The Latest High-Capacity M.2: The Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, Reviewed
by Billy Tallis on February 14, 2018 1:40 PM ESTMixed Random Performance
Our test of mixed random reads and writes covers mixes varying from pure reads to pure writes at 10% increments. Each mix is tested for up to 1 minute or 32GB of data transferred. The test is conducted with a queue depth of 4, and is limited to a 64GB span of the drive. In between each mix, the drive is given idle time of up to one minute so that the overall duty cycle is 50%.
The performance of the Samsung 850 EVO on the mixed random I/O test was still adequate in the face of today's competition, so the large jump in performance the 860 EVO brings gives Samsung a substantial lead over other TLC SATA SSDs
The power efficiency gains of the 860 EVO are even larger than the performance gains; the 860 EVO delivers 33% higher performance per Watt than the next best 64L 3D TLC drive.
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The performance of the 860 EVO climbs steadily as the proportion of writes in the test workload increases. The 850 EVO's performance was mostly flat through the first half of the test, and the competition's drives tend to lose a bit of performance somewhere along the way before recovering near the end of the test.
Mixed Sequential Performance
Our test of mixed sequential reads and writes differs from the mixed random I/O test by performing 128kB sequential accesses rather than 4kB accesses at random locations, and the sequential test is conducted at queue depth 1. The range of mixes tested is the same, and the timing and limits on data transfers are also the same as above.
The mixed sequential I/O test shows a bit of a performance regression for the 860 EVO, dropping it slightly below the normal range for good SATA drives. The Crucial MX500 is a bit more of an outlier on the low side.
If it weren't for the 860 PRO, the power efficiency improvement of the 860 EVO over its predecessor would be very impressive. Even overshadowed by its MLC counterpart, the 860 EVO's efficiency is great and well ahead of the competing mainstream SATA SSDs.
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Most of Samsung's SATA drives exhibit a bathtub curve for performance, hitting a minimum early in the second half of the test. The 860 EVO gets off to a poor start and actually increases performance through most of the first half of the test as it catches up to the typical Samsung performance curve.
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Reflex - Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - link
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LB05YOO/Micron 1100 2TB for $379
This is basically a clone of the MX300 marketed to IT departments. Cheaptest 2TB SATA option I've seen by far, and gets good reviews, essentially identical to the MX300 (same hardware, no surprise) but has a better warranty I believe.
CherryBOMB - Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - link
Thanks for the information comment on your experience.bug77 - Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - link
I wonder what kind of warranty you get with those, since Micron branded products are not usually meant for retail.Reflex - Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - link
https://www.nikktech.com/main/articles/pc-hardware...According to this review of the 256GB model of this drive, it is a 5 year warranty.
Reflex - Wednesday, February 14, 2018 - link
The Crucial MX300 that it is a clone of has only a 3 year warranty, for reference.bug77 - Friday, February 16, 2018 - link
Actually, in the provided Amazon link, the first question is about warranty and the seller says it's 3 years. I was just afraid these were sold as stripped parts and wouldn't be covered, but it seems that not the case.Reflex - Friday, February 16, 2018 - link
The seller is not the OEM however, it's a third party. I have no idea if that is correct or the review I linked was correct. Micron's site is not helpful.xrror - Thursday, February 15, 2018 - link
How long has this drive been out???! Because I've been looking for an affordable 2TB option for the past half year and can't believe I never found this one.Thanks for the heads up on this model.
Reflex - Thursday, February 15, 2018 - link
I am unclear on how long it has been out, the review I linked is from late 2016, but the Amazon page implies its only been there since late 2017. My guess is its only sold into enterprise settings and a seller with stock listed it on Amazon. Regardless, its a great price for a brand that isn't questionable.Reflex - Saturday, February 17, 2018 - link
In case anyone is tracking this: I got mine in the mail yesterday. It is definitely intended for OEM markets, it came in a sealed anti-static bag with no other packaging. That said I popped it into a system and it was immediately recognized and is the capacity expected. No problems at all.