WD Black SN770 Prices 2026: Best Budget Gen4 SSD

⚡Quick Answer+

The WD Black SN770 is the best budget Gen4 SSD in 2026. Despite lacking DRAM, it delivers 5,150 MB/s reads and gaming performance within 0.6-1 second of flagship drives - at nearly half the price. The 1TB model ($145) is the sweet spot for budget builds. DRAM-less design doesn't hurt gaming because games load sequentially. PS5 compatible with a heatsink (~$10 extra). Best for: budget gaming builds, laptop upgrades, secondary drives.

Key Takeaways:

Best budget Gen4 SSD - 90% flagship performance at 50% price
5,150 MB/s read - DRAM-less with HMB technology
1TB sweet spot at $145
PS5 compatible with heatsink (~$155 total)
NOT recommended at 2TB - SN850X is cheaper

The WD Black SN770 proves you do not need to spend $300+ for an excellent gaming SSD. By removing DRAM and optimizing its controller, Western Digital created a drive that delivers 90% of flagship performance at 50% of the price.

At first glance, "DRAM-less" sounds like a compromise. In practice, the SN770 Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology works brilliantly for gaming and everyday computing. Games load sequentially and predictably - exactly what HMB handles best. In our testing, the SN770 loads games within 0.6-1 second of flagship drives like the Samsung 990 Pro.

For budget-conscious gamers, laptop upgraders, and anyone who wants fast NVMe storage without overpaying, the SN770 represents the sweet spot of the Gen4 market. It is PS5 compatible, runs cool, uses minimal power, and costs nearly half what flagships demand.

WD Black SN770 Specifications

Specification	250GB	500GB	1TB	2TB
Sequential Read	4,000 MB/s	5,000 MB/s	5,150 MB/s	5,150 MB/s
Sequential Write	2,000 MB/s	4,000 MB/s	4,900 MB/s	4,850 MB/s
Random Read	240K IOPS	460K IOPS	740K IOPS	650K IOPS
Random Write	470K IOPS	800K IOPS	800K IOPS	800K IOPS
Endurance (TBW)	200 TBW	300 TBW	600 TBW	1,200 TBW
NAND Type	WD/Kioxia BiCS5 112-Layer TLC
DRAM Cache	None (HMB - Host Memory Buffer)
Controller	WD Custom (DRAM-less)
Interface	PCIe Gen 4 x4, NVMe 1.4
Form Factor	M.2 2280 (Single-sided)
Power (Active)	4.5W	5.0W	5.2W	5.5W
Warranty	5 Years
PS5 Compatible	Yes (with heatsink)

SN770 Key Features

Best Budget Gen4 Value

90% of flagship performance at approximately 50% of the price. The smart choice for value-conscious builders.

Exceptional Value

HMB Technology

Host Memory Buffer uses system RAM for metadata. Performs like DRAM drives for gaming workloads.

Smart Design

Low Power Consumption

5.2W active draw - significantly less than flagship drives. Ideal for laptops and thermal-constrained builds.

Efficient

Runs Cool

Rarely needs a heatsink in PCs. Low temps even under load thanks to efficient design.

Thermal Friendly

Single-Sided Design

Fits in thin laptops and compact builds where double-sided drives will not work.

Universal Fit

PS5 Compatible

Exceeds Sony 5,500 MB/s requirement. Budget-friendly PS5 expansion option with heatsink.

Console Ready

About DRAM-less Design (HMB)

The SN770 does not have dedicated DRAM cache - instead, it uses Host Memory Buffer (HMB), borrowing approximately 64MB of your system RAM for metadata storage. This sounds like a compromise, but for most users, it is not.

When HMB Works Great

Gaming: Games load assets sequentially and predictably - exactly what HMB handles best
Boot and app launching: Windows and applications start quickly
General file operations: Documents, photos, and typical files
Video playback: Streaming media from storage

When DRAM Drives Are Better

Heavy multitasking: Many storage-intensive apps simultaneously
Database operations: Random access patterns with small files
Content creation: Video editing and 3D rendering
Sustained random writes: Server-like workloads

Bottom line: For gaming and typical consumer use, you will not notice the missing DRAM. The savings are real; the performance difference is not.

Gaming Performance vs Flagships

How does the budget SN770 compare to drives costing twice as much?

Game	SN770 1TB	SN850X	990 Pro	Difference
Cyberpunk 2077	4.9s	4.3s	4.2s	+0.6-0.7s
Hogwarts Legacy	13.2s	12.3s	12.1s	+0.9-1.1s
Starfield	4.5s	3.9s	3.8s	+0.6-0.7s
Call of Duty MW3	9.1s	8.5s	8.4s	+0.6-0.7s
Baldur Gate 3	7.0s	6.3s	6.2s	+0.7-0.8s

Key insight: The SN770 is 0.6-1.1 seconds slower than flagships costing twice as much. This difference is barely noticeable in practice - but the $80-150 savings are very noticeable.

SN770 vs SN850X: Which WD Black?

Feature	WD Black SN770	WD Black SN850X
Price (1TB)	$145	$175
Price (2TB)	$397	$350
Sequential Read	5,150 MB/s	7,300 MB/s
Sequential Write	4,900 MB/s	6,300 MB/s
DRAM	No (HMB)	Yes
Game Load Difference	+0.6-1.1s slower	Baseline
Power Draw	Lower	Higher
Game Mode 2.0	No	Yes

Choose SN770 if: Budget is priority, you want 1TB, laptop battery life matters, or building a secondary game drive.

Choose SN850X if: You need 2TB (actually cheaper!), do content creation, want Game Mode 2.0, or prefer RGB aesthetics.

PS5 Compatibility

The SN770 is fully PS5 compatible, displaying approximately 5,000 MB/s read speeds in Sony interface - well above the 5,500 MB/s minimum requirement. Game load times are within 1-2 seconds of flagship drives.

Heatsink Required

The SN770 ships without a heatsink. For PS5, you must add one:

Sabrent M.2 NVMe Heatsink: ~$10 - popular choice
MHQJRH Aluminum Heatsink: ~$8 - budget option
EZDIY-FAB M.2 Heatsink: ~$12 - with thermal pads

Total cost for PS5: SN770 1TB ($145) + heatsink (~$10) = ~$155 - one of the most affordable quality PS5 expansion options.

Best Use Cases for SN770

Excellent For

Budget Gaming Builds: The SN770 delivers gaming performance within 1 second of drives costing twice as much. Put the savings toward a better GPU instead.

Laptop Upgrades: Low power draw extends battery life. Single-sided design fits thin laptops. Significant upgrade from slower SATA SSDs.

Secondary Game Drives: Use a flagship for boot and use the SN770 for game library storage. The speed difference does not justify flagship pricing for a game archive.

PS5 Expansion (Budget): At ~$155 with heatsink, the SN770 offers PS5-compatible storage at an accessible price point.

Consider Alternatives

Content Creation: The DRAM-less design shows weakness in video editing and 3D rendering. Consider the SN850X or Samsung 990 Pro.

2TB Capacity: The SN770 2TB ($397) costs MORE than the SN850X 2TB ($350). At 2TB, skip the SN770 entirely.

Which Capacity Should You Buy?

250GB (~$30): Very limited - boot drive only with no room for games. Only for extreme budget constraints.

500GB (~$55): Budget boot drive + 4-5 modern games. Works if you actively manage installed games. See 1TB options for comparison.

1TB ($145) - Recommended: The sweet spot. Boot drive + 8-12 modern games. Best value per TB in the SN770 lineup.

2TB ($397) - NOT recommended: The SN850X 2TB costs $350 and is faster. Only buy if you specifically need DRAM-less efficiency. Compare 2TB drives.

All WD Black SN770 Prices - Sorted by $/TB

Compare all SN770 capacity options. Prices updated hourly from Amazon.

Product	Capacity	Price	$ / TB	Price Drop	Brand	Interface

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the WD SN770 good for gaming?

Excellent for gaming. The SN770 loads games within 0.6-1.1 seconds of flagship drives like the Samsung 990 Pro - a difference you will barely notice. The HMB technology handles sequential game loading perfectly. For pure gaming value, the SN770 is hard to beat.

Does the SN770 need a heatsink?

For PC: Usually not. The SN770 runs cooler than most competitors thanks to efficient design. Use your motherboard heatsink if available. For PS5: Yes, mandatory. Sony requires heatsinks. Budget ~$10 for a third-party heatsink.

Is DRAM-less bad?

Not for gaming and typical use. The SN770 HMB implementation handles these workloads excellently. DRAM matters more for sustained random writes, heavy multitasking, and professional workloads. For gaming, you will not notice the difference - but you will notice the savings.

SN770 vs SN850X for gaming?

At 1TB: The SN770 ($145) offers 90% of the SN850X ($175) gaming performance. The 0.6-1.1 second difference per load rarely justifies the $30 premium. At 2TB: Get the SN850X - it is faster AND cheaper ($350 vs $397).

Is the SN770 good for PS5?

Yes, and it is the best budget PS5 SSD option. The SN770 exceeds Sony 5,500 MB/s requirement. Game load times are within 1-2 seconds of flagship drives. At ~$155 with heatsink (1TB), it is one of the most affordable quality PS5 expansion options.

Can I use SN770 as a boot drive?

Yes, works great. Windows boots quickly, applications launch fast, and daily operations feel snappy. The HMB technology handles boot and application loading well. For budget systems, the SN770 makes an excellent primary drive.

How does SN770 compare to SATA SSDs?

Much faster. The SN770 (5,150 MB/s) is roughly 9x faster than SATA SSDs (~550 MB/s) in sequential operations. If upgrading from SATA, the improvement is immediately noticeable in boot times, game loading, and file transfers.

Is the WD SN770 reliable?

Yes, proven reliable. The SN770 uses quality Kioxia/WD BiCS5 TLC NAND with a 5-year warranty and up to 1,200 TBW endurance (2TB model). Western Digital has a solid track record for SSD reliability.