK Dashboard

These WD_BLACK drives let players on Windows(®) devices take control by offering the downloadable Western Digital Dashboard. This handy tool puts the power in the players' hands, allowing for monitoring of game drive health and performance, while also providing an avenue for vital firmware updates. Plus, WD_BLACK gives gamers access to Game Mode to further optimize the gaming experience.

WD_BLACK SSDs are a gaming staple that players have long trusted with their gaming libraries thanks to their durability and high performance even on high-capacity cards. Spend less time waiting for installs and more time enjoying games with WD_BLACK.

Western Digital, WD_BLACK, and the WD_BLACK logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. The NVMe word mark is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

(©) 2025 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Product specifications subject to change without notice. Pictures shown may vary from actual products.

¹ 1 TB =1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Actual user storage capacity less.

² Speeds vary by product and capacity. Based on internal testing; performance may be lower depending upon host device, usage conditions, and other factors. 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes.

³ Up to 35% better performance and 100% better power efficiency as compared to our last-gen product, the 1 TB WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD.