Cons of WD Blue SN550? Why is it cheaper compared to other SSDs?

[realhoneybadger]

Why is the WD Blue SN550 cheaper compared to other SSDs? Is it a good SSD?

I am planning to get one for my $1600 build.

[minibois]

19 minutes ago, joshualim said:

Why is the WD Blue SN550 cheaper compared to other SSDs? Is it a good SSD?

I am planning to get one for my $1600 build.

It's cheaper because it's a DRAM less SSD. Its performance is this partially based on the drive not being filled up too much, so it can use some of the leftover space as a buffer.

 

The Kingston A2000 does feature a DRAM cache and is (from memory) altogether very similar.

The SX8200 Pro would be a higher end drive with more speed.

Those would be some alternatives to the SN550 

[Chiyawa]

32 minutes ago, joshualim said:

Why is the WD Blue SN550 cheaper compared to other SSDs? Is it a good SSD?

That depends on your workload. SSD is fast, but you have to be careful of their TBW (that means estimated bytes written (usually in terabytes) before it began to fail). If you are using for OS boot drive and game files storage, it is fine. However, if you are like me which process lots of video file and move massive data (I'm talking about 100GB file size per day every day) in and out of the SSD, you might need to consider a higher TBW SSD.

 

WD Blue SN550 is fairly good, though not the fastest, but for average users, it's quite good. We use them as normal boot drives.

[realhoneybadger]

3 minutes ago, Chiyawa said:

That depends on your workload. SSD is fast, but you have to be careful of their TBW (that means estimated bytes written (usually in terabytes) before it began to fail). If you are using for OS boot drive and game files storage, it is fine. However, if you are like me which process lots of video file and move massive data (I'm talking about 100GB file size per day every day) in and out of the SSD, you might need to consider a higher TBW SSD.

 

WD Blue SN550 is fairly good, though not the fastest, but for average users, it's quite good. We use them as normal boot drives.

 

 

27 minutes ago, minibois said:

It's cheaper because it's a DRAM less SSD. Its performance is this partially based on the drive not being filled up too much, so it can use some of the leftover space as a buffer.

 

The Kingston A2000 does feature a DRAM cache and is (from memory) altogether very similar.

The SX8200 Pro would be a higher end drive with more speed.

Those would be some alternatives to the SN550 

So it's definitely enough for gaming you think? What about a SN 750? or a Crucial P1?

[NewMaxx]

Cheaper because the controller is just 4-channel with no DRAM controller as it has no DRAM - the lack of DRAM also makes it cheaper. Further, the flash is especially dense which has a higher TB/wafer yield and only needs one NAND package up to 1TB. The controller itself is a scaled-down version of what's on the SN750 rather than being a separate design entirely as well. It actually doesn't have issues when fuller because it has static SLC, no dynamic cache.

[realhoneybadger]

I think this has DRAM, I might just go for this one. 
 

[Chiyawa]

1 minute ago, joshualim said:

So it's definitely enough for gaming you think?

Yes, definitely.

[Chiyawa]

2 minutes ago, joshualim said:

I think this has DRAM, I might just go for this one. 

Yes you can. DRAM is optional, but it'll help the longevity of the drive. SN750 SSD has 5 years warranty if not mistaken.

[realhoneybadger]

1 minute ago, Chiyawa said:

Yes you can. DRAM is optional, but it'll help the longevity of the drive. SN750 SSD has 5 years warranty if not mistaken.

Cheers, thank you very much. 

I am very much a rookie, building my first rig once I get out of quarantine !

[Chiyawa]

Good luck with your build, then.