Which is better for gaming?

The SN7100. It reads at 7,250 MB/s versus 7,100 MB/s and writes at 6,900 MB/s versus 6,700 MB/s, and it costs less for 1TB. Game load times are close in practice, so the price gap matters more than the speed gap.

The SN7100 states 600 TBW of endurance. The SN5100 listing does not state a TBW figure, so you cannot compare directly. Both use 3D TLC NAND.

Is the SN5100 worth the extra money?

Only if you need 2TB in one slot or hardware encryption. At $222.99 as of November 7, 2026 it costs more than the 1TB SN7100 at $159.99 as of November 2, 2026, and it is slightly slower.

Will either fit a laptop?

Both are M.2 2280. The SN7100 is single-sided, which helps in thin laptops. The SN5100 is rated for laptops and desktops; the SN7100 is rated for PC.

No. Both are DRAM-less and use host memory buffer. The SN5100 adds SanDisk nCache 4.0 to speed up large copies.

Which is better for a PS5?

Neither is a listed PS5 drive here. For a PC or laptop, pick the SN7100 for speed per dollar or the SN5100 for 2TB and encryption.

WD_BLACK SN7100 1TB NVMe SSD vs WD Blue SN5100 NVMe SSD

Buy the WD_BLACK SN7100 for a gaming or workstation desktop build where peak Gen4 speed matters. Buy the WD Blue SN5100 if you want a laptop-friendly drive with encryption and a longer software bundle, but check the capacity: its listing is a 2TB drive at $222.99 at Newegg as of November 7, 2026, while the SN7100 1TB is $159.99 as of November 2, 2026. The SN7100 is the faster drive per dollar at 1TB; the SN5100 only makes sense if you need 2TB in one slot.

Ask our shopping agent

It checks today's price at every store, compares the alternatives and answers in about a minute.