Customer Ratings & Reviews

After integrating the WD Black Game Drive into my gaming setup, it's time to share some insights on this external storage powerhouse. Let's kick off with the storage – it's capacious, giving my game library room to breathe. No more juggling games like a digital Tetris master – a genuine boon for any gamer. Performance-wise, the WD Black Game Drive lives up to its name. Data zips around like it's on a mission, resulting in snappy loading times and an overall smooth gaming experience, especially with those resource-heavy titles. Design-wise, it's a looker, but beyond aesthetics, the robust build exudes durability. It's not just eye candy; it feels like it could shrug off a few accidental bumps – not that I'm putting that to the test. A standout feature is its compatibility across gaming platforms. Seamless integration with both my gaming PC and console is a game-changer, adding a layer of versatility to the mix. To sum it up, the WD Black Game Drive is a solid choice for those who crave both storage space and performance. With its generous capacity, impressive speed, and sturdy design, it's a savvy investment for any gamer looking to level up their storage game.

Perfect candy bar style SSD. WD Black is a reputable brand and this SSD is so light and portable. Love the RGB color. Only issue wish it was compatible with MacOS for software loaded on SSD. Overall still satisfied. Will buy more and more space for the next purchase.

I bought this because I was having texture loading issues for Warzone, I read that the resolve was moving from hdd to ssd. This did fix it for me! Reading some of the reviews I observed that it runs warm even sometimes hot, I intend on using this for a long time hopefully! In order to do that I did the following: bought a NEVEIKA phone cooler from Amazon since I couldn’t find something specific for external hard drive cooling. Then I applied thermal paste and a piece of foil for the heat sink. I also used the WD dashboard and turned off the RGB feature. The temperature difference on the dashboard is 10 degrees F but the to the touch it’s a literal hot and cold.

Amazing drive. This is the second identical drive I bought, also own the 4 TB mechanical drive. This SSD is sleek, light and extremely fast. I have been using it for 1-2 years without faliure. Read/Write speed is as advertised (to/from internal SSD obviously)

Super fast and reliable storage. It also looks great next to the console with all of the cool lights on it.

Great SSD! Small and very portable. Awesome RGB lights too

Works exceptionally! Have been able to play a few games on my laptop with no lag!

Very fast external drive. Make sure to connect to usb 3.2 2x2 connection for optimum speed.

## Design The WD_BLACK P40 SSD Game Drive has a cool, rugged-looking exterior and is slim, lightweight and easy to transport, but also looks cool sitting next to your gaming console. Once plugged in and powered up, the RGB LEDs on the drive light up and complement the gaming-centric design of this drive very well. The RGB lights can be customized with the “Dashboard” (which is Windows-only) software that is found on the drive itself. If you plan to format the drive, you may want to copy this file off first. The LEDs are located near the 2 long sides of the drive pointing down, meaning you really only see the colors off the reflection of the surface it is setting on. If you would like them to be more noticeable, you can flip the drive over so the LEDs point up and are then clearly visible. ## Performance While WD claims up to 2000MB/s performance, this requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection, which requires relatively new computer hardware. Using the USB-C connection on my Dell G15 laptop released in 2021, I was able to achieve just over 1000MB/s according to CrystalDiskMark (results attached). The drive is able to transfer large files very quickly, which is great for working with HD video files or large game files. The roomy 1TB of storage gives you plenty of room for your game library or for working on movie projects. Of course, individual results will vary based on your hardware and what type of port (USB 2.0, USB 3.1, etc) you plug the drive into. ## Features The drive works with PS5 and PS4, XBox Series X|S and One, Windows and macOS, although the RGB customization software only works with Windows. The software allows you to customize the RGB lighting effect. By default, the RGB effect will be set to “Rainbow” which cycles through all the colors, but there are over 10 other options, including setting it to a static color or another effect such as “wave” or “flash”. The drive has a USB-C port and comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter for plugging into “traditional” USB ports. ## Summary The WD_Black P40 Game Drive is lightweight and small, making it very easy to carry with your gaming laptop or to discreetly set it next to your gaming console. This external SSD is very fast and I achieved just over 1000MB/s performance on my Dell G15 laptop. The RGB lights are a nice touch and can be customized with the included Windows software.

You should definitely go for this external SSD if you want to enjoy really fast reading/writing speeds, really happy with the performance using it with my PC.

Came quick and works perfect. Highly recommend this

The WD Black P40 is a super fast portable SSD geared towards gamers and creators (photography, video editing, etc.). The WD Black P40 comes with the drive itself, a USB C to USB C cable, and a USB C to USB A adapter (regular retangular USB connector). The drive has a metal feel and is lightweight. It is very small and can conveniently be placed inside your pocket or somewhere without worrying it will take up much space. When connected, the LEDs on its sides power on. They add a nice visual touch and aren't too bright. The great thing about SSDs are not only their speed, but the ability for you to use it on the go. Since it has no moving parts inside of it, it being bounced around or moved around while in use and will not damage any internal parts of the drive. The real world speed of the drive really depends on your hardware and what you are connecting it to. To attain faster speeds, use and connect it to a USB C port. If your computer supports USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, then you will be able to get the fastest read and write speeds offered. On my personal computer, I was able to get read speeds averaging 1000MBps and write speeds around 700MBps or so. If you don't have USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 capable hardware, it is backwards compatible and will work on USB 3.0 ports and below as well. Note, the PS5 supports speeds for USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 (10Gbps theoretical) while the Xbox Series X supports USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps theoretical). It is also important to note that the WD P40 can be used on computers and consoles alike although can only be used on one at a time. If you would like to use it on one then on the other, the drive will have to be formatted (data on it will be erased) for it to work on the other. In other words, if it will be used to store games on a Playstation or Xbox, it should stay connected to it unless you would like to switch to completely using it for a computer (again, the data on it will need to be formatted and deleted to use the drive). This is not WD P40 specific, but something to know for everyone. I would also like to add that inside of the USB enclosure, WD added a WD SN730 Black Nvme SSD. It offers very similar performance to the popular SN750 Nvme SSD. Overall, the WD P40 offers very good performance and is recommended for anyone looking to store their games and have quick load times as well as content creators wanting a drive for on the go.

This is my first time seeing an external SSD with RGB lights which I thought was neat. This gaming drive can be used as an external drive for your PC, PlayStation console, or XBOX console. I have both a gaming PC and a PS5 and tested this drive out with both. *TLDR on the bottom ========= IN THE BOX/DESIGN: First off, in the box, you get a hard-shell game drive, a USC-C to USB-C cable, a USB-A adapter, and some paperwork. Design-wise, I do like how it looks and how well-built the game drive is. The hard-shell case should protect it from a fall and debris. RGB is only located on the underside of the drive. These lights can be customized by using the software that WD provides with the game drive. ========= PERFORMANCE: Transfer speeds depend on what hardware you have. My current gaming rig doesn’t have the latest USB 3.2 Gen ports which are required to have the marketed 2000 MB/s speeds that this drive is capable of. I was only able to get about 470 MB/s with both read and write speeds. I still think this is fast compared HDD’s but I am sure with the latest USB 3.2 Gen ports this gaming drive is capable of even faster speeds. Gaming from the drive is possible on the PC. I tested a couple of games I installed on the drive, and all ran exceptionally well. On the other hand, this is not possible with the PS5. I was only able to store games and later install them if I was wanting to play them. ========= OTHER FEATURES AND NOTES: I’ve mentioned before that this game drive has RGB which can be customized in WD’s dashboard app. There are various colorways to choose from. The app also contains other tools that are helpful when using your drive. Capacity, temperature, life remaining, and drive health are some of the statistics that are present within the app. The game drive does run hot when in use. Heat is what damages SSD’s the most and does affect performance. I hope the aluminum case does its job and dissipates heat enough so it won’t reduce the drive's lifetime significantly. Also, while I do think the cable length is good, I would’ve liked a cable that is less “stiff” to make it easier with setting down the drive while in use. ========= CONCLUSION: Overall, this is a solid gaming drive. Transfer speeds are entirely dependent on your hardware but even without the latest USB gen 3.2 ports, I still found speeds to be decently fast. The drive does run hot so I would be aware of that. Regardless, this drive works well for storing games if you need some extra storage. On PC and older consoles, one is also able to directly play games from the drive.

The new Western Digital Black 1TB P40 NVMe Solid State Game drive is a great all-around option for gamers on the go as well as a lightweight portable option for storing any other files you wish to back up. I love the military-style look and feel of the drive itself with the forged aluminum matte black finish combined with the picatinny rail look that looks like it could be mounted on your favorite piece when not in use on with any of your gaming consoles or rigs. One of the best things about this portable SSD is that it is compatible with your Sony PlayStation 4/5, Microsoft Xbox and PC. Although it won’t work to run PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X games on it, you can still store game saves on the drive and store and play PlayStation 4 or Xbox One games on it. I ran benchmarks on the SSD and it performed very well in comparison to other drives I have used in the past with speeds near 2000 mb/s. It also comes pre-loaded with the WD_Black Dashboard to control and review the performance of the drive as well as other tools and settings to tweak with including the customizable RGB lighting which gives the drive even more curb appeal. The SSD comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A adapter. In my opinion, 1 TB of game storage is plenty of drive to keep your favorite games, game saves and files in a portable, compact design.

I recently acquired the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive, and I must say, it has revolutionized my gaming experience. This portable SSD is a game-changer for anyone seeking to expand their storage capacity and enhance their gaming performance. With its impressive features and exceptional performance, it has become an essential companion for my gaming adventures. First and foremost, the WD BLACK P40 offers an impressive storage capacity of 1TB. This ample space allows me to store a vast library of games, including large titles with massive file sizes. Say goodbye to the frustration of constantly juggling games on your console or PC; this game drive provides the freedom to keep all your favorite games in one place. The lightning-fast transfer speeds of the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface make loading games and accessing files a breeze. I am consistently impressed by the snappy load times and seamless gameplay this drive delivers. Whether I'm exploring vast open worlds or engaging in fast-paced multiplayer battles, the WD BLACK P40 ensures smooth and uninterrupted gaming sessions. The compatibility of this game drive is exceptional. It works seamlessly with PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox, providing cross-platform versatility. I appreciate the convenience of being able to connect it to multiple devices without any compatibility issues. Switching between platforms has never been easier, thanks to this drive's broad compatibility. One standout feature of the WD BLACK P40 is its rugged design. The drive's durable construction and shock-resistant technology provide reliable protection for my games and data, even during travel or intense gaming sessions. I no longer worry about accidental drops or impacts affecting my stored content, as this drive is built to withstand the rigors of gaming life. Additionally, the compact and portable design of the WD BLACK P40 makes it perfect for gamers on the go. It easily fits in my pocket or bag, allowing me to bring my game library wherever I go. Whether I'm visiting a friend's house or attending a gaming event, I can effortlessly connect the drive and dive into my favorite games with ease. Setting up the WD BLACK P40 is a breeze. Its plug-and-play functionality ensures a hassle-free installation process. Simply connect the drive to your device, and you're ready to go. The drive is recognized instantly, and transferring games is a straightforward process that requires no additional software or complex configurations. In conclusion, the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive is a must-have accessory for any gaming enthusiast. Its impressive storage capacity, blazing-fast transfer speeds, rugged design, and wide compatibility make it an indispensable addition to any gaming setup. If you're looking to expand your gaming library and elevate your gaming performance, look no further than the WD BLACK P40 Game Drive. It's a reliable and powerful companion that unlocks the full potential of your gaming experience.

tldr: The WD_Black P40 1TB is a great external drive with incredibly fast transfer speeds, cool but tastefully applied RGB lights, and at a sale price is a great value. The speed of this drive makes me confident I’m going to get great performance now and even better when I upgrade my PC or add an interface card that will give me the full speed of this drive. Definitely recommended. Long review if you’re interested- The only weakness I could find on this drive is the caching, whether it be RAM or very high speed flash memory that is in the drive, only the first 4-5GB of a single file transfer will move to the drive at maximum speed, once the cache is full, the write speeds eventually fall off to below 450MB/s (3.6Gbps) down from a high of 1.4GB/s (11.7Gbps, indicated in Windows, not super accurate due to PC caching) Most benchmarking tools do not use huge files for testing, so this drive looks like a real champ in benchmarks, but the blistering write performance does fall off on files larger than 4-5GB. After the initial 4-5GB, the drive will slow down to less than half speed during the rest of the file write. The drive recovers (flushes the cache) quickly and maintains maximum performance. This is clearly the fastest and most responsive USB storage device I’ve ever used. The drive is physically attractive, with a blackout case with tasteful branding markings, all business, no silly colors for this -gaming- drive. The ridged design gives it a cool feel, like an ammo box or other perk box you might pick up in a game, but it also appears functional, giving a little air space to the drive on the bottom side to help with cooling. The RGB is also tasteful, if you are an RGB fan, you might enjoy that the Western Digital Dashboard software allows you to integrate the color scheme with your preferred RGB control software; Razer Chroma, ASUS Aura, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, and MSI Mystic Light. I use the Gigabyte RGB Fusion and was able to immediately see the drive in the Gigabyte software and take control of the lighting with no mess. I did not test the lighting very thoroughly, but it did respond to my changes in the software immediately. The lighting is on the “bottom” of the drive, is not terribly bright or offensive, and you can flip the drive to see more light or less, depending on preference. The USB naming convention is now incredibly confused and has changed (again), so PCs with ports that were listed as USB 3.0 are the same as USB 3.1 and ALSO the same as USB 3.2. Seriously. So now there is USB 3.2 family with a “Generation” or “Gen” to indicate it’s speed tier. USB 3.2 (remember, also USB 3.0 and USB 3.1) by itself is limited to 5Gbps. Then you have USB 3.2 Gen 1 (10Gbps cable length limited), 2 (10Gbps), and now 2x2 (20Gbps). I am going to try to explicitly name the ports that I am using for this review to avoid any confusion, but with the stupid naming now, it’s doubtful that it will help. I found I do not have any computers or devices with a full USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20Gbps) port. All of my testing was done with the manufacturer provided cable directly connected to the USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) CPU direct port on my PC test and directly to the Thunderbolt 3 port on my 2016 MacBook Pro. The Thunderbolt 3 standard is compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2, but is not compatible with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 without a dock or adapter of some sort, so I expect to have similar speeds to the PC. I found the CPU direct port on my PC was considerably faster than the front panel port which is rated the same, but is connected via the chipset bus instead, so I stuck with the fastest port I have available. I have a couple of comparisons with my Samsung T7 ($50 cheaper, but no RGB) to show also. For testing on the Samsung T7, I used the WD provided cable, as the Samsung provided cable gave almost identical results, so I stuck with the (very slightly) faster WD cable for comparing both drives. I am using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test as it is the simplest and easiest to use free benchmark and makes a nice chart that shows what kind of video operations the drive can handle according to their standards. While you may not be using the drive for video operations, it’s a great benchmark to get a feel for the actual top end real performance you can expect; video editing is very taxing for storage devices. I also ran benches with CrystalDiskMark 8 and 3DMark Storage Benchmark on the PC, but I think it’s better to use the “same” software on both platforms to try to get comparable results. Blackmagic Disk Speed Test Results: WD_Black P40 Stress File size 2GB- Read: 918.1 MB/s (7.7Gbps) Write: 847.6 MB/s (7.1 Gbps) 3DMark Storage Benchmark test result: 858 Samsung T7 Stress file size 2GB- Read: 896 MB/s (7.5 Gbps) Write: 790.6 MB/s (6.63 Gbps) 3DMark Storage Benchmark test result: 771 These benchmark speeds show you how fast this drive can be, even on USB 3.2 Gen 2, it will undoubtedly run faster with a true USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection, as it’s well able to saturate the slower USB connection that I have. Reading should be much faster, and writing will be comparable up to that ~4GB threshold, then come down to still fast, but markedly slower speed which could not saturate the USB connection beyond 4GB. The drive does not get hot, even when working full tilt in the 3DMark Storage Benchmark, the highest exterior temperature I was able to measure on the case was 112F, which pretty much qualifies as “warm”. When the drive is not actively reading or writing, it cools off to about 15F above the room’s ambient temperature. Xbox performance was less than stellar, but that is no fault of the drive itself it seems. According to the WD marketing, this drive is intended to be able to run original Xbox 360 and Xbox One games directly from the drive, which works perfectly well. There is a noticeable difference between using the on-board storage and using the external drive, but it’s faster than either of the older consoles when loading old games that don’t have timed load screens. As far as archiving games “Optimized for Xbox X|S”, the drive itself seems to be way faster than the Xbox can copy/move via USB. After confirming that Microsoft lists the USB ports on the X|S are USB 3.1 Gen 1 (the exact same thing as USB 3.2 - 5Gbps), the drive manages to copy or move game files only at a max speed of 2.6 Gbps, which appears to be well below the theoretical real world speed of the interface, which can run as fast as 3.2 Gbps in published benchmarks. When writing games to the drive via Xbox USB, it shows the drive’s high speed cache allows the 2.6 Gbps throughput, then drops to roughly half that speed (1.39 Gbps) after 4-5 GB of write, then maintains that lower throughput through the rest of the write function. This seems to indicate there is a high speed buffer of SLC(?) flash, likely 4GB in the drive that allows snappy performance for most tasks, but once it’s full, then the slower flash memory on the drive becomes the limiting factor. It seems the speed on the drive when reading from the WD P40 and writing to the Series X internal SSD is rock steady at the 2.6 Gbps speed and does not falter. This makes sense as the high speed cache on the drive is not involved in read operations.

The Western Digital BLACK 40 Solid State Drive is a must have for your gaming experience. Whether gaming on PC, Xbox Series X/S, or PS5, you can utilize this drive for much needed 1TB of extra storage when it comes to gaming. I used this SSD on the PC and will review based on that. Out of the box, the hard drive itself is about the size of a credit card, just a bit longer. It has a nice solid feel to it and does not feel very fragile. It is also lightweight, but enough weight to it to make it feel durable, which is a securing thought with something that stores information. There is a little folded page that diagrams how to hook the hard drive up on each source and info on formatting the hard drive to which ever source you are choosing to use. It comes with a beefy USB-C cable that is around a foot and a half in length. If using this drive for PC, you will just use the USB-C cable connected to a Thunderbolt port. If connecting to the Xbox or the PS5, it comes with an adapter to plug in regular usb port. I formatted the drive on PC using the Thunderbolt port, and when I tried plugging it in using the regular USB 3.2 port, I could access the drive from Windows Explorer, but it would not show up on the Xbox app or Steam download drives. When I plugged it back into Thunderbolt port, it instantly recognized it again, so i'm not sure if it can be used on PC with the USB 3.2 ports. When first plugging in the drive into the PC, you will want to go to Windows Explorer and find the WD_Black Drive. Open it and inside will be a program to install the WD Dashboard, which is used to monitor and use features of the WD_Black drive. After installing the dashboard, you will want to exit out of everything, go back to windows explorer, right click on the drive, go to format.. Once in the format screen you will set the file structure to NTFS, quick format and you can rename the drive if you want. Hit the format button and it will format the drive for PC use. Doing so however will delete the Dashboard install program so make sure you install the program before Formatting. After that, you can create your game folders and link them in the XBOX app or steam store as the primary download location. Using the dashboard app lets you view the performance of the SSD, the health of it, how much space is used and remaining, and lets you set the RGB functions that are on the SSD too. The outer ring of the drive is LED lit and you can select between many choices for which one to use. The dashboard program also lets you see your drives temps and interface speed capability.There are some additional tools available depending on what hard drive you are viewing and allow you to manage your SSD better. Gaming performance is as expected. The load times are very short when testing games like Doom Eternal, Dead By Daylight, and the new Modern Warfare 2. Loading is usually so quick you just end up at the mercy of your internet connection for any online play. Transfer speeds outside of gaming are pretty good. Transferring an 8GB file from an internal SSD to the WD_Black drive took about 30 seconds. Overall the performance and value of the WD_Black SSD is pretty good, but unfortunately with gaming, 1TB just never seems like enough! I would still say this drive is well worth getting. It is sleek, adds some style with the RGB and will get you the fast speeds you need to load your games in a flash!

my sister loves her new USB extended storage for her PlayStation five the instructions were not very clear but I think we got it figured out

Awesome little hard drive. It’s fast, half the size of my cell phone, holds 1 TB, and even has really cool lights that I didn’t realize I’d like. I have it connected to my PC through the USB-C port and it was zippy both moving large files and playing games. I have Borderlands 2 saved to it for Steam and it didn’t lag the game down or get hot. I believe it’s basically a 1TB NVME hard drive in a rugged external case that has really cool, programmable lights. You can even program the light colors and patterns with the supplied app that offers a fair amount of customization. I think more than anything, I was surprised that it was only warm after playing Borderland on it for a few hours. I’ve tried out a few NVME external hard drive cases with my own NVME drive and they all got pretty hot, so the case seems to have a good cooling system. I highly recommend the Black P40 Game Drive both as a gaming and general use external hard drive. It transfers big files quickly, is fast enough to game from, has a rugged case, and is small enough to comfortably fit in your pocket. Get this.

Bought this after my laptop was close to running out of room from the internal SSD's and it's been great so far running Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate and Cyberpunk. Haven't experienced any stutters, glitches and load times are excellent. One thing to note however is that you should make sure that you have USB Gen 3 2x2 if you want to make the full use this SSD for read/write which will for USB is very good as you'll get roughly 2k read and 2k write. While not as fast as putting an NVME in a PCIE lane it's come a long way for USB storage and can be 4 times faster than a standard SATA SSD. However if you have only USB 3.2 gen 2 you'll get about half the throughput which is about 1k read/write. While it's still twice as fast as a SATA SSD it's something to take note of if you want to make the most out of this drive. All in all, great purchase for adding more storage in a pinch!