Side-by-side: WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB ($829) vs Crucial T705 4TB ($749). $/TB winner, specs, real-world picks for May 2026.
Gen 5 at 4 TB is one of the most contested SSD segments in 2026, and WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB versus Crucial T705 4TB captures that competition well. The decision rarely comes down to peak speeds — both drives saturate typical workloads.
Hardware-wise, the WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB runs on an SMI SM2508 controller that drew industry attention in 2024 for finally taming Gen 5 thermals. The Crucial T705 4TB pairs Phison's E26 silicon, which kicked off the consumer Gen 5 era and typically requires a heatsink.
Prices favor the Crucial T705 4TB by $20.00/TB ($187.25/TB versus $207.25/TB). Not a huge gap, but enough to be the tiebreaker if performance is similar.
Heading to a PlayStation 5? Both drives drop into the console's M.2 bay and report identical real-world benchmarks since the PS5 caps storage at PCIe 4.0 speeds. The Crucial T705 4TB wins this matchup on $/TB. For content creators routinely rendering 4K or 8K video, the Crucial T705 4TB's 12,700 MB/s sustained write is the deciding factor — multi-GB project files land noticeably faster than on the alternative. Note for handheld gamers: M.2 2280 is the desktop/laptop standard. Steam Deck and the ROG Ally line need 2230 drives — neither WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB nor Crucial T705 4TB fits without modification.
The WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB fits buyers who prefer its specific performance profile or have brand preference for WD.
Go with the Crucial T705 4TB for the lower retail price ($749 vs $829), better $/TB economics ($187.25/TB), and higher sustained writes (12,700 MB/s). Crucial's T-series tends to undercut Samsung and WD on price while using comparable Micron silicon — a value play hiding in a flagship form factor.