While the restrictions on going outside and the need for self-isolation at home are in place, it is clearly reasonable to upgrade your gaming computer for a smoother experience. One of the components that can noticeably speed up a PC is the SSD. And the WD Blue SN550 is one of the most notable affordable solid-state drives available right now.
The WD Blue SN550 comes in very simple packaging with a blue box matching the “Blue” label, featuring an image of the product on top along with its maximum speed and some standout technologies listed below.
Inside, the SSD is secured in a clear plastic case along with a user manual, nothing more (like screws, for example…).
The star of the show, the WD Blue SN550, looks incredibly… simple and lightweight. Even among M.2 NVMe SSDs, it remains compact with just one controller chip, a tiny cache, and a single memory chip. This SSD is available in three versions: 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB, but they all look the same. If you remove the paper containing the information, you will find only an empty circuit board.
Of course, the appearance of an SSD isn’t very important; let’s dive into the performance/speed of the WD Blue SN550 when installed on a computer.
The three versions of the WD Blue SN550 not only differ in capacity (250GB, 500GB, and 1TB) but also in speed. Specifically, all three have the same read speed of 2400MB/s, but the write speeds decrease (1TB is 1950MB/s, 500GB is 1750MB/s, and 250GB is 950MB/s).
For the 500GB version of the WD Blue SN550 that I tested here, the speeds were as follows:
It can be seen that the sequential read/write speeds are quite close to the manufacturer’s promised specifications. Additionally, the random read/write speeds (4K) are also decent, allowing for quick loading in the virtual world. This helps gamers experience everything a bit smoother, reducing wait times after each game session.
In terms of temperature, it can be seen that this SSD does not have additional cooling, so it can get a bit warm during operation. The WD Blue SN550 operates at a temperature of 43 degrees Celsius, which is quite stable and not overheated at all!
Currently, the 500GB WD Blue SN550 is distributed by Vinh Xuan and priced at approximately 1.8 million VND in Vietnam.