Page 8 - Conclusion
The Western Digital Black lineup of SSDs, whether internal or external storage options, have always been performance-oriented, and the P50 Game Drive SSD 1TB is no different. In terms of build and appearance, I really like the looks of this external SSD. Its military-like build may not be rugged, but its aluminum exterior is still strong, does not flex under pressure, and works functionally to help with cooling the internal drive. You also get Western Digital's five-year warranty with this product, which is quite a long time for peace of mind. It is great to see the fastest SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface here. However, it is a shame this interface is not more widely available unless you have the specific Threadripper motherboards or the necessary add-in card. As such, there is potential performance increases to be had, but the availability is limited at this moment. In our benchmarks, we were still able to see top numbers of over 1000MB/s in one of our sequential read tests over the slower SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps interface. In comparison to some of our other external options like the Crucial X8 1TB or the LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB, the Western Digital Black P50 did seem to compete closely with the X8 1TB, while falling behind the Rugged SSD 1TB. At press time, the 1TB variant of the Western Digital Black P50 Game Drive SSD is approximately $250, which is $85 more than the Crucial X8 1TB, but $50 cheaper than the LaCie Rugged SSD 1TB. The price difference is easily attributed to the price of the early-adopter tax in having the fastest interface available, and you will also need to shell out more to acquire the necessary equipment to reach the faster speeds. I have no doubt the SuperSpeed USB 20Gbps interface will reach more mainstream products later on. As it stands, the Western Digital Black P50 Game Drive SSD 1TB is a well-performing external drive with speeds that could be unleashed in the future.
UPDATE June 27, 2022: Now that the USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 interface is becoming more readily available, it is great to see the Western Digital Black P50 Game Drive SSD 1TB take advantage of this increased bandwidth, with read and write numbers peaking at 2000MB/s. Furthermore, it can be found on sale for around $200, which makes it slightly more attainable.
Western Digital provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
APH Networks Review Focus Summary:
8/10 means Definitely a very good product with drawbacks that are not likely going to matter to the end user.
7/10 means Great product with many advantages and certain insignificant drawbacks, but should be considered before purchasing.
-- Final APH Networks Numeric Rating is 7.5/10
Please note that the APH Networks Numeric Rating system is based off our proprietary guidelines in the Review Focus, and should not be compared to other publications.
The Western Digital Black P50 Game Drive SSD 1TB is a well-built, high performing external drive with a future-proof USB interface.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
4. Benchmark: ATTO Disk Benchmark
5. Benchmark: Crystal Disk Mark 6.0
6. Benchmark: HD Tach 3.0.1.0
7. Benchmark: HD Tune Pro 5.70
8. Conclusion
