Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare
PCIe 3.0 · 3500/3300 MB/s · 1TB
WD BLACK SN8100 4TB
4TB · PCIe 5.0 NVMe · 14,900 MB/s read · PassMark #9
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare lands at 86 and WD BLACK SN8100 4TB at 85. That puts Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare ahead by 1 points — a narrow margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare if…
- ✓M.2 NVMe
- ✓Competitive per-GB cost
- ✓TBW scales with capacity
Pick WD BLACK SN8100 4TB if…
- ✓PassMark Disk Score top-20 (90,416) — sustained-write class-leading
- ✓PCIe 5.0 interface for next-gen platforms (AM5, LGA 1851)
Winner by scenario
Derived from the sub-score breakdown · not a separate testValue for money
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bareSpecdex score per dollar at MSRP
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare more score per dollar ($70 vs $549).
Score breakdown
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare | WD BLACK SN8100 4TB |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 | PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe 2.0 |
| Capacity | 1TB | — |
| Read/Write | 3500/3300 MB/s | — |
| Form factor | — | M.2 2280 (single-sided) |
| Sequential read | — | 14,900 MB/s |
| Sequential write | — | 14,000 MB/s |
| Random read | — | 2,300,000 IOPS |
| Random write | — | 2,400,000 IOPS |
| Controller | — | SanDisk-tuned Silicon Motion SM2508 (6nm, quad Cortex-R8) |
| NAND | — | 218-layer BiCS8 CBA 3D TLC |
| DRAM | — | yes (onboard DRAM) |
| Endurance | — | 2,400 TBW |
| Warranty | — | 5 years |
| PassMark Disk Score | — | 90,416 |
| PassMark rank | — | #9 of 100 consumer SSDs |
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare
- +M.2 NVMe
- +Competitive per-GB cost
- +TBW scales with capacity
- −Thermals on Gen 5 drives
- −DRAM-less models slower under sustained load
- −Require heatsinks in many systems
WD BLACK SN8100 4TB
- +PassMark Disk Score top-20 (90,416) — sustained-write class-leading
- +PCIe 5.0 interface for next-gen platforms (AM5, LGA 1851)
- −PCIe 5.0 drives run hot — heatsink or motherboard M.2 cooling recommended
- −Pricing varies — confirm current retail before purchase
FAQ: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare vs WD BLACK SN8100 4TB
Which is better, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare or WD BLACK SN8100 4TB? +
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare scores 86 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 1. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare worth the price? +
At $70, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare delivers a Specdex score of 86 — strongest in read.
Is WD BLACK SN8100 4TB worth the price? +
At $549, WD BLACK SN8100 4TB delivers a Specdex score of 85 — strongest in passmark_disk.
Does Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare or WD BLACK SN8100 4TB last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.
Which is the better value, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare or WD BLACK SN8100 4TB? +
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB · bare — more score per dollar ($70 vs $549). Specdex score per dollar at MSRP.