It has been quite some time, but Samsung has finally released the next iteration of the company’s highly popular 2.5-inch SATA SSD line, the Samsung 870 EVO. This drive leverages Samsung’s 3D V-NAND, features the company’s newest MKX controller, and is available in the same capacity points as the last-gen model (250GB to 4TB). Samsung states that the new 870 EVO boasts sequential read and write speeds up to 560MB/s and 530MB/s, respectively, while random performance is expected to hit up to 98,000 IOPS read and 88,000 IOPS writes, though it didn’t quite reach those levels in our tests. Random Read (4KB, QD32) Up to 98,000 IOPS Random Read * Performance may vary based on system hardware & configuration ** Measured with Intelligent TurboWrite technology being activated Finally, in our VDI Monday Login, the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO had a peak performance of 12,161 with a latency of 1,323ms while the 4TB model showed a peak of 14,323 IOPS with a latency of 1,113ms.

The other factor in this is that we recently updated our SSD test suite for 2021, which means re-testing older drives for new performance numbers. In our SSD test suite 2021 article, we prioritized NVMe SSDs, as that is where the market is. We are getting around to retesting the older SATA drives, although these take the longest time to complete - 24 hours for a fast 1 TB drive, up to 100 hours or more for a 4 TB drive,not including the analysis. The 4TB Samsung SSD 870 EVO is ratedat 2,400TBW with a five-year warranty (whichever happens first, the warranty end or the write limit), which is right within standard expectations for SATA-based TLC drives these days at that capacity. TBW scales with capacity, as you can see in the chart above. VDI Initial Login, the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO had a peak performance of 14,193 IOPS at a latency of 2,108ms while the 4TB model hit a peak of 17,021 IOPS at 1,755ms before taking a pretty big dip in performance at the very end (though easily taking first place among the tested drives). We generally disapprove when SSD vendors silently swap out major components without renaming a product, because changing the SSD controller or NAND flash can have a major impact on a drive's performance and power efficiency. Unfortunately, this has long been a common practice for entry-level models, and a few manufacturers have tried it on more upmarket models and been deservedly excoriated when they're caught (eg. ADATA, with the SX8200 Pro).

Samsung has dominated the SSD market for a very long time, and every new consumer SSD model the company introduces is noteworthy. The latest product to reach the shelves is the new range of 870 EVO SSDs, building on a decade-long legacy of SATA SSDs. We have tested the 1 TB and 4 TB models from this new product family. Pushing for SATA In sequential Crystal DiskMark speeds, the SSD 870 EVO hits Samsung's own rated spec without a sweat, while 4K results were just a bit stronger, but still a bit slower than expected when comparing the 4TB and 1TB variants of the same drive. In each of these tests, the Samsung SSD 870 EVO proved itself not only as a leader among SATA drives, but also a regular competitor with both PCIe 3.0 and PCIe 4.0-based NVMe M.2 drives. While both of those standards are great for what they do (hitting all-time sequential throughput records), their added bandwidth doesn't always translate to better 4K random read and write scores, which is what a large percentage of SSD buyers in this category tend to care about most. random write showed similar performance between all tested drives. Here, the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO peaked at 63,269 IOPS with 2,022µs, while the 4TB model showed a peak at 63,542 IOPS at 2,012µs.

Performance-wise, the Samsung 870 EVO is quoted to deliver sequential read and write speeds of 560MB/s and 530MB/s, respectively, while random performance is expected to hit up to 98,000 IOPS read and 88,000 IOPS writes. This is only a slight upgrade in sequential read performance over the 550MB/s offered by the 860 EVO (which is expected, since the drive’s performance is capped by the SATA interface), with Samsung claiming a 38% increase in random read performance speeds. To help sustain these performance numbers, the EVO line leverages Intelligent TurboWrite technology. With these numbers, we can clearly see that the Samsung 870 Evo has some better things to offer. Total endurance, sequential write speed, and random read speed are better in the Samsung 870 Evo. Whereas the Crucial MX500 is winning the other things such as M.2 Form Factor, and random write speed. 2. Benchmark Scores As we all know these both SSDs use the SATA protocol, and the speed would never go beyond 600MB/s. So, whether you are using any of these SSDs, don’t expect anything more than that. However, because the Crucial MX500 and Samsung 870 Evo are competing hard in this domain, various people want to know which one is the best between these both. So, in this article, we are going to reveal the same by doing some straight comparisons. Now, without any further delays, let’s get started. 1. Theoretical Specifications We are seeing the usual upgrades in the spec table for the 870 EVO compared to the 860 EVO from 2018. The controller is now Samsung's MKX, a minor iterative update to the 860's MJX. The NAND flash memory is a more significant jump: the 870 EVO is using Samsung's 128-layer 3D TLC, first seen on the 980 PRO. More specifically, our 1TB and 4TB 870 EVO samples are using the 512Gbit dies that were introduced on the 2TB 980 PRO, a model that arrived much later than the smaller capacities built around 256Gbit dies. The preceding Samsung 860 EVO launched with Samsung's 64L 3D NAND, and they appear to have skipped over their 92L generation with their TLC SATA drives. Sequential Write Up to 530 MB/s Sequential Write * Performance may vary based on system hardware & configuration ** Measured with Intelligent TurboWrite technology being activated

Samsung’s 870 EVO is poised to continue the 860 EVO’s market domination.

Next, we looked at our VDI benchmarks, which are designed to tax the drives even further. These tests include Boot, Initial Login, and Monday Login. Looking at the Boot test, the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO peaked at 26,502 IOPS at a latency of 1,304ms while the 4TB model peaked at 27,582 IOPS at 1,234ms. For any content that you submit, you grant SAMSUNG a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. On durability, the TBW (or "terabytes written") rating is an estimate of the total amount of allowable lifetime write activity, after which the drive will start to take memory cells out of service as they "wear out." Switching over to sequential performance, the 1TB Samsung 870 EVO drive peaked at 7,705 IOPS or 480MB/s with a latency of 2,070µs in reads while the 4TB model hit 486MB/s and 2,043µs in reads for top spot.

From both aesthetic and functional standpoints, Samsung Magician stands well above the rest. The software features an elegant design that helps to demystify some of the more complex storage-management tasks, such as using Secure Erase or defragmenting the drive. While there aren't a ton of innovations on offer with Samsung's SSD 870 EVO, the incremental improvements that Samsung has made both to its flash technology and its controllers looks to have translated into some decent gains for the drive's 4K random read and write performance. Not only is it rated to be endurant, but it's also potentially very secure with the option to use TCG Opal 2.0-compliant AES 256-bit full disk encryption for those whose data needs the added protection from prying eyes. Software and Accessories As for the PCMark 10 Copy Tests tab (the last tab in the chart above), those numbers tie in with the next test set... Speed and Copy TestsAs an upgrade to the 860 EVO, the 850 EVO, or even any other SATA SSD, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I've said it before and I'll say it again, upgrading SATA for SATA doesn't make a lot of sense. At least, not unless you have a drive failure and it needs replacing.

On paper, the 870 EVO seemed like a modest refresh of the last-gen model; however, results from our benchmarks told a slightly different story. For performance, we looked at both the 1TB and 4TB models and compared them to three other consumer-grade 2.5-inch SATA SSDs: the OWC Mercury Extreme Pro, Seagate FireCuda 120, and its predecessor, the 860 EVO. The Samsung 870 EVO is the latest entry into the company’s successful line of consumer SSDs. The EVO line has been a highly successful endeavor for the company, as the line finds the perfect balance between performance and price while offering Samsung’s pedigree in reliability. These mid-range consumer drives are designed for all kinds of use cases, from everyday use and gaming, to those looking for a decent upgrade in performance for PC and even just those looking for a reliable SATA SSD.The PCMark 10 copy tests are also derived from PCMark 10 traces. At first, these numbers might look low compared with the straight sequential-throughput numbers achieved in benchmarks like Crystal DiskMark 6.0 and AS-SSD, charted below. But that's due to the way this score is calculated and the nature of (and differences between) the source data sets. That said, it’s been a while since we’ve seen another EVO release (the last one being the 970 EVO Plus in the summer of 2019 and even longer since a 2.5-inch release), so we are certainly happy to get our hands on it. The 870 EVO uses TLC (or 3bit MLC, as dubbed by Samsung) 3D V-NAND, is available in capacities from 256GB up to 4TB, and features the company’s newest in-house controller. The 870 EVO also offers an endurance of up to 2,400TBW for the highest capacity model. Let’s see what are the key offerings given by the manufacturers of these SSDs. Comparing them will give you a good idea of what you can expect from them. Specification It'll be a sweater-weather kind of day down below before we see SATA 3.0 speeds make any sort of jumps in sequential throughput, so until then, companies like Samsung are focusing their storage efforts where they can: improving speeds for real-world 4K random read and write scenarios. Looking inside the cases, it’s interesting to see how small the drives have become. While the 2.5″ SATA case is a bit overkill for these drive innards, the compact nature of these next-generation drives is more towards how they get leveraged in small external devices. Not a lot is needed to hit the capacity requirements. Samsung 870 EVO Performance