Optimized for 4K and 8K content creation and streaming
| Sequential Read 1,700MB/s, Write 1,450MB/s
| 250GB 69,000 won, 500GB 99,000 won

Western Digital announced on the 18th that it is accelerating the transition to NVMe in mainstream PC storage by adding the new 'WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD' to its WD Blue SSD portfolio.
The newly introduced SN500 maintains the reliability characteristic of the WD Blue product family while delivering approximately three times higher performance than SATA products in the same lineup. Optimized for multitasking and resource-intensive applications, it supports instant access to files and programs for content creators and PC enthusiasts.

Like the recently released 'WD Black SN750 NVMe SSD', the SN500 utilizes an in-house scalable SSD architecture. Based on Western Digital's proprietary 3D NAND technology, firmware, and controller, the 500GB model achieves sequential read speeds of up to 1,700MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 1,450MB/s, along with low power consumption of 2.7W.

Don Jeanette, Vice President at global market research firm TrendFocus, said, “The PC industry is continuing its transition from SATA to NVMe protocols to meet consumer expectations for continuous speed improvements and increased responsiveness in computers.”

"He added, 'Among mainstream users, content creators are increasingly performing more tasks, such as editing 4K or 8K video files, creating and streaming content, and managing massive amounts of data internally,' and explained, 'With the newly released SN500, they will be able to handle larger file loads that require fast storage.'"

“The evolution of content to 4K and 8K means that now is the optimal time for video and photo editors, content creators, heavy data users, and PC enthusiasts to upgrade their storage from SATA to NVMe,” said Eyal Bek, Vice President of Marketing, Data Center and Client Computing at Western Digital. “Consumers can now build high-performance laptops and PCs based on the fast speeds and ample capacity provided by the WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD in a stable and rugged slim form factor.”

The WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD, suitable for slim laptops or desktop PCs, will be released in a single-sided M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 x2 form factor and will be available in two capacities: 250GB and 500GB. The domestic manufacturer's suggested retail price is 69,000 won for the 250GB model and 99,000 won for the 500GB model, depending on the capacity.