Western Digital Blue SA510 250GB

The Western Digital Blue SA510 250GB is a DRAM-less SATA drive targeting mainstream client use. It pairs a Western Digital/SanDisk proprietary controller (identified as 20-82-10023-A1) with 112-layer BiCS5 TLC NAND and relies on small SLC caching tiers for burst performance, which can lead to performance drops once the pseudo-SLC buffer is saturated during sustained writes. Early production firmware had a failure mode where the drive could become undetectable or report zero capacity; Western Digital issued firmware updates, so verifying firmware is a recommended troubleshooting step. The SA510 is often viewed as a regression from the earlier WD Blue 3D due to the removal of DRAM, which increases random I/O latency and makes it less suitable for heavy OS workloads.

Key Specifications

• Interface: SATA III (6Gb/s)
• Max Sequential Speeds: 555 MB/s Read / 440 MB/s Write
• Controller: SanDisk 20-82-10023-A1 (Proprietary)
• NAND Flash: Kioxia/WD 112-Layer BiCS5 TLC
• DRAM Cache: No (DRAM-less Architecture)
• Endurance: 100 TBW
• Encryption: No hardware-based encryption support (TCG Opal)

Hardware Alternatives

• SanDisk Ultra 3D (Revision 2): Newer manufacturing revisions have been observed using a similar DRAM-less hardware platform, making them functionally similar in some markets.
• Crucial BX500: Direct architectural rival in the DRAM-less SATA tier with similar burst-reliant performance profiles and sustained write limitations.
• Samsung 870 EVO 250GB: Retains dedicated DRAM caching and offers superior consistency for operating system tasks compared to the SA510.
• Crucial MX500 250GB: Uses DRAM caching, providing better consistency and longevity for OS workloads than the DRAM-less SA510.