The names of some of the most popular SSDs are changing so their new owner Sandisk gets the glory

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Bye, bye, WD Black.

The new Sandisk Optimus branding on various SSDs.
(Image credit: Sandisk)

Sandisk is changing the names of its popular solid state drives. 'Does Sandisk even make any popular SSDs right now?', I hear you ask. Yes, it actually makes two of our top three best SSDs for gaming, though it's not as obvious today as one might expect.

Essentially, SSDs under the WD branding are actually owned by Sandisk. The two companies used to be one and the same—with Sandisk a subsidiary of WD. However, WD decided to separate from Sandisk; WD would focus on the lucrative HDD business and Sandisk would become its own entity focused on SSDs.

  • Sandisk Optimus
  • Sandisk Optimus GX
  • Sandisk Optimus GX Pro

Yeah, heavy use of the letter X and the word 'Pro'; nothing out of the ordinary for a tech brand here.

The new Sandisk Optimus branding on various SSDs.

(Image credit: Sandisk)

The most important thing is you are still able to spot existing products on the shelves under their new guise.

The popular WD_Black SN7100 will be filed under Optimus GX 7100, and the newly released WD Blue SN5100 as the Sandisk Optimus 5100.

There's also an Optimus GX Pro 850X, a match for the WD_Black SN850X. While the WD_Black SN8100 is not currently listed on the new Sandisk Optimus website, one can assume it will go by 'Optimus GX Pro 8100' from the images provided.

The new Sandisk Optimus branding on various SSDs.

(Image credit: Sandisk)

Sandisk has also announced a new, speedy 2230 drive, the Sandisk Optimus GX 7100M, with up to 2 TB capacity and a read speed up to 7,250 MB/s.

"Millions of people around the world know and trust our internal drives, and the new Sandisk Optimus branding perfectly matches the strength of our portfolio," Anil Moolchandani, VP at Sandisk, says in a press release. "The family of internal SSD products are engineered to meet the demands of developer workflows and gaming environments for professionals, gamers, and other prosumers alike."

Though they won't say it, a rebrand is something of a necessity, and will see Sandisk lose out on years of hard-earned reputation and brand recognition for WD drives.

Products under the new brand will begin rolling out through the first half of 2026. And it's only the name that's changing—the underlying hardware, coming largely from a joint venture between Sandisk and Kioxia, remains the same high-octane mix we've come to expect from both WD and Sandisk products over the years.

WD_Black SN7100 SSD
Best SSD for gaming 2026

1. Best overall:
WD_Black SN7100

2. Best budget:
Biwin Black Opal NV7400

3. Best PCIe 5.0:
WD_Black SN8100

4. Best budget PCIe 5.0:
Crucial P510

5. Best 4 TB:
TeamGroup MP44

6. Best 8 TB:
WD_Black SN850X

7. Best M.2 2230:
Lexar Play 2230

8. Best for PS5:
Silicon Power XS70


👉Check out our full SSD for gaming guide👈

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Jacob Ridley
Jacob Ridley
Managing Editor, Hardware

Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog, before graduating into breaking things professionally at PCGamesN. Now he's managing editor of the hardware team at PC Gamer, and you'll usually find him testing the latest components or building a gaming PC.

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