WD Black SN770M 1 TB NVMe SSD review

Our VerdictAlthough it lacks the sequential punch of some of its competitors, random 4K performance is top-tier, making it ideal for gaming handhelds, and for those on a budget looking to maximize those load times.

Our Verdict

Although it lacks the sequential punch of some of its competitors, random 4K performance is top-tier, making it ideal for gaming handhelds, and for those on a budget looking to maximize those load times.

For1TB pricing is stellar, particularly when deals landTop-tier random 4K performanceKeeps up with larger QLC drivesAgainstLoad times are slow comparativelyCan get quite hot

For1TB pricing is stellar, particularly when deals landTop-tier random 4K performanceKeeps up with larger QLC drives

AgainstLoad times are slow comparativelyCan get quite hot

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3 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆$74.90View$102.98$79.90View$129.99$100.99ViewShow More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

3 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆☆

$74.90View$102.98$79.90View$129.99$100.99View

$74.90View

WD_BLACK 500GB SN770M M.2…

Amazon

$74.90View

$74.90

$102.98$79.90View

WD Black SN770M NVMe 500 GB…

Walmart

$102.98$79.90View

$102.98$79.90

$79.90

$129.99$100.99View

WD - BLACK SN770M 1TB…

Best Buy

$129.99$100.99View

$129.99$100.99

$100.99

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PC gaming has always had a bit of a tenuous history when it comes to the portability of its endeavors. The fact is that for the longest time those same chips that powered our high-end gaming desktops were just too hungry to be baked into a handheld gaming console. Flash forward to the launch of the Steam Deck though, (sorry Elgato), and at last we finally have an absolute armada of new handhelds entering the fray. All of them priced aggressively, kitted out with enough top-tier hardware to make for an engaging and enjoyable gaming experience on the move. But, there’s a caveat, as there often is, and it comes in the form of storage.

It’s one of those things right? If you don’t have enough of it in your gaming PC, it sucks. You’re constantly battling, deleting, re-downloading, perpetually anxious about your new games failing on the install. Manufacturers being the way they are, typically don’t include large drives in their handhelds either. That’s where Western Digital’s WD_Black SN770M 1TB comes into the picture.

It was perhaps unsurprising given the success and flurry of handhelds making their way into the arena, that we also wouldn’t be greeted with an arsenal of SSDs to back them up. After all a number of us may have mistakenly held back the cash and picked up a cheaper 512GB or worse still 256GB Steam Deck on launch, and well with a few installs, likely saw that little red bar demand you delete some of your hard earned games before installing more.

But you know all that, it’s been some time since the Steam Deck first launched, (in fact theSteam Deck OLED’s landed since then, albeit still with a PCIe 3.0 SSD) so the better question is, now that time has passed and there’s an array of these M.2 2230 drives out there in the wild, is Western Digital’s legendary black line, particularly in the form of its SN770M 1TB, still as competitive as it was before?

SN770M specs(Image credit: Future)Capacity:1TBInterface:PCIe 4.0 x4Memory controller:Sandisk 20-82-10081-A1Flash memory:Kioxia 112-layer TLC NANDRated performance:5,150 MB/s sustained read, 5,150 MB/s sustained writeEndurance:600 TBWWarranty:Five yearsPrice:$110|£110|AU$153

SN770M specs

(Image credit: Future)Capacity:1TBInterface:PCIe 4.0 x4Memory controller:Sandisk 20-82-10081-A1Flash memory:Kioxia 112-layer TLC NANDRated performance:5,150 MB/s sustained read, 5,150 MB/s sustained writeEndurance:600 TBWWarranty:Five yearsPrice:$110|£110|AU$153

(Image credit: Future)

A WD Black SN770M SSD installed inside a PC and on a box.

Capacity:1TBInterface:PCIe 4.0 x4Memory controller:Sandisk 20-82-10081-A1Flash memory:Kioxia 112-layer TLC NANDRated performance:5,150 MB/s sustained read, 5,150 MB/s sustained writeEndurance:600 TBWWarranty:Five yearsPrice:$110|£110|AU$153

Well that’s what I’m here to both test and answer for you.

As with most of these small form factor drives, there’s an interesting combination of hardware at play here. Unlike the bevy of PCIe 5.0 drives that all feature the same Phison E26 controller combined with Micron’s 232-layer TLC NAND, the SN770M packs one of Sandisk’s (a subsidiary of WD) 20-82-10081-A1 controllers combined with some really slick TLC NAND Flash.

It’s DRAM less, there’s no cache here or anything of that ilk, but that’s all we really know about it. Although at first glance it might seem curious that WD has broken away from what it did with its WD Black SN770 full-sized drive (going with Toshiba’s 112-layer BiCS5 TLC) and instead utilizing Kioxia’s 112-layer, this is purely a branding exercise as Kioxia is part of Toshiba as a whole.

So it’s the same as theWD SN770then? Well not quite, that single-sided design, and singular chip with the lack of a cache, doesn’t give WD much wiggle room when it comes to overall performance. On top of that, the one thing we do know about that Sandisk controller is that it’s based on an older 16nm process. Given the form factor, that’s inevitably going to make it hot under load for prolonged periods without suitable cooling. Less than ideal if it’s trapped in an enclosed smallROG Ally.

So how does it do then? Well sequential performance was pretty much close to as advertised, clocking in 5.2GB/s on the read and 5.0 GB/s on the write. Random 4K performance also pumped out 79 and 305 MB/s respectively across the two tests.

Image1of2(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

Image1of2

(Image credit: Future)(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

A WD Black SN770M SSD installed inside a PC and on a box.

(Image credit: Future)

A WD Black SN770M SSD installed inside a PC and on a box.

Buy if…✅ You want the best value upgrade for your handheld PC:this drive is regularly on offer and usually excellent value for money.

Buy if…

✅ You want the best value upgrade for your handheld PC:this drive is regularly on offer and usually excellent value for money.

Don’t buy if…❌ You want more capacity:the Crucial P310 is a better pick for 2 TB but you really have to ask yourself whether you need all that room on a portable machine.

Don’t buy if…

❌ You want more capacity:the Crucial P310 is a better pick for 2 TB but you really have to ask yourself whether you need all that room on a portable machine.

It’s not perfect. Under long strenuous loads this thing gets toasty, and its performance is just ever so slightly shy of more modern designs like the P310, or larger PCIe 4.0 drives likeLexar’s NM790, but for what it’s intended to do, and how it operates, it honestly is top-tier and well worth considering.

WD Black SN770M: Price Comparison

3 Amazon customer reviews☆☆☆☆☆

☆☆☆☆☆

$74.90View$102.98$79.90View$99.99View$129.99$100.99View$123.85View

$74.90View

WD_BLACK 500GB SN770M M.2…

Amazon

$74.90View

$74.90

$102.98$79.90View

WD Black SN770M NVMe 500 GB…

Walmart

$102.98$79.90View

$102.98$79.90

$79.90

$99.99View

WD_BLACK 1TB SN770M M.2 2230…

Amazon

$99.99View

$99.99

$129.99$100.99View

WD - BLACK SN770M 1TB…

Best Buy

$129.99$100.99View

$129.99$100.99

$100.99

$123.85View

WD Black SN770M WDS100T3X0G 1…

antonline

$123.85View

$123.85

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The Verdict85Read our review policyWD Black SN770MAlthough it lacks the sequential punch of some of its competitors, random 4K performance is top-tier, making it ideal for gaming handhelds, and for those on a budget looking to maximize those load times.

The Verdict

85Read our review policyWD Black SN770MAlthough it lacks the sequential punch of some of its competitors, random 4K performance is top-tier, making it ideal for gaming handhelds, and for those on a budget looking to maximize those load times.

85Read our review policy

WD Black SN770MAlthough it lacks the sequential punch of some of its competitors, random 4K performance is top-tier, making it ideal for gaming handhelds, and for those on a budget looking to maximize those load times.

WD Black SN770M

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Our Verdict#

Our Verdict