The SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD is a consumer-oriented NVMe solid-state drive launched in 2018 by Western Digital under the SanDisk brand. It is SanDisk’s first retail consumer NVMe SSD and is technically identical to the Western Digital WD Black released earlier in 2018, differing only in branding and target market positioning. In a similar fashion, the newer Gen4 SanDisk Extreme M.2 NVMe from 2023 is technically similar or identical to the WD Black SN770.
Released as a successor to the highly successful SanDisk Extreme Pro SATA SSD, the NVMe variant was designed to target power users requiring high-performance storage for demanding workloads. The drive uses Western Digital’s first in-house designed NVMe controller, which was a significant milestone in the company’s vertical integration strategy following its acquisition of SanDisk in 2016. Direct competitors included the Samsung 960 PRO, 960 EVO, 970 EVO, and Intel 760p.
Specifications
| SanDisk Extreme Pro | 500GB | 1TB | 2TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model Number | SDSSDXPM2-500G-G25 | SDSSDXPM2-1T00-G25 | SDSSDXPM2-2T00-G25 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 | PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 | PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe 1.3 |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Controller | WD/SanDisk Triton MP28 (20-82-007011) | WD/SanDisk Triton MP28 (20-82-007011) | WD/SanDisk Triton MP28 (20-82-007011) |
| NAND Type | Toshiba BiCS3 64L TLC 533 MT/s | Toshiba BiCS3 64L TLC 533 MT/s | Toshiba BiCS3 64L TLC 533 MT/s |
| DRAM Cache | 512 MB DDR3 | 1 GB DDR3 | 2 GB DDR3 |
| Sequential Read | Up to 3,400 MB/s | Up to 3,400 MB/s | Up to 3,400 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | Up to 2,500 MB/s | Up to 2,800 MB/s | Up to 2,900 MB/s |
| Random Read (4KB) | Up to 410,000 IOPS | Up to 500,000 IOPS | Up to 500,000 IOPS |
| Random Write (4KB) | Up to 330,000 IOPS | Up to 400,000 IOPS | Up to 500,000 IOPS |
| Endurance (TBW) | 300 TBW | 600 TBW | 1,200 TBW |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
Controller
The SanDisk Extreme Pro NVMe uses the proprietary Western Digital/SanDisk 20-82-007011 controller (also known as the Triton MP28), a three-core ASIC built on a 28nm process node. This 8-channel controller was developed over three years and represents Western Digital’s first in-house NVMe controller design.
It supports the NVMe 1.3 protocol and features multi-gear LDPC (Low-Density Parity-Check) error correction with hardware ECC providing full SRAM and DRAM bit correction. The multi-gear system consists of three “gears” that shift based on error correction requirements, with Gear 1 providing high throughput and lower power consumption, while Gears 2 and 3 offer stronger error correction capabilities for high bit-error pages.
Cache Architecture
The drive features a dual-cache architecture:
- DRAM Cache: DDR3 memory (512MB for 500GB model, 1GB for 1TB model, 2GB for 2TB model)
- SLC Cache (nCache 3.0): A dynamic pseudo-SLC cache that treats a portion of the TLC NAND as single-level cell memory for improved write performance. The cache size is approximately 12GB for the 1TB model. The nCache 3.0 tech features tiered caching that allows direct writes to TLC NAND at a substantially slower rate when the SLC blocks are full.
NAND Type
This SSD is equipped with SanDisk/Toshiba BiCS3 64-layer 3D TLC (Triple-Level Cell) NAND flash memory. The BiCS3 (Bit-Cost Scaling) technology employs charge trap flash architecture with 256Gbit die density. The NAND packages are configured in a unique layout with the controller positioned in the center of the PCB and NAND packages on the outer edges, a design choice made for optimal thermal management and performance. The single-sided PCB design accommodates all components on one side, making it compatible with thin laptops.
Power Consumption
While specific power consumption figures were never detailed officially, testing has confirmed a very power-efficient profile on par with or better than key competitors in 2018.
Professional Reviews
The Sandisk Extreme Pro NVMe offers nearly the same performance as Samsung’s class-leading 970 Pro, but costs the same as that company’s slower and lower-priced 970 EVO
This model delivers exceptional sequential performance for working with large files…
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