Do SATA SSDs still apply and should you choose this?

The SATA SSD space is pretty boring now – all the buzz has moved into the PCIe SSD category, and if you’re a keen gamer or gamer looking for the best speeds, that’s where you should be looking. The SATA protocol is a remnant of the days of spinning hard drives and has certainly helped make the transition to SSDs easier for everyone. SATA 3.0 has come as far as possible in terms of performance and there will be no releases in the future. Although it has a lot of space at first, SSDs have managed to saturate it for some time now.

This means we’re in commodity territory – the new models are iterative updates that focus more on manufacturing efficiency than providing new features.

That said, SATA SSDs won’t disappear anytime soon. They are still relatively affordable, and many desktops and laptops are designed around them. The SATA SSD is a very quick and easy upgrade for an older computer – even a 120GB drive, which is more than enough to hold your operating system and vital data, will cost less than Rs.

1,800 today. On the other hand, if you want a lot of storage, you can get higher capabilities and you don’t have to worry about running out of M.2 slots.

So what is Samsung doing by releasing a new SATA SSD model? The new Samsung SSD 870 Evo is a prominent replacement for the SSD 860 Evo, a popular work front that performed excellently in our review almost exactly three years ago. Here’s everything you need to know.

Features and specifications of Samsung SSD 870 Evo

The big difference with this generation is the move to a 128-layer TLC flash, which, of course, Samsung produces itself. As a side note, the company uses the marketing term “3-bit MLC” which may be a little misleading (it’s technically true – M stands for “often” but it is commonly understood to refer to two pieces stored per cell).

At least the low-resistance QLC flash array is still limited to Samsung’s QVO SSD range. Layers 128 is a nice jump in density compared to the 64-layer chip in the SSD 860 Evo. There is also a new Samsung internal controller called the MKX.

Capacity options range from 250GB to 4TB. It is important to note that while Samsung has an impressive 530 Mbps sequential write speed, this only applies to 1 TB and higher capacity; it is reduced to 300MBps if you use the 250GB or 500GB options. Sequential readings are rated at 560 MBps, which is as good as in the SATA world.

The endurance rating scales evenly, from 150 TBW for the 250GB version to 2400 TBW for the 4TB version. The lower two capacities each have 512MB DRAM storage, while the 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions get 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB respectively. The nominal power raffle is also between 3.5W and 5W in use and between 30mW and 35mW idle.

There is 256-bit AES hardware encryption with support for the TCG / Opal standard and the Windows 10 eDrive feature.

Very little is said about physical quality – the design doesn’t really matter, but you get a simple metal casing and the whole thing weighs about 48g. The package it sends only has a printed booklet – the days of SATA SSDs in elaborate packages with cables and adapters are over.

It’s worth noting that Samsung only launched the 870 Evo SSD in the 2.5-inch form factor. No longer the mSATA option, but more amazingly, there is no M.2 option either.

That option is unlikely to be introduced at a later date, and Samsung seems to think that the M.2 mainstream SATA SSD is no longer needed, with NVMe prices falling as much as they are them. On the contrary, it does not look likely to be the successor of the enthusiastic SATA SSD 860 Pro class.

samsung ssd 870 evo sata ndtv ssd 870 evo

Samsung SSD 870 Evo software and performance

One of Samsung’s best SSD features is the free software you can download, if you know it exists. First, there is a data migration tool that allows you to clone an old hard drive or SSD to Samsung’s SSD and it looks pretty simple.

The cool thing is the brand new Samsung Magician SSD utility that has many features. You can check detailed stats including driving health, temperature and TBW; perform rapid diagnostics and benchmarks; manual set overprocessing; establish encryption; and wipe the entire drive safely. The only downside is that Samsung feels the need to display ads for its other products in the UI.

I tested a 1TB version of the Samsung SSD 870 Evo using AMD Ryzen 2700 CPU, Taichi Ultimate ASRock X470 motherboard, 2x8GB of G.Skill F4-3400C16D-16GSXW DDR4 RAM, 1TB Samsung 860 Evo SSD reliable and Corsair RM650 power supply .. Installed all the latest drivers and operating system patches at the time of testing. Windows reported a total formatted capacity of 931.5GB.

CrystalDiskMark 6 showed sequential read and write speeds of 563.9 Mbps and 535.4 Mbps, slightly higher than Samsung’s nominal speed. Random readings and write-ups, which are a much more realistic indication of real-world usage, came in at 403.7MBps and 377.1MBps, respectively.

Samsung Magician’s built-in benchmark also identified 563 Mbps and 535 Mbps respectively. Interestingly, the 1 TB SSD 860 Evo recorded almost identical data rates in both tests at the time of its review. Finally, Anvil’s benchmark reported reading and writing scores of 2,536.86 and 2,657.92 points for a total score of 5,194.78.

Verdict

In terms of performance, there is nothing that the Samsung SSD 870 Evo does better than its predecessor, the Samsung SSD 860, at least as far as the average user will experience in daily use. This release is entirely about Samsung’s transition to newer technology and optimizing its production.

As a buyer, you will be right in choosing the one you find by selling for less. The SSD 860 Evo is already disappearing from the retail listings, but thankfully the new SSD 870 Evo isn’t that much more expensive.

Samsung’s official prices are Rs. 3,599 for 250 GB; Rs. 5,999 for 500 GB; Rs. 10,999 for 1 TB; Rs. 21,999 for 2 TB and Rs. 43,999 for 4 TB. It’s good to see that high-end capabilities are not

is disproportionately more expensive. Also, for once, these numbers are actually pretty close to current street prices – usually, the two have no relationship. You will pay a few hundred rupees less online or at your local hardware store, and remember that AGC prices are constantly changing.

You can get 1TB SATA SSDs which are much cheaper, but these tend to eliminate DRAM storage and performance is not always at the same level. These days, 1TB M.2 NVMe drives are also for sale at a lower price point, and this option would offer much better value for money.

The Samsung SSD 970 Evo Plus is only slightly more expensive, but is rated for speeds seven times faster. Hopefully the prices of the SSD 870 Evo will decrease over time.

The 870 Evo SSD has a pretty limited market these days, but the larger capacity options will serve those who want large secondary SSDs for gaming and data, as well as those that have already run out of M slots. 2 their cards. or want to breathe new life into an old PC. This is an excellent drive with first-rate features, but NVMe is the best option for those who can take advantage of it.

Samsung SSD 870 Evo
Prices:
Rs. 3,599 (250 GB)
Rs. 5,999 (500 GB)
Rs. 10,999 (1 TB)
Rs. 21,999 (2 TB)
Rs. 43,999 (4 TB)

Professionals

  • Excellent performance
  • Rich software feature
  • Good resistance
  • Great capacity at share prices

Against

  • Relatively expensive
Scores (out of 5)
  • Performance: 4
  • Value for money: 4
  • Overall: 4