SPECworkstation 3.0.2 Storage Benchmark
SPECworkstation benchmark is an excellent benchmark to test systems using workstation-type workloads. In this test, we only ran the Storage component, which is fifteen separate tests.
Performance in SPECworkstation for the SN5100 is pretty good! A stellar Product Development result lands it at the top of my chart, but the other sub-tests are more mixed. I am very happy with the results here.
Sustained Write Performance
This is not necessarily a benchmark so much as trying to catch the post-cache write speed of the drive. While I am filling the drive with data to the 85% mark with ten simultaneous write threads, I monitor the drive for the write performance to dip to the lowest steady point and grab a screenshot.
Long-term sequential write speed lands in the mid-400 MB/s. On this chart, that earns it a spot near the bottom, but still improving on the SN5000. In reality, that result is still acceptable for most casual users. Being this low on the chart speaks more to the generally high quality of its competitors that I thought the SN5100 is worthy of competing against.
Temperatures
We monitored the idle and maximum temperature during testing with HWMonitor to get some idea of the thermal performance and requirements of the drive.
Thermal performance for the SN5100 2TB is great. This drive peaked at 67C and only briefly; most of the rest of the time it was in the mid 50s, and this is without a heatsink or any form of active cooling. This drive is very suitable for low-power devices, as well as in cramped or low-airflow environments.
Final Words
The Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 2TB is launching today (8/27) at a MSRP of $150. Honestly, that price is going to have to drop in actual retail for the SN5100 to be competitive; the SN7100 is currently running $120 on Amazon and holds a fairly similar performance profile. $150 will get you a WD Black SN850X, and $160 will get you a Samsung 990 Pro, both considerably higher-end drives than the Blue SN5100. I expect the price to drop, but I can only judge the Blue based on the information I currently have.
The Sandisk WD Blue SN5100 makes a remarkable showing for a mainstream QLC drive, putting up performance numbers that trade blows with high-end Gen4 TLC drives that are not that old. I look forward to this level of performance becoming the budget/mainstream performance floor. The SN5100 does make the case for the WD Black SN7100 hard to understand, given how similar the drives perform.
Or that would be what I would say were it not for the pricing. At $150, the SN5100 makes almost zero sense. I am sure that at retail prices will come out lower, but if you have to pick between the SN5100 at $150 or the SN7100 at $120, the SN7100 wins every day of the week and twice on Sunday. If real-world pricing on the SN5100 drops, then it will be a serious contender in the mainstream marketplace.
Where to Buy
You can find these and check the current pricing on Amazon (Affiliate link)
Great in-depth review of the WD Blue SN5100! I really like how you highlighted the transition from TLC to QLC and its impact on performance. The endurance details were also very helpful, especially for those comparing different Gen4 NVMe SSD options. Personally, I’ve had good experiences with WD Blue drives for mainstream setups, but when it comes to larger IT hardware needs—like servers and enterprise storage—I usually check out specialized suppliers. If anyone is looking for reliable refurbished servers or enterprise hardware at competitive prices, I’d recommend checking ServerTechCentral.com
. They’ve got a solid range of Dell and other server brands.