WD Black SN750 SE SSD with PCIe 4.0 interface has no dram
Western Digital is releasing new variants of its WD Black SN750 SSDs. The SE variants have a PCIe 4.0 controller, but slower write speeds than the PCIe 3.0 versions. The SE versions also have no dram cache.
According to WD, the dram-less SN750 SE SSD consumes up to 30 percent less power than its predecessor. That could make the SSDs interesting for use in laptops. There are variants with a storage capacity of 250GB, 500GB and 1TB and they are NVMe SSDs with an M.2-2280 form factor.
WD lists a maximum sequential read speed of 3600MB/s for the 1TB version of the SN750 SE and write is 2830MB/s for the top model. The previously released SN750, a PCIe 3.0 SSD, has read and write speeds of 3470MB/s and 3000MB/s in the same version.
With the variants of 250GB and 500GB, the difference in writing speed is greater. WD lists speeds of 1000MB/s and 2000MB/s respectively for the new SN750 SE, compared to 1600MB/s and 2600MB/s for the predecessor.
The manufacturer uses an unspecified four-channel controller from Phison. That could be the PS5019-E19T. The lack of dram cache may be compensated for with slc cache, as Samsung does with its 980 SSD, for example.
With suggested retail prices of 68, 103 and 200 euros, the SN750 SE SSDs are also more expensive than their predecessors. It is not yet clear to what extent the prices mentioned correspond to the price in online stores. By omitting dram, the new versions could end up being cheaper than their predecessors. WD says the SN750 SE SSDs will be available in the summer.
| Fashion model | Interface | Sequential Read Speed | Sequential Write Speed | Price |
| WD Black SN750 SE 1TB | PCIe 4.0 | 3600MB/s | 2830MB/s | 199.99 euros |
| WD Black SN750 SE 500GB | 3600MB/s | 2000MB/s | 102.99 euros | |
| WD Black SN750 SE 250GB | 3200MB/s | 1000MB/s | 67.99 euros | |
| WD Black SN750 1TB | PCIe 3.0 | 3470MB/s | 3000MB/s | € 130.05 |
| WD Black SN750 500GB | 3430MB/s | 2600MB/s | € 70,- | |
| WD Black SN750 250GB | 3100MB/s | 1600MB/s | €49.99 |
External SSDs aimed at console gamers
WD is also introducing new USB-C external SSDs aimed at console gamers. The WD Black D30 Game Drive SSD is available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB variants and costs at least 154 euros. According to WD, the SSD can reach speeds of up to 900MB/s. There will also be a version with an Xbox license and a matching design, which costs at least 161 euros. The Game Drive SSDs will be released in June.
The external SSDs can be used in combination with previous generation consoles to save and play games from the SSD. The SSDs also work with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, but games designed for the new consoles cannot be played from these external SSDs. Those games can be archived on the external storage.