For WD's part, its spokespeople say the move to 64-layer 3D NAND allows it to provide drives with lower power consumption as well as higher performance, endurance, and capacity, which sounds like a recipe for a mainstream SSD. In the case of WD (and SanDisk), it places the brands alongside other industry heavyweights in being able to offer the latest technology to its SSD customers. (Opens in a new window) Read Our Plextor M8Pe M.2 NVMe SSD Reviewīesides the spatial problem solved by the nature of 3D NAND, this approach has several other benefits, most noticeably increased endurance (at least, as rated by the SSD makers themselves). The idea of 64-layer in SSDs, in a nutshell, means pretty much what it sounds like: 64 layers of memory stacked in a three-dimensional space, rather than laid out side by side (in what is called a 'planar' design). WD, which also owns the consumer-staple storage brand SanDisk, is specifically coming to market with a 64-layer design. That includes Micron, with its 32-layer Crucial MX300 ($179.99 at Amazon) (Opens in a new window), and Intel, with its more recent, 64-layer Intel SSD 545s Series.

Samsung kicked off the whole 3D-NAND-based craze with the 48-layer Samsung SSD 960 Pro and SSD 960 EVO drives last year, and it was quickly followed by all the big names. This type of cost-efficient NAND flash-the core memory chips that make up any SSD-is the new hotness in the world of mainstream SSDs, and over the past year we've been seeing a steady stream of announcements surrounding companies bringing their own versions to market. WD is throwing its hat into the ring for 64-layer 3D TLC-based SSDs with its new line of Blue drives.

Now it's Western Digital's turn to be host. These days, it seems, 3D NAND memory is coming around for a visit to every major maker of solid-state drives (SSDs), and it's not going home.

Still not quite as fast as the Samsung SSD 850 EVO.

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