The WD Black SN7100 NVMe SSD, marketed towards gamers, promises to handle the ever-increasing size of modern games. While storage space is certainly important, the SN7100’s impressive performance (with a minor caveat) is its true strength. This review dives into the features, performance, and value of this PCIe 4.0 SSD.
WD Black SN7100 Features and Specifications
The WD Black SN7100 is a single-sided M.2 2280 NVMe SSD utilizing the PCIe 4.0 interface. It features a SanDisk (a WD subsidiary) A101-000172-A1 controller and the latest BiCS8 layered NAND. This drive employs a Host Memory Buffer (HMB) architecture, leveraging your system’s RAM for primary caching and allocating a portion of the NAND as single-layer cell (SLC) for secondary cache. WD backs the SN7100 with a five-year warranty and a 600 TBW (Terabytes Written) rating per terabyte of capacity, which is standard for budget TLC SSDs. While reaching the TBW limit is unlikely, the drive will simply enter read-only mode, preserving your data if it does occur.
WD Black SN7100 Pricing
The WD Black SN7100 offers competitive pricing, with the 500GB model around $60, the 1TB version at $80, and the 2TB variant (tested) around $160. While not the absolute cheapest, it offers excellent value for its performance.
WD Black SN7100 Performance Analysis
In synthetic benchmark testing, the 2TB WD Black SN7100 proved to be the fastest PCIe 4.0 HMB SSD we’ve tested. CrystalDiskMark 8 sequential transfer speeds were notably higher than competitors, though not by a massive margin.
Random 4K performance was also excellent in CrystalDiskMark 8, further solidifying its strong showing.
While the SN7100 performed well in our 48GB transfer tests, it wasn’t the absolute fastest, falling within a few seconds of competitors.
Similarly, in the 450GB write test, the SN7100 delivered very good results, although not record-breaking.
However, a 900GB write test revealed a significant performance drop, with speeds plummeting to around 100MBps, resembling QLC NAND behavior. This was unexpected given the modern BiCS8 TLC NAND. Subsequent tests showed fluctuating and generally slower write speeds with these larger files. While 450GB writes performed as expected, the inconsistency with larger files is a concern.
Should You Buy the WD Black SN7100?
Despite the 900GB write test anomaly, the WD Black SN7100 remains a top contender in the PCIe 4.0 HMB category. Since writing massive files is uncommon for most users, its exceptional performance in typical workloads makes it a compelling option. It falls just short of perfection, but for everyday use, it’s a fantastic SSD.
How We Test
Our drive tests use Windows 11 64-bit on an X790 motherboard (PCIe 4.0/5.0) with an i5-12400 CPU and 64GB of Kingston Fury DDR5 4800MHz RAM. We utilize integrated 20Gbps USB and Thunderbolt 4, along with Intel CPU/GPU graphics. 48GB transfers leverage a 58GB ImDisk RAM disk. The 450GB file is transferred from a 2TB Samsung 990 Pro, which also runs the OS. All tests are conducted on freshly formatted NTFS drives with TRIM enabled. Note that performance can decrease as a drive fills. Results are specific to the tested capacity and may vary. Vendors may also change components.
