Best 500GB PCIe 4.0 Western Digital DRAM-less SSDs
There are 6 500GB PCIe 4.0 Western Digital DRAM-less SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Western Digital Black SN7100 at 7250 MB/s read at 500GB. Sequential reads across the group span 4150–7250 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB 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.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
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 500GB ratings where published (6 of 6 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 500GB run 4150–6900 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | 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
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
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 500GB 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.