WD_BLACK 4TB SN7100 – Best NVMe money can buy
I bought the WD_BLACK SN7100 4TB to replace my smaller WD SN570 Gen3 boot drive. Installation was straightforward i.e just slide it into the M.2 slot, and done. Performance Using CrystalDiskMark V9.5.0, I consistently saw around 7000 MB/s read and 6200 MB/s write on the 4 GB test, and about 6800 MB/s write on the longer 64 GB run which was remarkably close to the advertised specs. Random 4K read/write speeds also feel quick, and Windows 11 boots in roughly 5–6 seconds. However, I did observe some throttling when running 64GB Q8T1 test with temperature reaching 59°C and speed dropping to 4500MB/S. Though, it's still faster than any Gen3 drive. App launches are near-instant. I haven’t tested large game installs (like 100 GB titles) since this particular system isn’t built for heavy gaming, but for productivity and content creation, it's been great so far. Thermals and Efficiency Idle temperature hovers around 30°C but under sustained load, temperatures could reach up to 60°C and this is without a heatsink(except some black material came with the original laptop drive) which for a Gen4 drive is exceptional. The controller here isn’t just fast but impressively power-efficient. Compared to my older Samsung 970 EVO Plus Gen3, this one runs at a lower wattage. It’s a great fit for laptops or compact builds where cooling headroom is limited. Storage Capacity and Software Usable space comes out to about 3.63 TB, which is standard for 4 TB drives due to the difference between base-10 and base-2 (1000 vs 1024) calculations. My only gripe is WD’s software. The legacy Dashboard app has been replaced by Kitfox, and the 4 TB SN7100 isn’t fully recognized yet. Hopefully, WD or SanDisk pushes an update soon, as the drive itself is fantastic. Also, it could be formatted for Windows, Linux or MacOS. Value and Endurance This drive uses TLC 3D NAND, unlike the WD SN5000 which is QLC-based(4TB version) and often priced just a few dollars cheaper. The SN7100 offers an endurance rating of up to 2400 TBW, which should easily outlast multiple system builds. If you plan to use it in a server or NAS, I’d suggest either keeping a backup drive(RAID 1) or going with WD Red SN700, which is designed for heavier write cycles. While it’s not the cheapest 4 TB Gen4 SSD, the performance easily rivals the Samsung 990 Pro and Crucial T500, with the added benefit of lower power consumption and cooler thermals. Verdict If you’re upgrading from an HDD or even a SATA SSD, the SN7100 feels like a quantum jump. It combines blazing fast speed with stable thermals, and generous capacity in one package. This is an excellent choice for prosumers(creators, gamers) or anyone who's looking for a reliable performance with minimal heat output. To conclude, if you're looking for a drive that stays cool, handles large transfers without any hiccups, and just works; look no further. Highly recommended. Read more
