The next-generation WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD is capable of being up to 4x faster than SATA SSDs, features an improved thermal design for intense use and costs only $99.99 for 1TB.

The price of SSDs of the NVMe specification is coming down, and the newest solution from Western digital for tech savvy professionals is a good example of how fast memory in the NVMe category has become accessible. Last July I reviewed the addlink S70 SSD NVMe, a 1 TB fast drive for the low price of $120, and in January this year I mentioned the Samsung 970 EVO Plus, a new and faster 250 GB NVMe SSD for, at the time, only $89.99. Although not all NVMe SSDs are equal, and both the addlink S70 SSD NVMe and the  Samsung 970 EVO Plus are faster, the truth is that prices have come down, and the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSDs costs $99.99 for 1 TB.

Staying with Western Digital, last March the company introduced its first WD Blue NVMe SSD, the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD, announced as three times faster than regular SSDs. The drive was, then, made available in 250 and 500 GB, with the larger capacity priced at $77.99. I wrote, then, that I hoped Western Digital would also create 1 TB and 2 TB models, and apparently the company was listening, as a WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD 1TB version is now available, expanding on capacity and offering more speed.

Working with 4K/8K video

The newest member of the award-winning WD Blue portfolio, is another performance-focused NVMe SSD,  purpose-built for content creators and PC users, allowing them to boot faster and work smarter. The WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD drive features read speeds up to 2,400 MB/s for ultra-responsive PC performance. As usual the data is based on WD’s internal testing, and performance may vary depending on host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.

Today’s content creators use data storage at ever-increasing rates. Whether it’s working with 4K/8K video, large document files or storage-intensive applications, these digital environments demand reliable performance, durability, speed, and capacity that the NVMe interface can deliver. According to Forward Insights, NVMe is forecast to account for more than 75 percent of the storage shipped in the PC segment by 2021. Leveraging the proven reliability of Western Digital’s NVMe product portfolio, the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD is built to address these four core demands, transforming them from pain points to creative productivity.

Less time waiting on data

“Taking an NVMe-first approach can speed up system performance tremendously. This translates to less time waiting on data, so creators can work smarter, not harder, to increase both output and potential income,” said Eric Spanneut, vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, Western Digital.

“The WD Blue SN550 is a great option for customers looking for an all-NVMe portfolio. For a system builder, it means Western Digital delivers a full portfolio of NVMe and SATA SSDs, as well as high-capacity hard drives. This gives them immense flexibility to build systems for our customers’ varying needs.”

Whether working, creating, casual gaming or processing large amounts of data, the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD can deliver over four times the speed of Western Digital’s fastest SATA drives. With boosted internal speeds, this brings a better overall computing experience for multitaskers and resource-heavy application users who want a fast and responsive system to tackle tough workloads. In addition, an upgraded thermal design enables ultra-responsive PC performance and sustained performance during intense use.

The WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD is available in capacities from 250 GB to 1TB, in an affordable M.2 2280 form factor present in most of the modern motherboards. The 250 GB costs $54.99, the 500 GB $64.99 and the 1TB $99.99.