Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD

Here you will find a detailed speed, performance and benchmark test review. Tested was the SATA SSD WD Red SA500 with 2TB (WDS200T2R0A) from the brand Western Digital.

Performance score 
737
Price/GB
0.22 $
Read
560 MB/s
 Write
520 MB/s
Connector
2.5"
Interface
SATA 6 Gbps
Technical specifications (manufacturer information)
Product image Product image WD Red SA500
Manufacturer Western Digital  
Model number WDS200T2R0A
Capacity 2048 GB (1863 GiB)
pSLC cache >400 GB approx.
Read speed 560 MB/s
Write speed 520 MB/s
Interface SATA 6 Gbps
Connector 2.5"
Memory module (NAND) TLC
TBW (Total Bytes Written) 1300 terabyte
Warranty 5 Years
Controller Silicon Motion SM2259AB

Product
Score
Price
  Current price
~ 450 $
(= 0.22 $ / GB)
Compare product Compared to the test winner*
Read speed
99 %
Write speed
95 %
*) Test result rated by AS SSD score within the same capacity.

We put the Western Digital SATA SSD through a detailed test. You can find the test result / test report here:


AS SSD Benchmark

Standard performance test

The standard test was performed with a 1 GB file. A total score of 737 points was achieved.

AS SSD Benchmark Screenshot: TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD
AS SSD Read: Write:
Seq
in megabytes per second
516.30 MB/s
430.70 MB/s
4K
in megabytes per second
36.76 MB/s
81.06 MB/s
4K-64Thrd
in megabytes per second
204.54 MB/s
159.63 MB/s
Access time
in milliseconds
0.056 ms
0.044 ms
Score
293
284
Total score 
737

Copy performance test

A common everyday scenario is simulated here. Three test folders are created:

  • ISO (folder with two large files)
  • Program (folder with many small files)
  • Game (folder with small and large files)

The three folders are copied using the Windows copy command (cache remains enabled). The real-world test from 22 July 2025 shows performance during simultaneous write and read operations. The lower the duration, the better.

AS SSD TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD
AS SSD Copy Benchmark Transfer rate: Duration:
ISO
two large files
940.45 MB/s
1.14 s
Program
typical program folder with many small files
1,184.98 MB/s
1.19 s
Game
a game folder with small and large files
1,590.85 MB/s
0.87 s

Compression performance test

Here, speed is measured depending on how compressible the data is.

AS SSD TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD

CrystalDiskMark Benchmark

Similar to AS SSD, two sequential and two random performance tests are carried out here and the write and read speed (manufacturer specs: 560 MB/s and 520 MB/s) the Western Digital SATA SSD is measured.

CrystalDiskMark Benchmark Screenshot: TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD
CDM Read [MB/s] Write [MB/s]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
547.22
459.86
SEQ1M
Q1T1
538.82
432.37
RND4K
Q32T16
220.68
171.10
RND4K
Q1T1
38.81
86.62

IOPS (Input/Output operations per second)

CDM Read [IOPS] Write [IOPS]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
521.90
438.60
SEQ1M
Q1T1
513.90
412.30
RND4K
Q32T16
53,876.20
41,771.70
RND4K
Q1T1
9,474.10
21,147.90

Average latency

CDM Read [µs] Write [µs]
SEQ1M
Q8T1
15,298.40
18,166.90
SEQ1M
Q1T1
1,945.43
2,423.68
RND4K
Q32T16
9,483.66
12,236.90
RND4K
Q1T1
105.43
47.17

ATTO Disk Benchmark

Here, a 256 MB file is written to the Western Digital SATA SSD multiple times. The I/O block size varies (from 512 bytes to 64 megabytes). The larger the blocks, the faster writing and reading usually becomes.

ATTO Disk Benchmark TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD

SSD-Z Benchmark

Similar to HD Tune, a 500 MB file is written to the Western Digital SATA SSD here. The transfer data is displayed. The more consistent the line, the better. Unfortunately, the tool no longer works correctly from around 4,000 MB/s and no line is displayed (and sometimes incorrect min/max data is shown).

SSD-Z TEST: Western Digital WD Red SA500 2TB SATA SSD


You can find information about the test system at the bottom of the homepage.
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