Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 2TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD Review

WD Blue SN5100 2TB Performance Testing

We test using both the default smaller test size and larger test sets on our benchmarks. This allows us to see the difference between lighter and heavier workloads.

CrystalDiskMark x64

CrystalDiskMark is used as a basic starting point for benchmarks as it is something commonly run by end-users as a sanity check.

The Sandisk WD SN5100 firmly outperforms its predecessor, the SN5000, in CrystalDiskMark, while at the same time slightly missing the mark for its rated performance. Performance is good, do not get me wrong, but it is a little shy of the promised 7100 MB/s and 6700 MB/s, which I never like to see. With that said, the SN5100 is prominently clustered with other high-end Gen4 drives and maintains a clear lead on the 5 GB/s class drives.

The WD SN5100 read performance on the larger CrystalDiskMark test holds solid, while write performance takes a small hit. Notably, the SN5100 holds much better write performance than the SN7100. The SN5100 holds its relative spot on the performance chart as well; it is in the mix with higher-end Gen4 drives.

ATTO Disk Benchmark

The ATTO Disk Benchmark has been a staple of drive sequential performance testing for years. ATTO was tested at both 256MB and 8GB file sizes.

ATTO sequential results tend to come in slightly below what CrystalDiskMark records on most of my reviews, and for the WD SN5100 that is the case. Performance is markedly improved over the SN5000, and also has better write consistency than the SN7100 across the spread of the benchmark. This level of performance consistency is good, and also unusual for a QLC-based drive in my experience.

The larger ATTO test reveals a little performance variability, but otherwise the SN5100 continues to put on a good show. The SN7100 did much better in the larger test here, and thus holds a lead over the SN5100.

Anvil’s Storage Utilities

Anvil’s Storage Utilities is a comprehensive benchmark that gives us a very in-depth look at the performance of the drives tested. This benchmark was run with both a 1GB and 8GB test size.

Anvil results for the WD SN5100 2TB are great, turning in scores very similar to the WD Black SN7100 and near the top of my Gen4 chart. This is especially impressive given the QLC NAND in play here; almost all the other drives here have TLC by comparison.

The WD SN5100 holds position very well on the larger Anvil test. Write score manages to edge out the SN7100, while read score is within spitting distance. All in all, if you showed me just the Anvil results alone, I would have sworn the SN5100 was a high-end TLC-based Gen4 drive.

AS SSD Benchmark

AS SSD Benchmark is another good benchmark for testing SSDs. We run all three tests for our series. Like other utilities, it was run with both the default 1GB as well as a larger 10GB test set.

Well, no drive is perfect. The Sandisk SN5100 does not perform particularly well in AS SSD. Performance is not catastrophically bad, but it isn’t great to be beaten by the Sabrent Rocket Q4, a drive I tested five years ago. I have tested drives that perform worse in this test. They just are not included on my chart. Rest assured, the SN5100 is not horrible, it just is not impressive in this test. It should also be noted that the SN7100 did not do particularly well here either.

Contrary to nearly every other QLC drive I have ever tested, the Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 is generally consistent. In this particular test, that consistency is not great as it is still riding the bottom of the chart in a near-functional tie with the Rocket Q4, and just a tick behind the SN7100.

SPECworkstation, thermals, and our conclusion are up next.