# WD_Black SN8100 vs Seagate FireCuda 540: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the WD_Black SN8100 (Western Digital) and Seagate FireCuda 540 (Seagate) among internal ssds. WD_Black SN8100 is the cheaper of the two at $179.99.

## Side by side

| Spec | WD_Black SN8100 | Seagate FireCuda 540 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $179.99 | $189.99 |
| Brand | Western Digital | Seagate |
| Released | 2025-05 | 2023 |
| Capacity options (TB) | 1, 2, 4, 8 | 1, 2 |
| Form factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe | PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe |
| Seq read (Mbps) | 14900 | 10000 |
| Seq write (Mbps) | 14000 | 10000 |
| Random read kiops | 2300 | — |
| Random write kiops | 2300 | — |
| Nand type | TLC | TLC |
| Has dram cache | Yes | Yes |
| Endurance tbw | — | 1000 |
| Warranty years | 5 | 5 |

## Key differences

- Capacity options (TB): WD_Black SN8100 1, 2, 4, 8 vs Seagate FireCuda 540 1, 2
- Seq read (Mbps): WD_Black SN8100 14900 vs Seagate FireCuda 540 10000
- Seq write (Mbps): WD_Black SN8100 14000 vs Seagate FireCuda 540 10000

## What reviewers say

**WD_Black SN8100** — Three whitelisted labs (Tom's Hardware, StorageReview, PCWorld) benchmarked the 2TB WD_Black SN8100 and rate it among the fastest consumer Gen5 SSDs tested, with class-leading synthetic throughput and top-tier random IOPS plus strong power efficiency. Tom's Hardware and PCWorld flag premium pricing; PCWorld also hit write-speed inconsistency on an older motherboard that vanished on a new test bed. (TechPowerUp's review was dropped because only its intro/spec page was retrievable, leaving no verifiable quotes or measurements.) (3 sourced reviews.)

**Seagate FireCuda 540** — Three whitelisted testers hands-on benchmarked the 2 TB FireCuda 540: Tom's Hardware and StorageReview at its 2023 launch, and TechPowerUp in a 2025 re-review. Consensus: a fast PCIe 5.0 drive with high sequential throughput, class-leading sustained/full-drive write speeds, and a standout support package (high TBW endurance plus 3-year data recovery), offset by poor power efficiency, high heat, and a hard requirement for a heatsink to avoid throttling. Both later-lens findings and StorageReview's enterprise tests show it only marginally leads top Gen 4 drives in real use and is weak in some write workloads. (3 sourced reviews.)

## Sources

- WD_Black SN8100: https://www.sandisk.com/products/ssd/internal-ssd/wd-black-sn8100-ssd (sandisk.com, verified 2026-07-11)
- Seagate FireCuda 540: https://www.seagate.com/content/dam/seagate/en/content-fragments/products/datasheets/firecuda-540-ssd/firecuda-540-ssd-DS2120-2-2304-en_US.pdf (seagate.com, verified 2026-07-11)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/internal-ssds/wd-black-sn8100-vs-seagate-firecuda-540/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, WD_Black SN8100 ($179.99) vs Seagate FireCuda 540 ($189.99) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/internal-ssds/wd-black-sn8100-vs-seagate-firecuda-540/
License: CC BY 4.0.