WD SN850X Black 2TB (no heatsink) vs Adata LEGEND 960 MAX 2TB (w/ heatsink)

ViperXTR · Sep 3, 2023

Both of these (and some other drives) has their prices dropped for the past few weeks on my region, WD for 133usd and Adata for 120usd, is the WD worth picking up for its performance? It doesn't have a heatsink but my board comes with it;s own heatsink for M.2
(Will upgrade my curent 970 evo plus 500GB which i ironically bought in the same price as these way back)

chrcoluk · Sep 3, 2023

I think its a good buy currently and a recent news article has been posted suggesting the nand market has just started to rise again in cost after bottoming out.

I think the heatsink version is good (I posted results of my testing on this forum), much better than my motherboard heatsinks, but is a little more expensive and runs the risk of not fitting on the board if its under a card. But the standard version runs cooler than my 980 pro, and much cooler than my 970 evo so these drives arent hot anyway in my experience.

FoulOnWhite · Sep 3, 2023

I have both a 2 and 4TB WD850X and both their temps are acceptable with just the MB sinks on them

bonehead123 · Sep 3, 2023

FoulOnWhite said:
I have both a 2 and 4TB WD850X and both their temps are acceptable with just the MB sinks on them

^^THIS ^^

#WD4ME4EVA#

BUT, get'em NOW, as the prices will be going back up real soon ....$133 is already $25 more than I paid for mine several weeks ago....

ViperXTR · Sep 3, 2023

bonehead123 said:
^^THIS ^^

#WD4ME4EVA#

BUT, get'em NOW, as the prices will be going back up real soon ....$133 is already $25 more than I paid for mine several weeks ago....

Thanks for the replies and my region is never on the level of prices vs the US, it always is a bit more expensive. Ill try to look if i can grab one this weekend

FoulOnWhite · Sep 3, 2023

I got my 4TB from CEX for £230 which was pretty good i thought. Bought the 2TB new when it just came out iirc, was about £120 maybe.

ViperXTR · Sep 4, 2023

chrcoluk said:
I think its a good buy currently and a recent news article has been posted suggesting the nand market has just started to rise again in cost after bottoming out.

I think the heatsink version is good (I posted results of my testing on this forum), much better than my motherboard heatsinks, but is a little more expensive and runs the risk of not fitting on the board if its under a card. But the standard version runs cooler than my 980 pro, and much cooler than my 970 evo so these drives arent hot anyway in my experience.

You think it's better if i just grab an aftermarket m.2 heatsink? The heatsink version costs around 20usd more on my region and i can get some aftermarket ones at around 10usd or cheaper

freeagent · Sep 4, 2023

ViperXTR said:
You think it's better if i just grab an aftermarket m.2 heatsink? The heatsink version costs around 20usd more on my region and i can get some aftermarket ones at around 10usd or cheaper

That is up to you.. I have mine under my mobo heatsink with minimal airflow atm, and it is sitting at 40c.. I am used to high 20s to low 30s so to me its like yikes, but then I remember most everyone has temps like what I am seeing now..

ViperXTR · Sep 4, 2023

freeagent said:
That is up to you.. I have mine under my mobo heatsink with minimal airflow atm, and it is sitting at 40c.. I am used to high 20s to low 30s so to me its like yikes, but then I remember most everyone has temps like what I am seeing now..

isn't nand supposed to perform optimally on certain warm temperatures? while the controller is the one that requires better cooling?

Also im on water cooling and arctic has this mini fan on the pump where it cools the vrms and a bit on the M.2 slot.

freeagent · Sep 4, 2023

ViperXTR said:
isn't nand supposed to perform optimally on certain warm temperatures? while the controller is the one that requires better cooling?

I suppose.. but it gets to be like 16c in my computer room during the dead of brutal winter.. its still ok

chrcoluk · Sep 5, 2023

ViperXTR said:
You think it's better if i just grab an aftermarket m.2 heatsink? The heatsink version costs around 20usd more on my region and i can get some aftermarket ones at around 10usd or cheaper

Personally I dont think the hassle is worth saving 10usd, making sure good pressure applied etc. When these aftermarket heatsinks came out was back when the premium for the heatsink model was much bigger than an extra 20usd, and for drives that have no heatsink version.

The motherboard heatsink I think will be good enough assuming you live somewhere with modest ambient temperature. But if you feel you want something more beefy or dont want to use the board heatsink for any reason, I would then just buy the heatsink version.

I am currently running my 980 pro without a heatsink at all, and its in that hotspot between cpu and gpu.

ViperXTR · Sep 5, 2023

chrcoluk said:
Personally I dont think the hassle is worth saving 10usd, making sure good pressure applied etc. When these aftermarket heatsinks came out was back when the premium for the heatsink model was much bigger than an extra 20usd, and for drives that have no heatsink version.

The motherboard heatsink I think will be good enough assuming you live somewhere with modest ambient temperature. But if you feel you want something more beefy or dont want to use the board heatsink for any reason, I would then just buy the heatsink version.

I am currently running my 980 pro without a heatsink at all, and its in that hotspot between cpu and gpu.

This is the current board heatsink, currently cooling a gen3 970 evo plus. It gets slightly cooled by the arctic pump mini fan. But even if don't get the hsf version, i still wish to use the old ssd so id need another heatsink anyway as my 2nd m.2 slot has no heatsink.
Btw i live on a tropical country and don't use ACU all the time so heat can be higher than on other regions

Screenshot_2023-09-05-09-21-19-799-edit_com.google.android.apps.photos.jpg

iameatingjam · Sep 5, 2023

Yeah I bought one of the on sale 2TB sn850xs. Good deal. Haven't used it much, except for playing Ratchet and Clank. And it... did pretty well at that!

Calenhad · Sep 5, 2023

I got a 2TB 850x and it is great. Use the motherboard heatsink, that'll do just fine.

ViperXTR · Sep 7, 2023

Took the plunge, plus a 5 bucks heatsink

System Name	Ultima
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	MSI Mag B550M Mortar
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 rev4 w/ Ryzen offset mount
Memory	G.SKill Ripjaws V 2x16GB DDR4 3600
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 12GB Dual
Storage	WD Black SN850X 2TB Gen4, Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB , 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD sata,
Display(s)	ASUS TUF VG249Q3A 24" 1080p 165-180Hz VRR
Case	DarkFlash DLM21 Mesh
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek ALC1200 Audio/Nvidia HD Audio
Power Supply	Corsair RM650
Mouse	Rog Strix Impact 3 Wireless \| Wacom Intuos CTH-480
Keyboard	A4Tech B314 Keyboard
Software	Windows 10 Pro

System Name	Main PC
Processor	13700k
Motherboard	Asrock Z690 Steel Legend D4 - Bios 13.02
Cooling	Noctua NH-D15S
Memory	32 Gig 3200CL14
Video Card(s)	4080 RTX SUPER FE 16G
Storage	1TB 980 PRO, 2TB SN850X, 2TB DC P4600, 1TB 860 EVO, 2x 3TB WD Red, 2x 4TB WD Red
Display(s)	LG 27GL850
Case	Fractal Define R4
Audio Device(s)	Soundblaster AE-9
Power Supply	Antec HCG 750 Gold
Software	Windows 10 21H2 LTSC

System Name	BigRed
Processor	I7 12700k
Motherboard	Asus Rog Strix z690-A WiFi D4
Cooling	Noctua D15S chromax black/MX6
Memory	TEAM GROUP 32GB DDR4 4000C16 B die
Video Card(s)	MSI RTX 3080 Gaming Trio X 10GB
Storage	M.2 drives WD SN850X 1TB 4x4 BOOT/WD SN850X 4TB 4x4 STEAM/USB3 4TB OTHER
Display(s)	Dell s3422dwg 34" 3440x1440p 144hz ultrawide
Case	Corsair 7000D
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha YSP-800 DSP soundbar/Bowers and Wilkins P7 Headphones
Power Supply	Corsair RM850x 80% gold
Mouse	Logitech G604 wireless
Keyboard	Logitech G413 carbon
Software	Windows 10 Pro X64
Benchmark Scores	Who cares

System Name	The Little One
Processor	i5-11320H @4.4GHZ
Motherboard	AZW SEI
Cooling	Fan w/heat pipes + side & rear vents
Memory	64GB Crucial DDR4-3200 (2x 32GB)
Video Card(s)	Iris XE
Storage	WD Black SN850X 4TB m.2, Seagate 2TB SSD + SN850 4TB x2 in an external enclosure
Display(s)	2x Samsung 43" & 2x 32"
Case	Practically identical to a mac mini, just purrtier in slate blue, & with 3x usb ports on the front !
Audio Device(s)	Yamaha ATS-1060 Bluetooth Soundbar & Subwoofer
Power Supply	65w brick
Mouse	Logitech MX Master 2
Keyboard	Logitech G613 mechanical wireless
Software	Windows 10 pro 64 bit, with all the unnecessary background shitzu turned OFF !
Benchmark Scores	PDQ

System Name	Ultima
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
Motherboard	MSI Mag B550M Mortar
Cooling	Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 rev4 w/ Ryzen offset mount
Memory	G.SKill Ripjaws V 2x16GB DDR4 3600
Video Card(s)	Palit GeForce RTX 4070 12GB Dual
Storage	WD Black SN850X 2TB Gen4, Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB , 1TB Crucial MX500 SSD sata,
Display(s)	ASUS TUF VG249Q3A 24" 1080p 165-180Hz VRR
Case	DarkFlash DLM21 Mesh
Audio Device(s)	Onboard Realtek ALC1200 Audio/Nvidia HD Audio
Power Supply	Corsair RM650
Mouse	Rog Strix Impact 3 Wireless \| Wacom Intuos CTH-480
Keyboard	A4Tech B314 Keyboard
Software	Windows 10 Pro

WD SN850X Black 2TB (no heatsink) vs Adata LEGEND 960 MAX 2TB (w/ heatsink)

ViperXTR

chrcoluk

FoulOnWhite

bonehead123

ViperXTR

FoulOnWhite

ViperXTR

freeagent

Moderator

ViperXTR

freeagent

Moderator

chrcoluk

ViperXTR

iameatingjam

Calenhad

ViperXTR

Processor	AMD R7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling	Thermalright Frozen Edge 360, 3x TL-B12 V2, 2x TL-B12 V1
Memory	2x8 G.Skill Trident Z Royal 3200C14, 2x8GB G.Skill Trident Z Black and White 3200 C14
Video Card(s)	Zotac 4070 Ti Trinity OC
Storage	WD SN850 1TB, SN850X 2TB, SN770 1TB
Display(s)	LG 50UP7100
Case	Fractal Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s)	JBL Bar 700
Power Supply	Seasonic Vertex GX-1000, Monster HDP1800
Mouse	Logitech G502 Hero
Keyboard	Logitech G213
VR HMD	Oculus 3
Software	Yes
Benchmark Scores	Yes

System Name	BarnacleMan
Processor	14700KF
Motherboard	Gigabyte B760 Aorus Elite Ax DDR5
Cooling	ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 + P12 Max Fans
Memory	32GB Kingston Fury Beast @ 6000 cl32 + Trefi 40,000
Video Card(s)	Asus Tuf 4090 24GB
Storage	4TB sn850x, 2TB sn850x, 2TB Netac Nv7000 + 2TB p5 plus, 4TB MX500 * 2 = 18TB. Plus dvd burner.
Display(s)	Dell 23.5" 1440P IPS panel
Case	Lian Li LANCOOL II MESH Performance Mid-Tower
Audio Device(s)	Logitech Z623
Power Supply	Gigabyte 850w
Mouse	Some piece of shit from China
Keyboard	Some piece of shit from China
Software	Yes Please?

Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard	Asus Crosshair VIII Dark Hero
Cooling	Custom Watercooling
Memory	G.Skill Trident Z Royal 2x16GB
Video Card(s)	MSi RTX 3080ti Suprim X
Storage	2TB Corsair MP600 PRO Hydro X
Display(s)	Samsung G7 27" x2
Audio Device(s)	Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1500W
Mouse	Logitech G903
Keyboard	Steelseries Apex Pro