Which is better for gaming?

The WD Blue SN5000. Games load from reads, and 5,500 MB/s is already fast. The A440's extra speed rarely shows up in game load times, and it costs far more.

The T-FORCE CARDEA A440, rated at 3,000 TBW versus 1,200 TBW for the WD. Both carry 5-year warranties. For normal desktop use, either rating is far more than most people write in five years.

Is the A440 worth the extra money?

Only for heavy sustained writing, such as large video projects or constant big file transfers. Its TLC NAND and DRAM cache keep write speed up when the WD's QLC cache runs out. For games and everyday work, the WD saves about $397.

Will the WD SN5000 fit my laptop?

It is a standard M.2 2280 drive and single-sided, so it fits most laptops with a free Gen4 or Gen3 M.2 slot. It runs at the slower Gen3 speed in a Gen3 slot.

Does the A440 need a heat sink?

It ships with a thin graphene heat sink, which is enough for most use. Under long sustained writes in a case with poor airflow, a motherboard heat sink may do better.

Which is better for video editing?

The A440 for large 4K or 8K projects, because TLC NAND and DRAM cache hold write speed on big files. The WD is fine for lighter editing and storing finished projects.

WD 4TB Blue SN5000 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD vs Team Group T-FORCE CARDEA A440 M.2 2280 4TB PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

The WD Blue SN5000 4TB is the better buy for most people. It costs $172.65 at Newegg.com as of November 3, versus $569.99 at Amazon for the T-FORCE CARDEA A440 4TB. The A440 is the faster drive on paper, with 7,000 MB/s reads and TLC NAND, but it costs about $397 more. Buy the A440 only if you write large files all day and need the extra speed and endurance.

Today the WD 4TB Blue SN5000 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD costs $397.34 less at its best price.

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