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Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB
Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB

Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB

Common Features

  • ✓ Both products are M.2 type SSDs.
  • ✓ Both products have HMB (Host Memory Buffer) as their SSD cache.
  • ✓ Both products are NVMe SSDs.
  • ✓ Both products use PCI Express (PCIe) version 4.
  • ✓ Both products have 4 controller channels.
  • ✓ Both products have a 5-year warranty period.
  • ✓ Neither product has an integrated heatsink.
  • ✓ Both products support no encryption bits.
  • ✓ Both products have the same NVMe version.
  • ✓ Both products have a Polaris 3 controller.
  • ✓ Both products are designed for consumer storage use.

Main Differences

  • • Sequential read speed is 7250 MB/s on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 6600 MB/s on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • Random read speed is 1000000 IOPS on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 660000 IOPS on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • Sequential write speed is 6900 MB/s on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 5600 MB/s on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • Random write speed is 1400000 IOPS on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 1100000 IOPS on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • Internal storage is 1000GB on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 500GB on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • NVMe version is 1.4 on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 2 on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • The controller is Polaris 3 A101-000172-A1 on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and WD Polaris 3 A101-000103-A1 on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • SSD storage type is TLC on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and QLC on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
  • • Terabytes Written (TBW) is 600 on Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and 300 on Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB.
Specs Comparison
Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB

Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB

Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB

Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB

Read speed:
sequential read speed 7250 MB/s 6600 MB/s
random read speed 1000000 IOPS 660000 IOPS

The Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB offers higher sequential read speeds compared to the WD Blue SN5100 500GB. The WD Black SN7100 delivers a sequential read speed of 7250 MB/s, while the WD Blue SN5100 reaches 6600 MB/s, making the Black version faster in this area.

When it comes to random read speed, the WD Black SN7100 again has the edge, with a remarkable 1,000,000 IOPS. The WD Blue SN5100, on the other hand, has a lower random read speed of 660,000 IOPS. This indicates that the WD Black SN7100 is capable of handling a higher number of random read operations per second.

In summary, the WD Black SN7100 1TB outperforms the WD Blue SN5100 500GB in both sequential and random read speeds, with significant differences in both areas.

Write speed:
sequential write speed 6900 MB/s 5600 MB/s
random write speed 1400000 IOPS 1100000 IOPS

The Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB offers superior write speeds compared to the WD Blue SN5100 500GB in both sequential and random write categories. The WD Black SN7100 provides a sequential write speed of 6900 MB/s, while the WD Blue SN5100 is slightly slower at 5600 MB/s.

For random write speeds, the WD Black SN7100 again takes the lead with 1,400,000 IOPS, significantly outpacing the WD Blue SN5100's 1,100,000 IOPS. This suggests that the WD Black SN7100 can handle more random write operations per second.

In summary, the WD Black SN7100 1TB leads in both sequential and random write speeds, offering noticeably higher performance in each area compared to the WD Blue SN5100 500GB.

General info:
type M2 M2
SSD cache HMB (Host Memory Buffer) HMB (Host Memory Buffer)
Is an NVMe SSD ✓ ✓
NVMe version 1.4 2
internal storage 1000GB 500GB
release date March 2025 August 2025
controller Polaris 3 A101-000172-A1 WD Polaris 3 A101-000103-A1
SSD storage type TLC QLC
PCI Express (PCIe) version 4 4
Controller channels 4 4
Terabytes Written (TBW) 600 300
warranty period 5 years 5 years
Has an integrated heatsink ✕ ✕
bits of encryption supported 0 0
has RGB lighting ✕ ✕

Both the Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and the WD Blue SN5100 500GB share similar general features, with both being M.2 NVMe SSDs using HMB (Host Memory Buffer) as the SSD cache. However, there are some key differences between the two. The WD Black SN7100 1TB has a storage capacity of 1000GB, while the WD Blue SN5100 500GB has only 500GB of internal storage.

In terms of controller, the WD Black SN7100 uses the Polaris 3 A101-000172-A1, while the WD Blue SN5100 has the WD Polaris 3 A101-000103-A1. Both have the same number of controller channels (4). Another notable difference is that the WD Black SN7100 supports NVMe version 1.4, whereas the WD Blue SN5100 supports the newer NVMe version 2.

For endurance, the WD Black SN7100 has a Terabytes Written (TBW) rating of 600, which is double the 300 TBW of the WD Blue SN5100. Both SSDs come with a 5-year warranty period, lack integrated heatsinks, support no encryption, and do not feature RGB lighting.

Comparison Summary

This is a specification comparison between Western Digital WD Black SN7100 1TB and Western Digital WD Blue SN5100 500GB. Both products are M.2 NVMe SSDs with HMB (Host Memory Buffer) cache, PCIe version 4, 4 controller channels, and a 5-year warranty. However, the WD Black SN7100 1TB offers higher performance, with sequential read speed of 7250 MB/s and random read speed of 1000000 IOPS, compared to 6600 MB/s and 660000 IOPS for the WD Blue SN5100 500GB. The WD Black SN7100 1TB also has a larger capacity of 1000GB, while the WD Blue SN5100 500GB has only 500GB. Additionally, the WD Black SN7100 1TB uses TLC storage type and supports a Terabytes Written (TBW) value of 600, while the WD Blue SN5100 500GB uses QLC storage and supports 300 TBW.