Games are getting bigger these days. That much is obvious with many games crossing the 100GB barrier, and some, like Baldur's Gate 3, climbing above the 150GB mark. Sure, you could uninstall and reinstall games frequently, but all that time you could spend gaming if you simply upgrade your storage instead.
You don't need to look far for a good deal, however, as Western Digital is slashing its prices left, right, and centre. If you're a stickler for performance, then WD's Black NVMe series is the company's flagship, with 1TB on Amazon US for $134.99 (46% off) or £140.86 on Amazon UK (26% off).
WD Blue M.2s shave the price down even further, with 1TB down from $159.99 to $104.99 (34% off) in the US and 500GB reduced from £121.81 to £52.49 (57% off) in the UK. It's no trouble if you can't fit an M.2 SSD into your system, as the 500GB WD Blue SATA version is just as fast and costs $57.99 (42% off) and £51.99 (60% off) in their respective countries.
The main difference between these models is speed and form factor.
Black is WD’s top-of-the-range brand, and NVMe technology offers unrivalled speeds that are as fast as 3,430MB/s read and 3,000MB/s write – at least on the box. But remember, the single groove on an NVMe drive will only plug into M.2 drives that support NVMe technology, so check your motherboard for compatibility before buying.
WD Blue SSDs push around 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds, but boast great value for money and versatility in form factor. The M.2 version will easily plug into any M.2 slot with its dual grooves, or you can simply go for the 2.5″ SATA model that’ll fit into any chassis with space – although some of you might need a bracket.
We can help you out if you need to know how to install an SSD once you’ve bought it, as those screws can be quite fiddly. We promise it’s not a scary process at all!