SPECworkstation 3.0.2 Storage Benchmark
SPECworkstation benchmark is an excellent benchmark to test systems using workstation-type workloads. In this test, we only ran the Storage component, which is fifteen separate tests.
SPECworkstation performance for the WD Green SN350 is not very good, which is perhaps to be expected given the strictly consumer and QLC nature of the drive. With that said it still performs much better overall on SPEC than the HP EX900 Plus or Lexar NM620, but those are both low bars to clear.
Sustained Write Performance
This is not necessarily a benchmark, so much as trying to catch the post-cache write speed of the drive. While I am filling the drive with data to the 85% mark with 10 simultaneous write threads, I monitor the drive for the write performance to dip to the lowest steady point and grab a screenshot.
The Post-cache write speed on the WD Green SN350 is poor at 105 MB/s. Given the endurance rating on the drive, perhaps writing slowly is a feature so that you do not burn out your drive too fast! Realistically though, this is a read focused drive.
Temperatures
We monitored the idle and maximum temperature during testing with HWMonitor to get some idea of the thermal performance and requirements of the drive. Please keep in mind that our test bench is an open frame chassis in a 22C room, but with no direct airflow. As a result, this is not representative of a cramped low airflow case and is instead intended to model temperatures of a drive ‘on its own’.
The WD Green SN350 is not as cool running as I would perhaps have expected. The SN350 tops out at 69C which is just under the magic 70C line. For light load, which is obviously the intended use for the Green drive, things should be fine in most deployment scenarios.
Final Words
Today the WD Green SN350 1TB is $90 online. That price point is right in line with the HP EX900 Plus 1TB, a drive that tended to match or exceed the SN350 in most benchmarks. Also, it is often only a few dollars more to get a much higher-quality SSD. Unfortunately for WD the EX900 Plus also had 4X the rated endurance and a longer warranty, so if their prices are equal then the SN350 comes out the clear loser among the two.
The WD Green SN350 1TB is not good enough. Performance is somewhat acceptable and for light-duty users coming from SATA the SN350 will be good enough in that regard. Unfortunately, the poor warranty and exceptionally bad rated endurance, combined with a price that is not significantly below better competitors mean you should probably steer clear from this one.
Reviewers and customers should not tolerate this garbage. I in no way mean to disparage the author, but maybe these companies would get a much-needed hit with the clue bat if every review was one-line: “This drive features pathetic endurance and thus automatically fails all of our testing. Zero stars, grade F, buy literally anything else”
There is a problem in the article: Both drives are DRAM-less, and they pair a single DRAM package with a custom WD controller.
I imagine you mean single NAND package, otherwise it wouldn’t be DRAM-less.
Replying to Greg above: WORM drives are still a thing. 8 of those in an AIC you shove into your Plex server and you have an use for them.
@Leonardo Nascimento,
Thanks! Fixed.
Why make the drive that long if everything would fit in a much shorter PCB?
@Greg, WD is simply filling a niche. If there were no buyers they wouldn’t make it. I don’t think it’s fair to call this drive garbage when it does perfectly what it’s supposed to. If folks want higher endurance or performance, choose the blue or black
@Chris – I mean, I guess – in my mind a drive that can only be overwritten ~80 times (960GB TLC version TBW is 80) is unacceptable for any targeted use case.
Meanwhile I’m happy with my 2tb crucial p2 for £120, the old one with tlc
As a game drive this make a lot of sense, this 2TB drive will cost almost the same as high end 1TB4gen, as a game drive you will not see any difference in endurance nor load speeds, but you will definitely feel the capacity. As you will store twice of the games.
100TBW? Rubbish SSD.
This ssd is a piece of shit, the slc cache is like 5gb, then it drops to 100-200mbps level, my sata sandisk from 5 years ago is way better at continued writing, so disappointing, it was a gift tho so i’m using it, but ordered a netac nv5000 cheaper, which has dram cache, a dissipator, amongst stellar performance compared to this garbage, reviewer took 3 pages to tell how crappy the ssd is, this makes it lose quite a lot of credibility
Stupid bloody thing died on me after a Dell technician repaired my laptop. Mobo replacement not likey :<