Review: WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD (500GB)

Conclusion

NVMe SSDs have predominantly focussed on the enthusiast end of the market, where ludicrously quick benchmark results have made SATA solutions feel poor in comparison.

Yet while the very best drives are undoubtedly fast, there's an opportunity for mid-range NVMe drives offering solid all-round performance in a small, cost-effective package. WD has identified this gap in the market and introduced the Blue SN500 NVMe SSD, available in both 250GB and 500GB capacities, priced at £47 and £67, respectively.

Employing an in-house controller and tried-and-trusted SanDisk NAND, the latest iteration of the Blue product line can hardly be described as cutting edge, yet it is a fine example of a well-balanced SSD that ticks practically every relevant box. Speeds of up to 1,700MB/s are sufficient, in our estimation, to consider upgrading from an older SATA solution, there's the peace of mind of a five-year warranty from one of the biggest names in the business, and with prices starting at under 15p-per-gigabyte, the drive can quite easily be viewed as a no-brainer.

Bottom line: the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is a fine choice for any modern PC, and one we suspect will prove hugely popular with system integrators in the months ahead.

WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD (500GB)

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The WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD is available to order from Scan Computers.

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