Best 1TB PCIe 4.0 Western Digital DRAM-less SSDs
There are 6 1TB PCIe 4.0 Western Digital DRAM-less SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Western Digital Black SN7100 at 7250 MB/s read at 1TB. Sequential reads across the group span 4150–7250 MB/s at 1TB.
Why this configuration
A 1TB PCIe 4.0 Western Digital DRAM-less SSD is the value-performance sweet spot. You keep Gen4's high sequential speed — the part game loading and everyday tasks actually use — while dropping the DRAM chip (HMB fills in) trims the price. Western Digital specifically tends to be chosen here for its firmware track record and warranty support.
1TB is the capacity most single-drive builds settle on.
Usually chosen for: value-minded gamers and upgraders chasing NVMe speed at the lowest sensible cost.
Good fit: value builds and gaming where cost per gigabyte matters.
Look elsewhere for: databases, virtual machines and other sustained random-write workloads.
Ranked list
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 1TB ratings where published (6 of 6 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 1TB run 4150–6900 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 1TB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Western Digital Black SN7100 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | SanDisk Polaris 3 | 7250 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Mid-range | Polaris 3 | 7100 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Western Digital Blue SN5000 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Value | WD Polaris 3 | 5500 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Western Digital Black SN770 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Value | SanDisk 20-82-10081-A1 (Polaris MP | 5150 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | Western Digital Black SN770M 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Value | WD 20-82-10081 | 5150 | — | Check price on Amazon |
| 6 | Western Digital Blue SN580 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Value | SanDisk 20-82-10082 (Polaris MP16+ | 4150 | — | Check price on Amazon |
The parts, explained
1TB is the mainstream single-drive capacity.
PCIe 4.0 x4 delivers roughly 7,000 MB/s, the current price-to-performance sweet spot for most builds.
DRAM-less drives use the Host Memory Buffer (HMB) instead — cheaper, and fine for everyday use and gaming, with a small penalty under heavy random writes.
Staying with Western Digital means consistent firmware, tooling and warranty handling across the range.
Common questions
Is a DRAM-less 1TB SSD good enough?
For gaming and everyday use, yes — HMB covers those workloads well. If you run sustained heavy random writes (databases, VMs), a drive with a DRAM cache stays more consistent.