WD Black SN7100 1TB SSD: Solid Performance at a Fair Price, Though Not the Fastest

It’s an interesting time for both PC builders and console gamers. In 2025, the prices of consoles and components have continued to rise, making budget-friendly Gen 4 drives like the WD Black SN7100 more appealing than ever. These DRAM-less SSDs can give your gaming rig, laptop, or PS5 a performance boost without the hefty price tag of newer Gen 5 options. The 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB models for the SN7100 are priced at $69.99, $199.99, and $209.99, respectively.

While I’m a bit late to the review party and prices have started to fluctuate, that’s just the nature of the SSD market. The 1TB SN7100 still delivers impressive Gen 4 read and write speeds of 7,084.27 and 6,858.23 MB/s for $119.99, which is close to its advertised speeds of 7,250MB/s read and 6,900MB/s write. These speeds may not be groundbreaking or the fastest on the market, but they perform well, resulting in quicker loading times across various games, from Marvel Rivals to Dispatch. Keep in mind that the SN7100 lacks a heatsink model, so if you’re looking for an SSD for your PS5, you’ll need to source one separately or consider a pricier alternative like the WD Black SN850X if it’s available. Nevertheless, the SN7100 is a solid choice for your setup, and its pricing should remain stable since DRAM-less drives tend to resist price hikes. Availability is still strong, and there’s even a new 4TB variant on the market.

The WD Black SN7100 is a PCIe Gen 4×4 DRAM-less NVMe SSD designed for gaming laptops and compact devices, but it also works well in full-sized desktop gaming PCs, which is how I tested it. With its M.2 2280 form factor, it has a sleek black design featuring Western Digital and Sandisk branding. It resembles the previous WD Black SN770 range, and on the PCB, you’ll find a single flash chip and a controller, but no DRAM cache chip. This could lead some to seek out a more premium option, but it’s a budget-friendly choice, especially during the current RAM pricing crisis. If you’re looking to expand your PS5’s storage, you can indeed use this drive, but remember that you’ll need to provide a heatsink that fits its 2280 size.

The WD Black SN7100 SSD utilizes Sandisk’s TLC 3D NAND technology and comes in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. Western Digital claims that the 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB models can achieve read and write speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and 6,900 MB/s, offering a 35% performance boost over predecessors like the WD Black SN770M. The 500GB model offers 6,800MB/s read and 5,800MB/s write speeds. It’s worth noting that the 4TB model was not available at launch, but WD has since released it, providing an option for those who need more than 2TB of space for games and content creation. The 4TB variant also boasts endurance ratings of up to 2,400TBW (1,200TBW for the 2TB model), meaning it can handle a significant amount of data over its lifespan.

SanDisk claims that the WD Black SN7100 can reach “level-conquering speeds” of up to 7,250MB/s read and 6,900MB/s write for the 1TB and 2TB models, and I tested the 1TB version. To verify these claims, I ran the drive through benchmarking tests using CrystalDiskMark, performing four read and write speed tests and calculating the average speeds in MB/s.

In terms of average read and write speeds, the 1TB SN7100 slightly falls short of its advertised specs, with averages of 7,084.27 and 6,858.23 MB/s. For context, the top SSD in our guide achieved average speeds of 7,462MB/s reads and 6,877MB/s writes, as seen in our review of another leading model. While the SN7100 is just behind, its performance is still commendable, especially considering the 1TB version retails for $119.99 / £109.99, though current prices may reach up to $168 due to market fluctuations.

Keep in mind that opting for higher capacities may yield slight performance increases, so the 2TB version could get you even closer to those advertised speeds.

To see how these speeds translate in real-world usage, I loaded various games on my gaming PC and compared load times from the onboard storage to the SN7100. While my timing method using a stopwatch isn’t perfectly precise, it gives a good indication of the drive’s performance.

For instance, the 105.39GB Marvel Rivals took an average of 39.5 seconds to load from my PC’s onboard PNY CS1030 500GB drive, while it loaded in an average of 35.77 seconds from the SN7100. Similarly, the 14.33GB Dispatch took an average of 15.21 seconds from the onboard storage and 13.4 seconds from the SN7100. While the differences in load times are minimal and may not be noticeable to the average player, the overall speed of the drive is evident, allowing for quick access to games like Marvel Rivals in just 35.77 seconds.

I couldn’t directly measure the power consumption of the SN7100 to verify claims of “100% more power efficiency at maximum speed,” but I didn’t experience any slowdowns or issues while gaming or working. I did monitor the temperature, which remained around 39° during most tasks and barely increased during graphically intensive games, which was reassuring.

Although I tested a model without a heatsink, I used one to prevent overheating, and there were no issues during gameplay or while multitasking with numerous applications running.

The WD Black SN7100 may not be the fastest Gen 4 drive available, with that title currently held by another model that achieved impressive speeds. With Gen 5 drives now on the market, we’re nearing the limits of Gen 4 performance, and the SN7100 isn’t aiming for the highest speeds. Instead, it focuses on value, and if you can find it close to its MSRP, it’s a solid addition to your setup for extra storage that still performs well.

While it may not offer the same level of future-proofing as a Gen 5 alternative, the 1TB version at $119.99 / £109.99 provides excellent value. You could spend a bit more for a model that includes a heatsink, but if your PC or PS5 needs a storage boost without breaking the bank, this drive is a worthwhile option.

To test the 1TB WD Black SN7100, I installed it in my gaming PC with a Corsair heatsink. I ran benchmarking tests with CrystalDiskMark and timed game load times for titles like Marvel Rivals, Dispatch, and Battle Suit Aces, comparing them to the onboard storage. Afterward, I reinstalled the games on the onboard storage and repeated the tests to see how the SN7100 performed.

If you’re interested in how we test SSDs and other gaming tech, there are resources available detailing our testing methods.