The Samsung SSD 850 120GB Review: A Little TLC for SATA
by Billy Tallis on November 27, 2017 12:00 PM ESTConclusion: It's a Good Option at 120GB
There are few options for a decent 120GB class SSD in today's market. For the most part, modern NAND flash chips have simply outgrown this market segment. Entry-level drives are almost always based on TLC NAND, and that means relatively few high-capacity dies. The drives are also strongly dependent on SLC write caching for offering the best peak performance, but a 120GB drive doesn't have room for much cache. Every 120GB-class drive carries a steep price/GB premium over the next size up, such as $50 for 120GB and $70 for 240GB.
The Samsung SSD 850 120GB can't overcome all of those handicaps, but it comes close. Overall performance is on par with or better than the discontinued Samsung 850 EVO 120GB, though the two have slightly different strengths and weaknesses. Samsung's dominance is clear from the number of tests where all of the Samsung drives outperform all of the competing TLC-based 120GB-class SSDs. But these are still all low-end drives. A 250GB class drive will be significantly faster and offer far more storage for the money. The Samsung SSD 850 120GB is one of the better choices out of a mediocre pool, but most users should opt for a 240GB or larger drive instead.
If Samsung wanted to brand the 850 120GB as a full member of the 850 EVO family, it would be worthy. We can't really expect any better performance from a drive this size, and Samsung can probably afford to extend the warranty to match the 5 years offered with other 850 EVOs. So far, the 850 120GB has seen limited release in Asia, but it's suitable for a global release, provided the price is right. Measured against today's steep discounts for Cyber Monday, the SSD 850 120GB could fit in to the US market somewhere around $60.
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lilmoe - Monday, November 27, 2017 - link
Oh, and so are the Pros... hmmm.Is that a holiday discount or is it that I haven't checked the price in a while?
Arbie - Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - link
Great article, even though its subject is a minor league item. AT quality.bug77 - Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - link
That's the ugly face of SSD: the cheaper they make them, the more we lose durability and access speed...bcronce - Tuesday, November 28, 2017 - link
Still 1000x faster than a mechanical drive, perceptibly as fast as any other SSD for most situations, and will last a lifetime.mapesdhs - Wednesday, November 29, 2017 - link
Definitely will not last a lifetime, and some newer models can have worse steady state performance than a rust spinner.bcronce - Wednesday, November 29, 2017 - link
Even the infamous Samsung 840s were still out-performing 15k SAS drives in their degraded modes. I see free "crackerjack" USB 2.0 flash drives out performing my 7.2k RPM rust buckets.MamiyaOtaru - Thursday, November 30, 2017 - link
no you don'tyifu - Saturday, December 2, 2017 - link
power efficiency test pleaseyifu - Sunday, December 3, 2017 - link
Billy , I would really want to see , is not only the speed , but the power efficiency for a older laptop like my MacBook Pro 13in 2012. if some one really care about speed , they will go for 850 pro 850 EVO, or PCIE. my gaming PC is with 960 pro for windows and 850 evo for storage. my iMac for work is with apple PCIE and a Toshiba HK4R 960GB (power lost protection). SATA speed for a ssd is done.the speed difference between those cheap SSDs are to small.I am thinking to "upgrade" my MacBook Pro mid 2012 from 840 pro to a slower but very very power efficient SSD.
finefunny - Sunday, December 3, 2017 - link
The company has already released several new versions of its OEM models, such as the PM871b, with 64-layer V-NAND. These drives often sell in basic systems from Dell, Lenovo, and other OEM brands. Customers often do not select the components in those systems, so the OEM models fly under the radar.Samsung isn't saying much for now, but it should answer our questions in early 2018. That's when we expect it to roll out new retail SSDs.