Is the SN7100 fast enough for gaming?

Yes. Its rated 7,000 MB/s read speed is near the top of PCIe 4.0, and game load times are close to other high-end PCIe 4.0 drives. It will not feel slower than premium rivals in games.

Does it need a heatsink?

It ships without one. It runs fine in normal use, but a heatsink helps if you move large files often or your motherboard or laptop already has one.

Will it work in a PS5?

Sony requires a heatsink on PS5 SSDs, and this drive does not include one. You would need to add a compatible M.2 heatsink, and check that the drive meets Sony's requirements.

How does it compare with the SN850X?

The SN850X is WD's premium drive with a DRAM cache and higher sustained write performance. The SN7100 is more power-efficient and a better fit for laptops, while the SN850X suits heavy desktop workloads.

What slot does it need?

It is an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 drive. It fits PCIe 4.0 slots at full speed and works in PCIe 3.0 slots at lower speeds.

Is 4TB enough for a game library?

For most people, yes. Modern games run from tens to over a hundred gigabytes each, so 4TB holds a large collection alongside the operating system and other files.