WD Blue SN570 in the test – Western Digital’s new mid-range

The Western Digital SN570, a new SSD from the Blue series, has been available since last fall. It follows the SN550, which we already reviewed in February 2020 in a test. Western Digital remains true to the familiar name and color scheme, so the SN570 belongs to the mid-range, probably offers sufficient performance for most users at an attractive price and is located below the Black series. Compared to the predecessor, the maximum read and write speeds have been increased significantly and are now 3500 and 2300 MB/s, respectively, for the 500GB version, which is available to us for the test.

We will clarify how the SSD performs compared to the Black series and similarly fast SSDs as well as the predecessor in the following test.

Technical data

The Western Digital SN570 is an NVMe SSD in the M.2-2280 format. As the maximum read and write rates of 3500 and 2300 MB/s suggest, the third generation PCIe interface is still used. However, prospective buyers should pay close attention to the fact that the speed differs greatly between the different capacities. While the differences in sequential reading, if any, are only very small, they are very clear in sequential writing.

As flash memory, Western Digital uses the fifth generation Kioxia BiCS, a TLC NAND with 112 layers. As with the WD_BLACK SN750 SE that we recently tested, there is no DRAM cache and only an SLC cache. Western Digital relies on an in-house development for the controller. The TBW values and the limited warranty of up to 5 years are unchanged compared to the predecessor, the SN550.

Scope of delivery

Western Digital ships the WD Blue SN570 in a white and blue box that strongly reminds us of the other products in the Blue line. Besides the SSD, we only find a manual in the box.

Matching the name, Western Digital uses a blue PCB. This is only populated on one side and is very tidy. The SanDisk 20-82-10048-A1 controller sits close to the M.2 interface, and the NAND flash memory sits at the other end of the PCB. The WD Blue SN570 is only available without a heat sink.

Test system

• ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WiFi Motherboard
• Intel Core i5-11400F processor
• 32GB G.Skill RipJaws V 3200 RAM
• INNO3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2 graphics card
• TeamGroup T-Force Cardea IOPS 1TB SSD
• Crucial P5 2TB SSD
• Seasonic Focus GX-550 power supply

Performancetest

We determine the performance of the SSD with the well-known and widely used benchmark tools AS SSD, CrystalDiskMark, ATTO Disk as well as HD Tune Pro.

Results of the performance test

In AS SSD, the WD Blue SN570 is clearly ahead of the older SN550 overall. The lead is especially large in sequential reads and writes, and even the WD_BLACK SN750 SE is very close to the new Blue. An exception in the AS SSD benchmark is the 4K performance, where we achieve very similar rates to the old model. In the benchmark score, the WD Blue SN570 lands in the midfield, which is also true for the copy benchmark, where even the WD_BLACK SN750 SE is narrowly beaten.

The WD Blue SN570 also achieves a good result in CrystalDiskMark. In sequential read, the 3500 MB/s specified by Western Digital is slightly beaten with 3523 MB/s, and in sequential write, we are clearly above the specified 2300 MB/s with 2496 MB/s. Thus, the SSD is one of the fastest PCIe Gen 3 SSDs we have tested so far in sequential read, and it is in the midfield in write. Compared to the AS SSD, the performance of the SSD is also very good in the 4K benchmark.

The WD Blue SN570 also makes a good impression in the other benchmarks. It delivers a good result in the ATTO disk benchmark and is clearly ahead of the old Blue SN550, especially in writing. The gap to the WD_BLACK SN750 SE is relatively small, but consistently present. The HD Tune benchmark is another rare exception, here the new version is slightly behind the old one. The access times are consistently good.

During the test, we reached temperatures of 58°C maximum, without an additional heat sink. Even in another test, after several non-stop runs of CrystalDiskMark, this was still well below 70°C. This temperature represents the upper limit of the specifications, which still leaves some room for hot summer days or even less well-ventilated systems.

Conclusion

Overall, the WD Blue SN570 is a successful and significant upgrade to its predecessor, the SN550. The performance increase is mostly enormous compared to the old model, this is especially true for sequential reading and writing. The new and old Blue models are only close to each other in a few exceptional cases. The higher-ranked WD_BLACK SN750 SE can often be considered the competition. You can sometimes get close to it, but it is clearly ahead overall and is much more consistent in the various benchmarks.

The Blue SN570 thus fits perfectly into Western Digital’s name and color scheme. The performance is between high-end and low-budget SSDs, but it is much closer to the former. Furthermore, the SSD is available at a very low price. In a price comparison, the 500 GB version is currently one of the cheapest SSDs in its performance class. The value for money of the 1 TB version looks even better to us. On paper, it offers even more write performance at a very good price.

Especially price-conscious buyers should take a look at the WD Blue SN570. For little money, you get a fast NVMe SSD that stays cool under load and comes with a 5-year warranty.

WD Blue SN570 500 GB price comparison

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€ 55.95

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Buy now at Amazon

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€ 54.89

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Buy now at Galaxus Deutschland GmbH

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€ 55.90

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Buy now at Alternate

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