WD Black D30 Game Drive SSD 1TB Review

Rating: 8.0.

The latest addition to WD's Black Game Drive range of external SSDs is the D30, a compact drive using an NVMe SSD combined with a USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb/s) interface. Priced at £150, let's find out how it stacks up against the competition.

At the time of writing this review, three models make up the Black D30 Game Drive range; 500GB, 1TB (the drive we are reviewing here) and a flagship 2TB unit. Inside the enclosure is a WD SN550E NVMe SSD (WD 4-channel controller and BiCS4 96-layer 3D TLC NAND) which in combination with the USB interface gives the Black D30 Game an official Sequential performance of up to 900MB/s across the range.

WD doesn’t state any endurance rating for the Black D30 Game Drive but the 1TB SN550 drive inside it has a 600TB TBW rating and WD back the drive with a three-year warranty.

Physical Specifications:

• Usable Capacities: 1TB.
• NAND Components: SanDisk 96-layer 3D TLC.
• Interface: USB 3.2 Gen 2.
• Form Factor: External.
• NAND Controller: WD.
• Dimensions: 96 x 35 x 58mm.
• Drive Weight: 125g.

Firmware Version: 3083.

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