SK hynix Gold S31 1TB vs Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB
Neither SK hynix Gold S31 1TB nor Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB wins outright — each takes something the other gives up, so the pick is which of those you want.
| Specification | SK hynixGold S31 1TB | Western DigitalWD Blue SA510 1TB |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity (GB) | 1000 | 1000 |
| Sequential read (MB/s) | 560 | 560 |
| Sequential write (MB/s) | 525better | 520 |
| Current best price | $255.00at Amazon.ca · captured 2026-09-13 | $100.00betterat Newegg Canada · captured 2026-09-09 |
| Price per TB | $255.00 | $100.00better |
| Endurance (TBW) | 600better | 400 |
| Warranty (years) | 5 | 5 |
| DRAM cache | Yes | — |
| NAND type | tlc | tlc |
| Controller | SK hynix Quartz controller | — |
How these two compare
Sequential throughput
SK hynix Gold S31 1TB reads at 560 MB/s and writes at 525 MB/s; Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB reads at 560 MB/s and writes at 520 MB/s. Both ride the SATA bus, which caps sequential transfer near 550 MB/s in either direction — the ceiling every SATA drive works against — so what more decisively separates them is sustained and random behaviour, the DRAM cache, and endurance.
Random access
SK hynix Gold S31 1TB is rated 95,000 IOPS random read and 87,000 random write; Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB, 89,000 and 74,000. Random 4K access — many small, scattered operations — is what a drive does booting, launching apps and juggling everyday tasks, and it tracks that feel far more closely than the sequential figures above.
Price
SK hynix Gold S31 1TB is $255.00 ($255.00 per TB); Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB is $100.00 ($100.00 per TB).
Endurance
SK hynix Gold S31 1TB is rated for 600 TBW and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB for 400 TBW — the total the maker warrants you can write over the drive's life. A typical desktop writes only a few terabytes a year, so either rating is many years of headroom; the figure matters mainly as a relative signal of how hard each is built to be driven.
DRAM cache
On the cache question: SK hynix Gold S31 1TB carries a DRAM cache, and the catalog does not state whether Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB carries a DRAM cache. The DRAM keeps the flash-translation table close, sparing a lookup on nearly every access; a drive without it leans on host memory or its own flash, which usually shows as slower sustained random writes rather than in the headline sequential numbers.
NAND, controller and warranty
On the flash itself: SK hynix Gold S31 1TB uses TLC, and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB uses TLC. NAND tiers count bits per cell — more bits pack more capacity into the same silicon but shorten write endurance and slow sustained writes, which is why QLC sits below TLC on lasting performance even when the sequential numbers match. Controller: SK hynix Gold S31 1TB uses the SK hynix Quartz controller and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB's controller is not stated. The controller runs wear-levelling, error correction and the mapping table, so it shapes sustained and random behaviour as much as the flash does — though the model name alone predicts little without testing. SK hynix Gold S31 1TB carries a 5-year warranty and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB carries a 5-year warranty — the length the maker will stand behind the drive, and usually a proxy for the endurance it is rated to.
Which to buy
It comes down to which you value more: SK hynix Gold S31 1TB and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB each lead the other somewhere the site tracks, and no single measure settles it. Read the sections above for which edge fits your use.
Common questions about this pair
- Which is faster, SK hynix Gold S31 1TB or Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB?
- SK hynix Gold S31 1TB reads at 560 MB/s and writes at 525 MB/s; Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB reads at 560 MB/s and writes at 520 MB/s. Both ride the SATA bus, which caps sequential transfer near 550 MB/s in either direction — the ceiling every SATA drive works against — so what more decisively separates them is sustained and random behaviour, the DRAM cache, and endurance.
- How do SK hynix Gold S31 1TB and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB compare on random access?
- SK hynix Gold S31 1TB is rated 95,000 IOPS random read and 87,000 random write; Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB, 89,000 and 74,000. Random 4K access — many small, scattered operations — is what a drive does booting, launching apps and juggling everyday tasks, and it tracks that feel far more closely than the sequential figures above.
- Which costs less per terabyte, SK hynix Gold S31 1TB or Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB?
- SK hynix Gold S31 1TB is $255.00 ($255.00 per TB); Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB is $100.00 ($100.00 per TB).
- Should you buy SK hynix Gold S31 1TB or Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB?
- It comes down to which you value more: SK hynix Gold S31 1TB and Western Digital WD Blue SA510 1TB each lead the other somewhere the site tracks, and no single measure settles it. Read the sections above for which edge fits your use.