Storage giant WD is expanding its enthusiast-focussed Black line by adding the portable D30 Game Drive SSD and SN750 SE PCIe NVMe M.2 drive. Let's take each in turn.
Starting off with the D30, it's primarily designed for console users who need to off-load games to external storage once, say, the PS5 or Xbox One Series X storage is full, which can happen alarmingly quickly.
As PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S games can only be played once they have been moved back over to the internal SSD - other than using an expensive expansion card for the Microsoft consoles - having access to a fast external USB-connected drive is important if transferring large amounts of data over on a frequent basis.
WD currently offers the Black P10 mechanical and Black P50 NVMe SSD drives for this very purpose, the D30 aims to replicate much of the faster P50's goodness at, eventually, more agreeable price points.
Offering a peak read speed of 900MB/s over the USB-C connection and shipped with a detachable stand, Black D30 is available in 500GB (£129.99), 1TB (£209.99), and 2TB (£352.99) capacities, which is somewhat higher than the pre-tax US dollar pricing of $89.99 for the entry-level model. The UK pricing is actually about the same as the faster P50 right now, which makes the D30 a very hard sell on launch; we expect the on-sale price to come down in the near future.
In concert with recent Black console releases, a special Xbox version, complete with a one-month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate code, touting the same capacities but a special design, is available for a little more for each model (£135.99, £219.99, £370.99, respectively).
Looking to jump on the back of the burgeoning PCIe 4.0 bandwagon is the SN750 SE range of NVMe SSDs. To be made available in summer this year in 250GB (OEM), 500GB and 1TB capacities, the DRAM-less design is said to be more energy-efficient than the incumbent SN750 whilst offering a modicum of extra sequential speed (3,600MB/s) and greater IOPS, thereby fitting in neatly between the Blue SN550 and Black SN850.
It will start at £56.99 for the base 250GB version but users wanting more midrange capacity can still take advantage of the 2TB/4TB size for the regular SN750. The two-chip, heatsinkless SN750 SE is a clearly a mindshare and value play in the entry-level PCIe 4.0 market.
In other news, WD is bringing a new brand to market known as SanDisk Professional. Encompassing the higher echelons of the present SanDisk products and amalgamating some of the more prosumer-specific G-Technology portfolio, SanDisk Professional debuts with a number of all-new products, including the PRO-CINEMA CFexpress VPG400 card with a guaranteed 400MB/s sustained write, new PRO-READER set to be available in the summer, a four-bay PRO DOCK, and, next month, a 4TB version of the G-Drive ArmorLock.
