Released on October 8, 2020, the Western Digital WD Black AN1500 is a high-performance NVMe solid-state drive (SSD) add-in card (AIC) designed for gaming and content creation workloads. It utilizes a RAID 0 configuration of two internal M.2 NVMe SSDs to achieve PCIe Gen4-like performance even on PCIe Gen3 systems.
The AN1500 bridges the performance gap between PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0 storage solutions by combining two WD PC SN730 NVMe SSDs in RAID 0 configuration through an enterprise-grade controller. As a result, it achieves sequential read speeds up to 6,500 MB/s and write speeds up to 4,100 MB/s over a PCIe 3.0 x8 interface.
Technical Specifications
| WD Black AN1500 | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model Number | WDS100T1X0L- 00AUJ0 | WDS200T1X0L- 00AUJ0 | WDS400T1X0L- 00AUJ0 |
| Usable Capacity | 1TB | 2TB | 4TB |
| Internal Configuration | 2× 512GB SN730 | 2× 1TB SN730 | 2× 2TB SN730 |
| Sequential Read (Max) | 6,500 MB/s | 6,500 MB/s | 6,500 MB/s |
| Sequential Write (Max) | 4,100 MB/s | 4,100 MB/s | 4,100 MB/s |
| Random Read (4K) | 760K IOPS | 780K IOPS | 780K IOPS |
| Random Write (4K) | 690K IOPS | 700K IOPS | 710K IOPS |
| NAND Type | 96-layer 3D TLC | 96-layer 3D TLC | 96-layer 3D TLC |
| NAND Die Config | 256Gb dies | 256Gb dies | 512Gb dies |
| Controller | Marvell 88NR2241 + 2× WD | Marvell 88NR2241 + 2× WD | Marvell 88NR2241 + 2× WD |
| DRAM Cache | DDR4 | DDR4 | DDR4 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x8 | PCIe 3.0 x8 |
| Power - Active Read | 12.8W | 12.8W | 12.8W |
| Power - Active Write | 15.7W | 15.7W | 15.7W |
| Power - Idle | 8.5W | 8.5W | 8.5W |
| Endurance (TBW) | ~400 TBW (estimated) | ~800 TBW (estimated) | ~1,600 TBW (estimated) |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years | 5 years |
| Launch MSRP | $299.99 | $549.99 | $999.99 |
As a consumer-oriented add-in card – an uncommon form factor in 2020 – WD’s AN1500 was primarily aimed at PC gamers and content creators using Intel-based systems and older AMD Ryzen platforms (Zen/Zen+), as Intel had not yet adopted PCIe 4.0 support. The drive competed directly with early PCIe 4.0 SSDs while offering a plug-and-play solution for users unable or unwilling to upgrade their entire platform.
With launch prices of $299.99 (1TB), $549.99 (2TB), and $999.99 (4TB), the AN1500 commanded a steep premium over standard PCIe 3.0 M.2 drives, positioning it as a premium product for enthusiasts.
Controller Architecture
The WD Black AN1500 used a dual-controller architecture:
- RAID Controller: Marvell 88NR2241 NVMe switch, an enterprise-grade controller that virtualizes the two SSDs into a single logical unit
- SSD Controllers: Two WD in-house controllers (one per SN730 SSD), featuring triple ARM CPU cores with hardware Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) ECC engine
Cache Configuration
One internal SN730 SSD includes a DRAM cache with 8Gb Micron DDR4 chips (per 1TB unit), a pseudo-SLC cache for accelerated write performance, and a static SLC cache design with aggressive evacuation policy for maintaining high write speeds.
NAND Type and Specifications
The AN1500 (or more accurately the SN730 SSDs) use 96-layer BiCS4 3D TLC NAND flash memory manufactured by Kioxia/SanDisk:
- Architecture: Charge trap cell design with 109 total layers (96 word-line layers plus select and dummy layers)
- Die Configuration:
- 1TB/2TB models: 256Gb dies
- 4TB model: 512Gb dies
- Design Features: Two-plane design for independent access
- Interface Speed: Toggle DDR 3.0 at up to 800 MT/s
- Operating Voltage: 1.2V
- Channels: 8 NAND flash channels per SSD controller
Power Consumption
Power management features are disabled within the AN1500 for maximum performance, which leads to a notably high power consumption of up to 12.8/15.7W (active read/write), and a very high idle power draw of 8.5 W.
These figures (especially the idle state) are significantly higher compared to standalone NVMe SSDs using standard power states.
Write Endurance
Western Digital does not officially specify Total Bytes Written (TBW) ratings for the AN1500, but the underlying SN730 SSDs have the following specifications:
- 1TB model: Approximately 400 TBW (168GB/day over 5 years per drive, 336GB/day combined)
- 2TB model: Approximately 800 TBW (438GB/day over 5 years)
The RAID 0 configuration uses the full capacity of both internal SSDs to maximize available storage space, so any over-provisioning is handled at the individual SSD level through standard controller management.
Other Features
To handle the high idle temperatures, the AN1500 has a substantial aluminum heatsink covering both sides of the PCB. The heatsink maintains contact with components via thermal pads (no fans).
As a drive targeting PC gamers, it also includes 16 surface-mount RGB LEDs with a diffuser strip. The LEDs can be configured via WD Black Dashboard software (Windows only. There is also integration with motherboard RGB ecosystems from ASUS, Gigabyte, and MSI.
Professional Reviews
WD’s Black AN1500 delivers high bandwidth and speed that rival’s Gen4 competitors, thanks to an enterprise-grade RAID controller, and comes with a price tag to match.
The WD Black AN1500 SSD has a very specific audience. It’s designed for those that want PCIe 4.0 levels of performance but are still using a motherboard with a PCIe 3.0 architecture.
Overall the WD_BLACK AN1500 is a drive that can give gamers a boost without needing to go to a PCIe Gen4 platform yet. While not the only option out there, it does have a pretty significant read boost.
Useful for enthusiasts who need PCIe 4.0-like sequential performance but don’t want to move their entire platform over for now, there’s merit in WD’s thinking… but it certainly doesn’t come cheap.
WD’s AN1500 delivers near PCIe 4.0 type performance for those people who are using PCIe 3.0 based systems and it comes in some useful capacities but it carries a hefty price tag.
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