No question: The Western Digital Black SN770 worked really quickly in the test. The speed when reading data was high, when writing it was even very high. In addition, the program acceleration was at a high level. But that doesn’t make it the fastest M.2 SSD with PCI Express 4.0 technology. Competitors such as the SN850 from the company itself or the Samsung 980 Pro worked even faster – and were cheaper at the time of the test.
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Per
High reading speed
Very high writing speed
High program acceleration
Very low access times when reading and writing
The demand for M.2 SSDs with a fast PCI Express 4.0 connection is constantly increasing. Why? After AMD, newer Intel platforms are now also working together with PCIe 4.0 technology. In addition, the chewing gum strip-sized M.2 SSDs with PCI Express 4.0 connection are suitable for expanding the memory of the PlayStation 5 – there is a free slot under the housing cover, upgrading is not rocket science. The latest PCIe 4.0 model from Western Digital is called WD_Black SN 770. This test shows what it can do.
The Best M.2 SSDs (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4)
Western Digital
Details about the test
Per
Very high reading speed
Very high writing speed
Crucial
Details about the test
Per
Very fast reading
Writing at a very fast pace
Samsung
Details about the test
Per
Fastest M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD in read speed
Fastest M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD in write speed
PNY
Details about the test
Per
High reading speed for large and medium-sized data
Very high writing speed
against
Slightly low continuous transfer rate when reading
silicone power
Details about the test
Per
High reading speed for large and medium-sized data
Very high writing speed
against
Slightly low continuous transfer rate when reading
Samsung
Details about the test
Per
Very fast reading
Writing at a very fast pace
gigabytes
Aorus Gen4 1TB (GP-AG41TB)
Details about the test
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High reading speed for large and medium-sized data
Very high writing speed
against
Slightly low continuous transfer rate when reading
patriot
Details about the test
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High reading speed for large and medium-sized data
Very high writing speed
against
Slightly low continuous transfer rate when reading
Seagate
Details about the test
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High reading speed for large and medium-sized data
Very high writing speed
against
Slightly low continuous transfer rate when reading
XPG
Details about the test
Per
Very fast reading
Writing at a very fast pace
Complete List: Best M.2 SSDs (NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4)
WD_Black SN 770 in the test: Now PCIe 4.0
Up until now, Western Digital only offered a PCI Express 4.0 SSD, the WD_Black SN 850. The storage specialist is now equipping the successor SN 750 with this fast connection standard. The SN 750 still had a PCIe 3.0 connection. Compared to PCI Express 3.0, the 4.0 variant can transport twice as much data via the same slot with four lines (x4) suitable for M.2 SSDs. In theory, this means up to 7.8 gigabytes per second. Good: The SN 770 can also be operated on slots with PCI Express 3.0 technology – but then at a lower speed.
Overall really fast
In a fast PCI Express 4.0 test, the SN 770 read data at up to 2,601 megabytes per second, with an average of 1,384 megabytes per second. When writing data, it managed up to 2,866 megabytes per second, with an average of 1,589 megabytes per second (see speed comparison below). The program acceleration was also at a high level – important for a quick start of Windows 11 and programs: The SN 770 managed 736,205 IOPS when reading, and even 830,865 IOPS when writing.
WD_Black SN770 in the test: Thanks to the PCI Express 4.0 connection, the SN 770 is significantly faster than the predecessor SN 750 – but slower than the top duo SN 850 and Samsung 980 Pro.
The in-house competition is even quicker
But the SN 770 is by no means the fastest PCI Express 4.0 SSD with these values. The in-house competition, the WD_Black SN 850 and the Samsung 980 Pro, are even faster. And they are significantly cheaper: For example, the WD_Black SN 850 in the 1 terabyte version costs 150 euros, while the WD_Black SN 770 with the same memory size costs 220 euros.
Western Digital
Black SN770 NVMe 1TB
High reading speed
Very high writing speed
WD_Black SN 770 in the test: conclusion
No question: The Western Digital Black SN770 worked really quickly in the test. The speed when reading data was high, when writing it was even very high. In addition, the program acceleration was at a high level. But that doesn’t make it the fastest M.2 SSD with PCI Express 4.0 technology. Competitors such as the SN850 from the company itself or the Samsung 980 Pro worked even faster – and were cheaper at the time of the test.
