Western Digital launches new and improved WD Blue SN5000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

Western Digital has updated its line of budget-friendly SSDs with the release of the WD Blue SN5000 series, featuring models with up to 4TB of storage. Although not aimed at high-performance usage, these SSDs offer a compelling combination of capacity, reliability, and affordability, making them an attractive option for casual users and enthusiasts seeking cost-effective solid-state storage solutions.

According to Anandtech, the WD Blue SN5000 NVMe drives come in an M.2-2280 form factor and are powered by a WD PCIe 4.0 controller with a four-channel, DRAMless architecture. There are 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB variants that incorporate WD/Kioxia's older 112-layer BiCS 5 TLC NAND, while the new 4TB model integrates the company's BiCS 6 NAND, albeit in QLC format. Despite using a consistent controller across all capacities, Western Digital seems to harness the superior performance of BiCS 6 NAND to offset the transition from TLC to QLC, as seen on the spec sheet.

Performance-wise, the WD Blue SN5000 series offers impressive read speeds ranging from 5000MB/s to 5500MB/s, with write speeds varying from 4000MB/s to 5000MB/s, depending on the capacity. Random performance also shines, with the 4TB model delivering up to 690K IOPS random read and 900K IOPS random write rates, while the 500GB model achieves a respectable 460K/770K random read/write IOPS.

In terms of endurance, the 4TB QLC model stands out with an impressive 1200 TBW (Terabytes Written), followed by 900 TBW, 600 TBW, and 300 TBW for the lower capacity versions. The WD Blue SN5000 SSDs are backed by a 5-year warranty, and each is equipped with a thin graphene heat spreader for heat dissipation. The 500GB model costs £56.99, while the 1TB model costs £77.99. The 2TB version is priced at £137.99, and finally, the 4TB drive can be had for £275.99.

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KitGuru says: At under £140 for 2TB, would you consider one of these for your system? 

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