System Storage Benchmarks
For our SSD comparisons we are comparing similar PCIe Gen4x4 NVMe SSDs in this same performance tier of 7000MB/s read speed.
3DMark
We are using 3DMark’s Storage Benchmark which tests common gaming workload traces. The benchmark tests loading Battlefield V, Call of Duty Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. It tests moving games by copying a Steam folder for CS:GO, and installing Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher, and saving game progress in The Outer Worlds. It tests recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60FPS with OBS while playing Overwatch. We will graph the Overall Benchmark Score, higher is better.
In our review, in the 3DMark Storage Benchmark, the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD performs extremely well with a score of 3084. This puts it literally at the top of the charts in this gaming-focused benchmark, earning its namesake from the very beginning. At 3084 it is 4% above the previous fastest drive, the Samsung 990 Pro SSD. If we look at other, similar DRAM-less SSDs, like the Teamgroup T-Force Cardea A440 Lite and MP44 it is up there at 9-10% above those for comparison, which is fantastic to start with. Since the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is gaming-oriented, it should do well in this benchmark, and boy does it.
PCMark 10
We are using PCMark 10’s Full System Drive Storage Benchmark. It outputs an overall score (higher is better) that is derived from the Bandwidth (higher is better) as well as access time (lower is better) results.
In PCMark 10’s full system drive storage benchmark, the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD scored a full system drive benchmark of 3129, putting it above average compared to the other SSDs in this lineup. The Samsung 990 Pro has proven to be a beast here, mainly due to its access times, but the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is not too far behind the rest of the pack, it’s up there with the other fastest drives like the Teamgroup MP44 and Netac NV7000-t, they aren’t far off.
The average access time test in PCMark 10’s Storage Benchmark shows you a closer look at where things line up. The Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is clocking in with an access time of 53, which again puts it above the average in this benchmark. The Samsung 990 Pro has the fastest access times, but the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is on par with the others just under that like the MP44 and Netac NV7000-t, so it is certainly on the better end of access time performance.
PCMark 10’s quick system drive storage benchmark focuses on smaller workloads, and typically this is where we see the benefit of a DRAM cache. However, the new design and in-house controller on the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is smashing this benchmark. The Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD is the second fastest SSD in this lineup, second to the Samsung 990 Pro. At 3585 it is 18% above the Teamgroup MP44 and 22% above the Teamgroup A440 Lite. It’s 13% above the next-highest SSD in the lineup.
PassMark PerformanceTEST
We are using PassMark’s PerformanceTEST Disk Mark benchmark only. This test benchmarks Disk Sequential Read, Disk Sequential Write, IOPS 32KQD20, IOPS 4KQD1 tests and outputs an overall score (higher is better.)
In PassMark PerformanceTest Disk Mark this benchmark takes everything into consideration, small workloads, large workloads, access time, and DRAM cache, and here the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD pulls in an excellent performance number as well. It has a very strong performance that matches the Samsung 990 Pro when all things are considered, which is impressive, to say the least. This puts the Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB SSD at the top of overall system performance.