Page 10 - Conclusion
Does the WD_BLACK SN770M have more differences beyond the form factor that requires us to "open [our] eyes" compared to the WD_BLACK SN770 I reviewed back in 2022, and did such differences, if exists, translate to anything in our benchmarks? As far as what I can see, the controller and memory chips are the same, except the full size SN770 has more than just one flash memory chip. The single flash memory chip design gives the SN770M its compact M.2 2230 form factor for compatibility with ultrathin laptops as well as portable gaming devices. I also like its large storage capacity, where Western Digital was able to cram a full 2TB using a lone chip featuring Toshiba's 112-layer BiCS5 3D triple-level cells. In the performance tests, there is a measurable performance gap, some larger than others, between the WD_BLACK SN770 and SN770M. However, like its full-size equivalent, the SN770M delivered comparatively strong medium workload performance with solid IOPS relative to other SSDs in PerformanceTest's simulated workloads and Crystal Disk Mark. However, the linear read and write speeds were on the slower side even though it met specifications, and the simulated real-life performance in PCMark and 3DMark lands it on the lower end of the PCIe 4.0 NVMe list. That said, the SN770M 2TB compares favorably against the Lexar PLAY 1TB. The SN770M has no native hardware encryption support either, but this is no different than the SN770. For about $190 at press time, the WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB is $60 more than its full size equivalent, but if you are looking for tons of storage for devices that only take SSDs in the M.2 2230 form factor, you can be sure you will get decent performance and solid reliability you can expect from Western Digital in the SN770M 2TB.
Western Digital provided this product to APH Networks for the purpose of evaluation.
Since April 30, 2007, Number Ratings have been dropped for all CPUs, motherboards, RAM, SSD/HDDs, and graphics cards. This is to ensure the most appropriate ratings are reflected without the inherent limits of using numbers. Everything else will continue using the Number Rating System.
More information in our Review Focus.
The Western Digital WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB is a decent performing SSD that packs tons of storage in the compact M.2 2230 form factor.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look, Test System
3. Benchmark: AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
4. Benchmark: ATTO Disk Benchmark
5. Benchmark: Crystal Disk Mark 8.0
6. Benchmark: HD Tune Pro 5.70
7. Benchmark: PassMark PerformanceTest 10
8. Benchmark: PCMark 10
9. Benchmark: 3DMark
10. Conclusion
