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New Western Digital Blue SN550 NVMe SSD targets content creators and enthusiasts

New Western Digital Blue SN550 NVMe SSD targets content creators and enthusiasts (Source: WD)
New Western Digital Blue SN550 NVMe SSD targets content creators and enthusiasts (Source: WD)
NVMe drives are expected to account for more than 75 percent of all new PCs by 2021 according to SSD Insights. More affordable NVMe drives like those in the WD Blue series will allow the technology to become more commonplace on cheaper laptops and tablets.

The original Western Digital Blue SN500 is barely half a year old and the manufacturer is already set to launch a successor. Called the Blue SN550, the latest NVMe model comes equipped with a new thermal design that WD claims will "help maintain sustained performance during intense use".

Unfortunately, the press release doesn't go into much detail about what innovations the improved thermal design may entail or how long the "sustained performance" claim would be when compared to the older thermal design. Nonetheless, we can expect capacities ranging from 250 GB to 1 TB with sequential read rates of up to 2400 MB/s and a 5-year limited warranty. It's important to note that the SN550 appears to be PCIe x4 whereas the older SN500 was limited to a PCIe x2 bus and a slower maximum sequential read rate of only 1700MB/s. Enthusiasts and content creators in particular will benefit from the faster transfer rates since video and raw image files tend to be very large.

The WD Blue SN550 NVMe series is now available in the U.S. via online retailers, resellers, and the official WD store.

WD Blue SN500 on sale now at Amazon

(Source: WD)
(Source: WD)

Source(s)

Western Digital

SAN JOSE, Calif. – (Dec. 10, 2019) – Western Digital Corp. (NASDAQ: WDC) is capable of delivering over four-times the speed of our SATA SSDs with the new WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD. The newest member of the award-winning WD Blue portfolio, as well as another performance-focused NVMe SSD, the new drive is purpose-built for content creator and PC users, allowing them to boot faster and work smarter.

Supports the Four Core Storage Demands

     Today’s content creators use data storage at ever-increasing rates. Whether it’s working with 4K/8K video, large document files or storage-intensive applications, these digital environments demand reliable performance, durability, speed, and capacity that the NVMe interface can deliver. According to Forward Insights, NVMe is forecast to account for more than 75 percent of the storage shipped in the PC segment by 2021[1]. Leveraging the proven reliability of Western Digital’s NVMe product portfolio, the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD is built to address these four core demands, transforming them from pain points to creative productivity.

 

     “Taking an NVMe-first approach can speed-up system performance tremendously. This translates to less time waiting on data, so creators can work smarter, not harder, to increase both output and potential income,” said Eric Spanneut, vice president and general manager, Client Business Unit, Western Digital.

     “The WD Blue SN550 is a great option for customers looking for an all-NVMe portfolio. For a system builder, it means Western Digital delivers a full portfolio of NVMe and SATA SSDs, as well as high-capacity hard drives. This gives them immense flexibility to build systems for our customers’ varying needs.”

 

Powerful Internal Speeds to Do More, Faster

     Whether working, creating, casual gaming or processing large amounts of data, the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD can deliver over four-times the speed of Western Digital’s fastest SATA drives. With boosted internal speeds, this brings a better overall computing experience for multitaskers and resource-heavy application users who want a fast and responsive system to tackle tough workloads. In addition, an upgraded thermal design enables ultra-responsive PC performance and sustained performance during intense use.

    

WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD Specs and Availability

·         Available in capacities from 250GB to 1TB* in an affordable M.2 2280 form factor

·         Over 4X read speeds of our SATA SSDs at up to 2,400 MB/s**

·         5-year limited warranty

·         WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD products are available in the U.S. at select Western Digital retailers, e-tailers, resellers, system integrators, and the WD store. Along with the WD Blue SN550 NVMe SSD, Western Digital’s NVMe portfolio also includes its award-winning WD Black® SN750 NVMe SSD, with an optional custom heatsink for the ultimate in high-performance gaming experience.

 

 

About Western Digital
     Western Digital creates environments for data to thrive. As a leader in data infrastructure, the company is driving the innovation needed to help customers capture, preserve, access and transform an ever-increasing diversity of data. Everywhere data lives, from advanced data centers to mobile sensors to personal devices, our industry-leading solutions deliver the possibilities of data. Western Digital data-centric solutions are comprised of the Western Digital®, G-Technology™, SanDisk® and WD® brands.

 

**As used for storage capacity, 1GB = 1 billion bytes and 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may be less, depending on operating environment.

 

**Based on read speed, unless otherwise specified. As used for transfer rate, 1 MB/s = one million bytes per second. Based on internal testing; performance may vary depending on host device, usage conditions, drive capacity, and other factors.

 

     Western Digital, the Western Digital logo, G-Technology, SanDisk, WD, WD Black, and WD Blue are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. The NVMe word mark is a trademark of NVM Express, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Product specifications subject to change without notice. Pictures shown may vary from actual products. Not all products are available in all regions of the world.

 

© 2019 Western Digital Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved

 

###

 

Forward-Looking Statements

     This news release contains certain forward-looking statements, including the availability, benefits, capabilities, capacity, performance and/or other features of the WD Blue and WD Black branded products. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be inaccurate including, among others: changes to specifications from standards organizations, volatility in global economic conditions; business conditions and growth in the storage ecosystem; impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance and cost of commodity materials and specialized product components; actions by competitors; unexpected advances in competing technologies; our development and introduction of products based on new technologies and expansion into new data storage markets; risks associated with acquisitions, mergers and joint ventures; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including the company's most recently filed periodic report, to which your attention is directed. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

 


[1] SSD Insights Q419” report # FI-NFL-SSD-Q419, November 2019

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2019 12 > New Western Digital Blue SN550 NVMe SSD targets content creators and enthusiasts
Allen Ngo, 2019-12-10 (Update: 2019-12-11)