Retailer photo of Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB. View this offer in Where to buy
Western Digital · SSD · PCIe 4.0
Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB
Works well for: System Drive
Trade-offs: you want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically
- Capacity
- 500 GB
- Interface
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
- Sequential read
- 6600 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 5600 MB/s
- Endurance
- 300 TBW
- Form factor
- M.2-2280
Move a slider and the page re-scores this product against the same market frame.
Is this a good buy today?
Market confidence: LowAt $125 the Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB is priced in line with its $125 representative market level. Only one retailer currently backs that price, so the level is a single data point rather than a market.
Limited market: only one retailer currently has a verified offer, so treat this price as a single data point.
Prices & availability
Where to buy the Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB
Compare the offers we track for this model, across variants and retailers.
1 tracked offers · 1 retailers
| Variant | Store | Condition | Price (snapshot) | Value · Balanced | Checked | Offer link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB | Newegg | New | $125 | 52 | 2026-09-27 | View offer → |
| Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GBMultiple variants available | Amazon Affiliate | Varies | Find on Amazon | Not tracked | No price snapshot | Find on Amazon → |
Prices are dated snapshots, not live quotes — confirm the final price at the store. New, refurbished and used offers are listed separately; used offers carry warranty and seller risk.
Where it stands in the field
Two different questions, side by side. Performance compares what the hardware can do; Value compares what that capability costs at today’s price. A product can rank high on one and low on the other — that gap is the point.
Performance Balanced
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#133 of 388 graded solid state drives
- #130 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850 500GB 47
- #131 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 4TB 46
- #132 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 500GB 46
- #133 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 44
- #134 KingstonKingston NV3 4TB 40
- #135 KingstonKingston NV3 2TB 40
- #136 Kingston TechnologyKingston Technology NV3 2280 1TB 40
Value Balanced
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#130 of 388 currently priced solid state drives
- #127 PatriotPatriot VP4000 Mini 1TB 53
- #128 KingstonKingston FURY Renegade G5 1TB 52
- #129 SeagateSeagate FireCuda 530R 2TB 52
- #130 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 52
- #131 ADATAADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB 52
- #132 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850X 8TB 51
- #133 CorsairCorsair MP600 MICRO 2TB 51
Performance System Drive
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#133 of 388 graded solid state drives
- #130 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850 500GB 47
- #131 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 4TB 46
- #132 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 500GB 46
- #133 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 44
- #134 KingstonKingston NV3 4TB 40
- #135 KingstonKingston NV3 2TB 40
- #136 Kingston TechnologyKingston Technology NV3 2280 1TB 40
Value System Drive
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#83 of 334 currently priced solid state drives
- #80 SeagateSeagate FireCuda 530R 2TB 28
- #81 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN850P 2TB 28
- #82 ADATAADATA LEGEND 960 MAX 1TB 28
- #83 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 28
- #84 Western DigitalWestern Digital WD_Black SN850X 4TB 28
- #85 CrucialCrucial T500 2TB 28
- #86 PatriotPatriot Viper VP4300 Lite 4TB 28
Performance Game
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#315 of 388 graded solid state drives
- #312 CrucialCrucial P310 500GB 6
- #313 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850 500GB 6
- #314 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 500GB 6
- #315 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 6
- #316 KingstonKingston NV3 500GB 6
- #317 TeamGroupTeamGroup MP44L 500GB 6
- #318 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN770 500GB 6
Value Game
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#253 of 388 currently priced solid state drives
- #250 CorsairCorsair MP600 ELITE 1TB 41
- #251 KingstonKingston A400 960GB 41
- #252 PatriotPatriot P220 512GB 41
- #253 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 41
- #254 Silicon PowerSilicon Power XS70 2TB 41
- #255 CorsairCorsair MP700 1TB 40
- #256 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO 1TB 40
Performance Heavy Creative Work
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#122 of 388 graded solid state drives
- #119 CrucialCrucial T500 2TB 41
- #120 CrucialCrucial T500 1TB 41
- #121 CrucialCrucial T500 1TB 41
- #122 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 40
- #123 MSIMSI SPATIUM M480 HS 1TB 39
- #124 MSIMSI SPATIUM M480 1TB 39
- #125 CorsairCorsair MP600 ELITE PS5 1TB 39
Value Heavy Creative Work
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#129 of 293 currently priced solid state drives
- #126 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5000 1TB 14
- #127 TeamGroupTeamGroup FORCE G50 2TB 14
- #128 TeamGroupTeamGroup NV5000 2TB 14
- #129 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5100 500GB 14
- #130 CrucialCrucial P310 2TB 14
- #131 MSIMSI SPATIUM M480 1TB 14
- #132 CorsairCorsair MP600 ELITE PS5 1TB 14
These ladders follow the preset scenario shown above. Your own weights re-score this product, not the whole field.
What it is good for
| Scenario | this productCapability grade · Value at current price | Higher capability | Higher Value with current priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (all-round)Weighted all-round view | GradeNo grade Value52 | — | Higher Value with current priorities Western Digital SN7100 500GB 62 +3% capability · -8% price |
| System DriveScenario capability | GradeS Value28 | — | Higher Value with current priorities Western Digital SN7100 500GB S 35 +3% capability · -8% price |
| Game & File StorageScenario capability | GradeC Value41 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities TeamGroup Force Vulcan 1TB B 49 +100% capability · +4% price | |
| Heavy Creative WorkScenario capability | GradeB Value14 | — | Higher Value with current priorities Western Digital SN7100 500GB B 24 +4% capability · -8% price |
Balanced has no letter: it is a weighting preset, not a capability rubric. A grade answers “how well does this handle that job?” — price is never part of it. Relative Value puts the current market price back in.
Trade-offs
Works well if
- System Drive is your main prioritygraded S for System Drive on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value with Balanced priorities specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value with Balanced priorities — the calculation only gets there near $67, against a cheapest tracked $125
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelWestern Digital SN7100 500GB holds Relative Value 62 against its 52 with Balanced priorities, at $116
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
Works well if
- System Drive is your main prioritygraded S for System Drive on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value for System Drive specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for System Drive per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelWestern Digital SN7100 500GB holds Relative Value 35 against its 28 for System Drive, at $116
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Game is not actually your main job — System Drive isit grades C for Game, but S for System Drive
Consider other options if
- Game is what you actually need it forit grades C there; TeamGroup Force Vulcan 1TB grades B at $130
- You want strong value for Game specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value for Game — the calculation only gets there near $44, against a cheapest tracked $125
Works well if
- Heavy Creative Work is your main prioritygraded B for Heavy Creative Work on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value for Heavy Creative Work specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Heavy Creative Work per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelWestern Digital SN7100 500GB holds Relative Value 24 against its 14 for Heavy Creative Work, at $116
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
Every line states the fact it was derived from, for the scenario selected above. Thresholds are calculated points on our value curve — information about where the maths turns, not instructions about what to pay.
Similar options to the Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB
Chosen for Balanced
Chosen for System Drive
Chosen for Game
Chosen for Heavy Creative Work
Alternatives stay near this product’s price range. Step-up options may exceed the standard budget envelope when the capability gain is meaningful.
Upgrade planner
Judge the change in the active scenario, then make the cash gap explicit.
Using page scenarioWhat are you upgrading from? These are the axes we compare on, and where this product stands in the current market.
Capability differences are expressed as tiers and index points, not as benchmark percentages we did not measure.
Specifications & compatibility
What this product is, and what to check before it goes into your build.
Performance
- Sequential read
- 6600 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 5600 MB/s
- Random read
- 660000 IOPS
- Random write
- 1100000 IOPS
- Controller
- SanDisk Custom
Media
- Capacity
- 500 GB
- NAND type
- QLC 3D CBA NAND
- DRAM cache
- None (DRAM-less)
Power / Interface
- Interface
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
- Form factor
- M.2-2280
Physical / Outputs
- Heatsink included
- No
Show all specifications
Endurance & warranty
- Endurance
- 300 TBW
- Warranty
- 5 years
- Manufacturer part number
- WDS500G5B0E00CPE0
Hover any value to see where it came from: a manufacturer specification, or a figure The Comparator calculated.
Sources: Comparator offer frame 2026-09-27
What to check in your build
M.2-2280
The slot must take M.2-2280
M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot for full speed
PCIe 4.0 — runs in older slots at their speed
Fits under an M.2 shroud
Bare drive — it fits under a motherboard M.2 shroud
Meets the PS5 expansion requirements
M.2 2280 NVMe, PCIe 4.0, 6600 MB/s read — meets Sony's published requirements; a heatsink is required
Found an error? Report this specification Email the field, corrected value and an optional source.
Compatibility guidance is practical help, not a score. Missing data is shown as unknown, never invented.
Summary
Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB offers a balanced view across an all-round mix of priorities. It ranks #133 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 6600. The main limitation appears when Game & File Storage becomes the priority, where it grades C.
Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB offers S-grade capability for System Drive. It ranks #133 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 6600. The main limitation appears when Game & File Storage becomes the priority, where it grades C.
Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB offers C-grade capability for Game. It ranks #315 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 6600. The C grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
Western Digital Blue SN5100 500GB offers B-grade capability for Heavy Creative Work. It ranks #122 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 6600. The main limitation appears when Game & File Storage becomes the priority, where it grades C.
FAQ
Why does Relative Value change when I choose another scenario?
Each scenario changes the weights applied to capability, price and the other published factors. The hardware facts stay fixed, but the value question changes, so its score and rank can change too.
Why can Amazon appear without a tracked price?
Amazon is shown as a discovery link when we do not have a permitted verified price snapshot. It is excluded from price comparisons, rankings and Relative Value until a compliant tracked price exists.
Useful links & sources
offer frame 2026-09-27 · formula ssd-value-v1.5 · facts facts-2026-09-27 · Relative Value is an estimate from our current dataset, the selected weights and dated market prices — not an official product rating and not a price forecast. Target prices are calculation thresholds, not predictions. Methodology We are not a shop. Affiliate links may earn us a commission; they never change the calculations or the ranking.