SSDs: WD Black and WD Blue are history
SSDs from the WD Black and WD Blue series are a thing of the past. Sandisk is instead digging up an old brand name.
(Image: Sandisk)
Sandisk announces a turning point for its own SSDs: The manufacturer is bidding farewell to the two distinctive brand names WD Black (or WD_Black in its own spelling) and WD Blue. They were the last obvious remnants of the former parent company Western Digital. In the past two years, a separation between Sandisk (SSDs) and Western Digital (HDDs) has taken place.
Gradual Change
In place of the WD names, the old Optimus brand is returning, which Sandisk last used over ten years ago for its own SSDs at the time. Previous WD Blue SSDs will henceforth be simply called Optimus. High-end WD Black models will be branded as Optimus GX, and high-end types (also previously WD Black) as Optimus GX Pro. An image in Sandisk's announcement shows various specific models:
- WD Blue SN5100 Optimus 5100
- WD Black SN7100 Optimus GX 7100
- WD Black SN8100 Optimus GX Pro 8100
- WD Black SN850X Optimus GX Pro 850X
Sandisk plans to begin shipping the new editions with new stickers and packaging in the first half of 2026. However, it will likely take some time until the old WD stock disappears from warehouses.
Videos by heise
Mini SSDs for Handhelds
Meanwhile, the manufacturer is already showcasing a new SSD under the new banner: the Optimus GX 7100M. The M stands for the mini-build in the M.2 2230 format. The model is 30 mm long, making it ideal for use in handheld PCs like the Steam Deck.
Like the previous WD Black SN770M, the Optimus GX 7100M uses PCI Express 4.0, but it utilizes the available transfer rate better: The maximum transfer rate increases from 5150/4850 MByte/s (read/write) to 7250/6900 MByte/s. Maximum random accesses increase from 800,000 to 1.3 million IOPS.
Sandisk plans to offer the Optimus GX 7100M with capacities of one and two terabytes. Prices and availability dates are currently unknown.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(mma)
