Western Digital Green SN350 1000GB

The Western Digital Green SN350 1000GB is an entry-level PCIe NVMe drive designed to move systems away from SATA. It uses a DRAM-less architecture with Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to reduce latency, and the 1000GB variant typically uses QLC NAND paired with a proprietary SanDisk controller or a rebadged Maxio controller depending on the manufacturing batch. The design favors storage density and burst read performance over sustained write throughput and high endurance.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4 (NVMe 1.3)
• Sequential Read/Write: 3,200 MB/s / 2,500 MB/s
• Controller: Proprietary SanDisk / Maxio (DRAM-less)
• NAND Type: QLC (Quad-Level Cell), likely 96-layer BiCS4
• Endurance Rating: 100 TBW
• Physical Layout: Single-sided M.2 2280 PCB
• Form Factor: Standard M.2 (No heatsink included)
• DRAM-less / HMB: Uses Host Memory Buffer to leverage system RAM for address mapping

Hardware Alternatives

• Crucial P3 1000GB: Direct architectural relative that uses QLC NAND and a DRAM-less controller, offering similar burst performance and endurance for light consumer workloads.
• Kingston NV2 1000GB: Similar performance targets but a variable bill of materials that may swap between TLC and QLC NAND or different controllers without changing the model number.
• Samsung 980 1000GB: Also a DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 design using HMB, but it uses TLC NAND which provides higher TBW ratings and better sustained write speeds compared to QLC-based drives.