WD Black SN 7100 1 TB NVMe SSD review-Latest New 2025
It’s absolutely wild just precisely just how quick NAND costs have toppled these last couple of years. It is just one of minority areas in the computer system video clip gaming room where the tech development and rate seem to be constantly enhancing year-on-year. Yet, Incredibly, it’s the PCIe 4.0 sector that’s getting one of the most love and focus, even with 5.0 SSDs blazing a trail in regards to consecutive efficiency. In fact, maybe, numerous of the best SSDs for video pc gaming right now are 4.0 drives. They’re much more budget friendly, cooler, and do equally as well as their high-speed successive matchings.
Western Digital’s newest WD Black SN 7100 is a terrific example of that specific values. It is, externally, a straightforward sufficient drive. It’s PCIe 4.0, it has Kioxia 218 -layer BiCS 8 TENDER LOVING CARE NAND, and the company’s Sandisk Polaris 3 A 101 controller (the identical uncovered in the WD Blue SN 5000 I took a look at late in2015 Complying with on with modern trends, WD’s also went down the committed DRAM cache (truthfully, you in fact don’t need it any kind of longer) and chosen a single-sided drive layout, making it a lot more suitable with the similarity laptop computers, motherboards, gaming consoles, and smaller sized kind variable systems.
Absolutely nothing brand-new below afterwards, simply a popular producer calmly releasing a solid storage space service that’s following market trends. Well, not quite, and the problem lies in exactly how this point is placed in WD’s collection.
The SN 7100 is offered from 500 GB completely as much as 2 TB configurations, all of which are heatsinkless. There are some mutterings of a 4 TB config, however it’s not available right now. They’re highly valued too, ranging from$60 to$140 The problem, however, arises when you consider the bigger product pile from WD, particularly the SN 850 X line.
WD Black SN 7100 requirements
Ability: 1 TB
Interface : PCIe 4.0 x 4
Memory controller: Sandisk Polaris 3 A 101-000172-A 1
Blink memory: Kioxia 218-Layer BiCS 8 TLC NAND
Rated effectiveness: 7, 250 MB/s sustained read, 6, 900 MB/s sustained produce
Stamina: 600 TBW
Assurance: 5 years
Price: $ 85|₤ 74
Currently absolutely, there are some considerable differences right here. The SN 850 X starts at 1 TB capacities, and goes all the way as long as 8 TB(with the 8 TB SN 850 X being a various layout with denser 162 -layer BiCS 6 TLC NAND compared to the very first gen), nevertheless the essential things is, valuing for the non-heatsinked versions are basically similar. That’s a substantial problem also, because the effectiveness differences between them are, well, instead marginal.
These are 2 hugely numerous SSDs too. The SN 850 X isn’t a single-sided style; it has much less-dense tlc NAND, consists of a DRAM cache, and a Triton MP 16 +B 2 controller to use that. It’s in addition 3 years old, in its non -8 TB kind.
So we’ve obtained 2 SSDs, from the identical company, that, externally, are offered at similar capacities, at similar prices, that do practically specifically the exact same, bar some out-of-the-way examination results periodically. Nevertheless a time area of three years. Right.
Prior to I get onto why that is, enable’s talk about the efficiency figures. The great information is that the SN 7100 seriously emits which Kioxia 218 -layer isn’t keeping back. Specifically in efficiency work.
In my screening, it provided some top-tier numbers in CrystalDiskMark, landing an average ranking of 7, 116 MB/s on the read and 6, 820 MB/s on the make up. For contrast, the SN 850 X (absolutely its 8 TB variant) racked up 7, 100 MB/s and 6, 590 MB/s on the create, only a little behind there.
Random 4 K efficiency for the SN 7100 was a little an intriguing one also. It absolutely ruined every drive I have in fact examined on the read front, scoring a horrendous 101 MB/s. For context, the second fastest drive I have in fact had on examination, Crucial’s PCIe 5.0 2 TB T 700, only took care of 81 MB/s there. It does, nevertheless, fall fairly brief on the create area of that requirement, landing merely 276 MB/s. With also the SN 850 X defeating it by a healthy and balanced margin of 22 MB/s also.
Computer Player test bench
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9900 X| RAM: 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) Group Team T-Create Expert DDR 5 @ 6000 C 34| GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super| Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix X 870 E-E Video Gaming WiFi| CPU Colder: Asus ROG Ryujin III 360 ARGB Extreme| PSU: 1200 W NZXT C 1200 (2024 80 + Gold| Chassis: Geometric Future Style 5
Get if …
✅ You desire top-tier computer gaming performance: With high arbitrary 4 K checked out speeds and an incredible style, the SN 7100 does double duty as dazzling for both pc gaming consoles and video gaming Computer systems a like.
Do not buy if …
❌ You have an SN 850 X already: Besides some performance enhancements and renovations on random 4 K checks out, you’re not likely checking out any kind of substantial benefit relocating far from a currently solid PCIe 4.0 SSD.
Similarly, ratings throughout 3 DMark’s Storage test produced extensive numbers additionally. Although once again extremely closely gotten in touch with the SN 850 X. Final Fantasy likewise landed in a smooth 7 841 secs, making it faster than Samsung’s 990 Evo Plus , yet hardly. It does likewise appear that those video games do favor to have access to DRAM cache to load those scenarios, although the opportunity of in fact observing the difference between 7 8 and 7 3 2nd overall loads times over five different scenes in real life is certainly slim.
The big win jumped on temperatures. Under my Asus ROG Strix X 870 E-E motherboard’s heatsink, the SN 7100 came to a head at an impressively minimized 48 C throughout the benchmark run. That’s once again one of the most effective temperature level levels I have actually seen for time, with the only drive that possibly covers it, in regards to “wow, that looks at,” being Corsair’s MP 700 Elite PCIe 5.0 SSD, with its surprising 55 C (although remarkably they both make use of the specific very same Kioxia 218 -layer tender loving care NAND).
So afterwards, given the SN 850 X exists and has offered 3 years, why in the world release the SN 7100 In addition to the single-sided design. Well, undoubtedly, this is totally guesswork on my component, however I ‘d bet it’s all to do with price. However not for the consumer.
By getting rid of the DDR 4 DRAM cache, enhancing the format so its single-sided, and utilizing denser NAND (that permits you to lower the number of chiplets on the SSD itself), WD efficiently makes this drive more affordable to produce from a just firm perspective. That is fair sufficient; that’s just how technology developments. Yet what aggravates me concerning that is the truth it isn’t a lot more economical for the consumer. As mentioned, the SN 7100 corresponds expenditure as that aging SN 850 X, when in truth it require to be more economical. Not by a whole lot undoubtedly, nonetheless by something at least, and it’s not. It’s likely the SN 850 X is no more in production now, and that warehouse stock is all that’s left. With it slowly being removed in favor of the SN 7100, and that tag scheduled for a forthcoming PCIe 5.0 or 6.0 drive. But, still, it would definitely have behaved to see a price decrease.
Look, the SN 7100 provides on two important, essential locations. Random took a look at effectiveness (a hallmark metric we use for establishing computer game great deals times) and temperature, which in a globe of warm, power hungry, RTX 5090 s, and extremely warm CPUs is no inadequate point.
If you’re looking for a strong and reliable PCIe 4.0 SSD that will certainly not invest a lot, the SN 7100 is a wonderful place to begin.
