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Exascend PD5 Gen5 7.68TB SSD Review: 15GB/s Throughput

3 h ago

SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8TB 8100 Gen5 SSD review: PCIe 5.0 NVMe drive delivers 14.9GB/s reads, 13.2GB/s writes, and 4,800TBW endurance, but pricing has surged to $2,149 USD / $5,799 CAD amid rising NAND costs. The SanDisk Optimus GX Pro 8100 (rebranded from WD_Black SN8100) is a PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 SSD available in 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB capacities. The 8TB model uses a double-sided PCB with four SanDisk 218-layer BiCS 8 TLC CBA 3D NAND chips and a SanDisk-branded Silicon Motion SM2508 8-channel controller, plus DDR4 DRAM. Performance specs for the 8TB version: sequential reads up to 14.9GB/s, writes up to 13.2GB/s, random read/write IOPS of 2,200K/2,400K. The drive supports TCG Opal 2.02 encryption and is rated for 4,800TBW with a five-year warranty. Lower capacities are single-sided with average active power of 6.5W read/7W write, making them suitable for laptops. Pricing has escalated dramatically: the 2TB model now costs $549.99 on Amazon (down from $279.99), while the 8TB version is listed at $2,149 in the US and an eye-watering $5,799.99 on Amazon Canada. The reviewer notes the drive’s endurance and speed parallel a cross-Canada motorcycle ride raising awareness for PTSD and mental wellness among military and first responder veterans—a cause supported by the Rolling Barrage event.