Western Digital, a trusted name in tech for over 25 years, has just unveiled a range of new storage devices perfect for tech enthusiasts this holiday season. Among the exciting releases is the WD Black SN7100, a high-performance NVMe solid-state drive that is priced under $60. This PCIe Gen 4×4 DRAMless SSD is specifically designed for mainstream gamers and boasts Western Digital’s latest TLC 3D NAND technology. It is available in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB capacities.
The top-tier WD Black SN7100 offers impressive sequential read speeds of up to 7,250 MB/s and sequential writes of 6,900 MB/s. Additionally, it delivers random read and write IOPS of 1000K and 1400K, respectively. According to Western Digital, this model is 35 percent faster than its predecessor. As expected, the performance of these drives scales with capacity, with the 500 GB model slightly slower at 6,800 MB/s sequential reads and 5,800 MB/s sequential writes, along with 760K random read IOPS and 1200K random write IOPS.
These new solid-state drives were crafted with laptops and gaming handhelds in mind, offering up to 100 percent more power efficiency compared to previous generation drives. All models adhere to the M.2 280 form factor, come with a five-year limited warranty, and weigh just 5.8 grams. The 2 TB model boasts an endurance rating of 1,200 TBW, while the ratings for the other models have not been disclosed.
DRAMless SSDs like the WD Black SN7100 do not come with onboard memory, making them more affordable due to fewer components. While performance may sometimes suffer compared to DRAM-equipped drives, the trade-off is lower power consumption. Ultimately, the choice between the two types of SSDs depends on your budget and computing needs.
Western Digital’s new solid-state drives are currently available for pre-order and are expected to ship in the coming weeks. The pricing starts at $59.99 for the 500 GB model, $89.99 for the 1 TB variant, and $149.99 for the 2 TB drive. Additionally, a 4 TB model is set to be released in 2025, although details such as specifications and pricing have not been disclosed.
In addition to the WD Black SN7100, Western Digital has also announced other exciting products, including a SanDisk-branded Extreme Pro portable SSD with USB 4 connectivity, an 8 TB Extreme Portable SSD, and a 2 TB WD Black C50 expansion card for Xbox. For more information on these releases and others, refer to Western Digital’s official press release.
