Recently, we recommended all users of computers and laptops to switch to SATA-3 solid-state drives. And we long persuaded the buyer that the performance boost, compared to HDD, would be visible even on the old SATA-2 interface. But a year has passed, and we saw unlimited performance of the M.2 format. The appearance of Samsung SSD 870 EVO on the market caused a lot of confusion. Both in terms of performance and price. It creates the impression that the Korean brand wants to return to the “medieval IT industry” again.
Samsung SSD 870 EVO SATA III – a winning move
The advanced Korean brand in the IT market has taken a big step into the future. Launching ultra-fast M.2 drives into mass production, Samsung did not expect the whole world to be “stuck” in the past. Motherboard manufacturers are not rushing to install many NVMe ports. And buyers do not want to get rid of old computers from 10 years ago.
Perhaps, therefore, Samsung had to change its policy and return to old good technologies. Samsung SSD 870 EVO for SATA III is a slightly refined model of the 860 series drive. In the promotional video and on their website, the manufacturer talks about new technologies and claims speed increases (by 38%). But all of this seems implausible. Comparing the 860 and 870 series drives, the picture looks like this:
| Model | 860 EVO 500 GB (MZ-76E500BW) | 870 EVO 500 GB (MZ-77E500BW) |
| Memory type | V-NAND 3bit MLC | V-NAND 3bit MLC |
| TRIM support | Yes | Yes |
| Max read speed | 550 MB/s | 560 MB/s |
| Max write speed | 520 MB/s | 530 MB/s |
| Random read speed (4 KB) | 98000 IOPS | 98000 IOPS |
| Random write speed (4 KB) | 90000 IOPS | 88000 IOPS |
| Write endurance | 300 TB | 300 TB |
| Price | $65 | $75 |
What are the advantages of Samsung SSD 870 EVO – SATA III
As you have already noticed, the comparison involved 500 GB drives. In total, under the 870 EVO label, Samsung introduced 5 SSD drives: 250 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB, 2 TB, and 4 TB. In fact, the Koreans completely repeated the 860 EVO lineup, introduced to the market in January 2018. Moreover, the prices of drives with a two-year difference are almost identical.
So, what is the main advantage of Samsung SSD 870 EVO – SATA III? The most important advantage is price. When comparing Samsung products with other brands, it turns out that all SSDs are 5-15% cheaper than their capacity equivalents. And some manufacturers still do not have 4 TB SSDs.
It turns out that Samsung has returned to the market with outdated components once again to once again undermine its competitors. But this does not mean that the development of faster drives will be frozen. Knowing the company’s capabilities, anything can be expected from Samsung. The main thing is that the price remains accessible to ordinary buyers.
