Question 1

Does this WD ssd come with with a copy of Acronis True Image, a piece of software you can use to clone the existing drive or any other software that will allow you to copy OS from an old drive to a new one? This would relly help me with my decision.

Accepted Answer

You can download the WD Edition from their website.  You must have at least one WD brand hard drive which the SSD qualifies for.  It does not have all the features but does allow you to clone.  Drive came with absolutely no documentation whatsoever.  I had to check their website for more info.  Please note that I had issues with the Acronis software seeing the M.2 interface with the default boot media and default bios settings.  You may need to turn off secure boot or create a Linux based boot media.  I eventually just purchased the full version of Acronis.  Hope that helps.

Question 2

can I use this as a boot Drive C: for Asus 970 Pro Gamer/Aura?... Other info: Win7 64bit, AMD FX-8370, 32Gb DDR3, GTX 960 4Gb...

Accepted Answer

Assuming your pc has a slot for it then yes it is actually my pcs current boot device

Question 3

Do I have to adapt this to a PCIe 3.0 slot for maximum speed or will it work the same in just an m.2 slot?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot on your Mobo is ideally configured to handle the I/O from the SSD at 32Gb/s.  So, my recommendation is to use that for your boot device.  If you need to install a second M.2 then use the PCIe adapter.  Newer Mobos (Gigabyte AORUS) have dual M.2 slots with RAID0 capability.  Depending on the model of Mobo, RAID may not work across M.2 and PCIe.  Best to keep your PCIe slots for Graphics cards and other peripherals.  IMHO

Best

K. Tony Perez

Question 4

Will this work with  a MSI Z370 SLI PLUS BOARD ?

Accepted Answer

Yes. However I would suggest that you look at some of the other M2 format Drives like the Samsung 950 and 950 Pro instead. They offer much faster read and write speeds. This WD is on the low end of the performance spectrum. I bought it to use as a non boot drive in a mini-ITX system. Hope this helps

Question 5

Looking to upgrade an older system.  Will this work with the ASUS A88X-PLUS Motherboard?

Accepted Answer

The ASUS A88X-PLUS has neither an M.2 slot or support for NVMe. It does have PCI Express so support can be added through a PCI-E expansion card. However, without native support booting from the drive will be a challenge.

Reviews demonstrate this drive is not really any faster than higher performing SATA SSDs like the Samsung 850. You shouldn't pay more for it even if you already had an M.2/NVMe slot. Since you don't you definitely shouldn't buy it. Pick almost any SATA SSD instead.

Question 6

I that a heatplate/heatsink on the drive or just a sticker? If I want to put a heat sink on it will I have to remove that and if i do will that void the warranty?

Accepted Answer

Enter an answer to this quesIts a card with a sticker on top.  Removal may void the warranty.
1.0 out of 5 stars--Removed card on top of it to allow better air circulation and even added radiators to all chips
ByVyacheslav Kononenkoon September 6, 2017
Capacity: 256GB|Verified Purchase
Installed on MB, works very fast, but not reliable at all. Installed Linux and it started to overheat and produce IO errors. Removed card on top of it to allow better air circulation and even added radiators to all chips, worked couple days and failed again. Beware.
tion.

Question 7

will this work with  Alienware 17 r4 ?

Accepted Answer

To find out go to the Dell website (since your laptop is a Dell) and plug in your service tag.  It should allow you to see what is compatible with your laptop.  Off the top of my head, I would say it is but to be safe check their site.  This drive isn't nearly as fast as the Samsung 960 Pro though so if you are looking for speed, get that drive instead!  Elumenati Technical Support

Question 8

Does it really do 2GB/s read? Even benchmarked...would a modern(but not Terry Crews modern) system even have that much bandwidth?

Accepted Answer

A quick dirty throughput test with passmark on a non-quiet system (Aka, I'm doing other stuffs yo) returned:
Throughput Read: 1101.35MB/s
Throughput Write: 788.18MB/s

Not spec, but also not tested under optimal conditions.

Question 9

Is this drive B-key or M-key?

Accepted Answer

The WD Black PCIe SSD uses only the M key.

Google: WD Support: M.2 Form Factor and M.2 Solid State Drives - Answer ID 15035

Question 10

Will this fit Acer Predator G9-791?

Accepted Answer

If you are looking to replace the m.2 ssd that the g9-791 came with, yes. If you are looking to fill the second m.2 slot, I am unsure and would have to look at the mobo. I have read that this mobo requires a somewhat rare m.2 ssd size. I would check the size requirement before making any purchases.

Questions & Answers