SanDisk’s Extreme Pro NVMe 3D SSD Gains Capacity: Up to 2 TB
Western Digital has quietly expanded its SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe 3D SSD range with a 2 TB model. The drive offers performance on par with other models in the family as well as the company's WD Black SN750. The launch indicates that the SanDisk brand is still very popular among end users and 2 TB capacity is gaining popularity.
Earlier this year Western Digital introduced its WD Black SN750 and SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe 3D SSDs based on its in-house developed controller as well as 64-layer 3D TLC NAND memory. Both families feature the same components, the same levels of performance, and even come with similar dashboard software. Meanwhile, the WD Black SN750 family included 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB models, whereas the SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe range is comprised of only 500 GB and 1 TB SKUs.
One of the reasons why Western Digital could decide not to include a 2 TB model into the SanDisk Extreme Pro range was the positioning of the brand. While the WD Black is aimed at gamers and performance enthusiasts, the SanDisk brand is mostly targeted at retail users (which doesn't exclude SanDisk products from being online), and therefore the manufacturer needed to limit itself to the most popular capacities because of the shelf space.
As it turns out, the company has changed its mind and quietly launched its SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe 2TB SSD in Austria, Germany, and Japan. Pricing of the drive in the Land of the Rising Sun is unclear, whereas in Austria and Germany the device costs from a466 to a570.
Performance wise, the SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe 2 TB offers up to 3400 MB/s sequential read speed, up to 2900 MB/s sequential write speed, up to 480K random read IOPS as well as up to 550K random write IOPS. While the drive offers the same speeds as the WD Black SN750, it does not come with an optional heatsink and therefore real-world performance of the SSDs may vary under high loads.
| SanDisk Extreme Pro M.2 NVMe SSD Specifications | |||||
| Capacity | 250 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB | |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 single-sided optional heatsink (except 250GB) | ||||
| Interface | PCIe 3 x4 NVMe 1.3 | ||||
| Controller | Western Digital in-house | ||||
| NAND Flash | SanDisk 64-layer 3D TLC | ||||
| Sequential Read | 3100 MB/s | 3470 MB/s | 3470 MB/s | 3400 MB/s | |
| Sequential Write | 1600 MB/s | 2600 MB/s | 3000 MB/s | 2900 MB/s | |
| Random Read | 220k IOPS | 420k IOPS | 515k IOPS | 480k IOPS | |
| Random Write | 180k IOPS | 380k IOPS | 560k IOPS | 550k IOPS | |
| Power | Peak | 9.24 W | 9.24 W | 9.24 W | 9.24 W |
| PS3 Idle | 70 mW | 70 mW | 100 mW | 100 mW | |
| PS4 Idle | 2.5 mW | 2.5 mW | 2.5 mW | 2.5 mW | |
| Warranty | 5 years | ||||
| Write Endurance | 200 TB 0.4 DWPD | 300 TB 0.3 DWPD | 600 TB 0.3 DWPD | 1200 TB 0.3 DWPD |
Related Reading:
- The Western Digital WD Black SN750 SSD Review: Why Fix What Isn't Broken?
- The Western Digital WD Black 3D NAND SSD Review: EVO Meets Its Match
- Western Digital Announces Client NVMe SSDs With New In-House Controllers
Sources: SanDisk Japan (via Hermitage Akihabara), Geizhals.at