The Latest High-Capacity M.2: The Samsung 860 EVO 2TB SSD, Reviewed
by Billy Tallis on February 14, 2018 1:40 PM ESTConclusion
Samsung's update to their TLC SATA SSD is not quite as impressive as the improvements the MLC-based 860 PRO showed, but the Samsung 860 EVO's gains are still enough to put Samsung back on top in that product segment. The competition had caught up to the 850 EVO and surpassed it in several cases in recent months, but Samsung can still deliver a top-notch SSD.
The 860 EVO's performance did not improve in every metric, but on most of them it is slightly faster than the 850 EVO and it is usually as fast as any other TLC SATA SSD. The small handful of regressions should not have much effect on normal use and are not particularly severe even on synthetic benchmarks.
The Samsung 860 EVO's power consumption never goes much above 2W, regardless of the workload. At idle, it uses less power than any other drive in its class. However, total energy usage on our ATSB tests is still trailing behind some of the competitors, so the 860 EVO isn't the unqualified best choice for maximizing battery life.
Overall, the performance and power consumption of the Samsung 860 EVO make it a worthy successor to the 850 EVO. It does not offer any compelling reason for current users of an 850 EVO or similar SSD to upgrade, but the improvements are measurable, if otherwise usually imperceptible. For new systems, the 860 EVO is a reasonable offering for today's market, provided the price is right.
SATA SSD Price Comparison | |||||
240-275GB | 480-525GB | 960-1050GB | 2TB | ||
Samsung 860 EVO | $94.99 (38¢/GB) |
$169.99 (34¢/GB) |
$299.99 (30¢/GB) |
$649.99 (32¢/GB) |
|
Crucial MX500 | $79.99 (32¢/GB) |
$134.95 (27¢/GB) |
$259.99 (26¢/GB) |
$499.99 (25¢/GB) |
|
Crucial MX300 | $89.99 (33¢/GB) |
$147.45 (28¢/GB) |
$269.99 (26¢/GB) |
$528.70 (26¢/GB) |
|
Samsung 850 EVO | $87.99 (35¢/GB) |
$149.99 (30¢/GB) |
$349.20 (35¢/GB) |
$697.95 (35¢/GB) |
|
SanDisk Ultra 3D | $79.99 (32¢/GB) |
$129.99 (26¢/GB) |
$270.50 (27¢/GB) |
$499.99 (25¢/GB) |
|
WD Blue 3D NAND | SATA | $79.99 (32¢/GB) |
$134.99 (27¢/GB) |
$259.99 (26¢/GB) |
$499.99 (25¢/GB) |
M.2 | $90.41 (36¢/GB) |
$139.99 (28¢/GB) |
$289.99 (29¢/GB) |
$599.99 (30¢/GB) |
|
Samsung 860 PRO | $139.99 (55¢/GB) |
$249.99 (49¢/GB) |
$479.99 (47¢/GB) |
$949.99 (46¢/GB) |
|
Intel 545s | $89.99 (35¢/GB) |
$149.99 (29¢/GB) |
|||
Crucial BX300 | $87.99 (37¢/GB) |
$144.99 (30¢/GB) |
Looking specifically at 2TB M.2 SATA alternatives to the drive in this review, we find the WD Blue 3D NAND is $50 cheaper, and the 860 EVO is definitely not worth $50 more. Broadening the price comparison to include 2.5" models, the competition is much stronger. The 860 EVO is still selling at MSRP, and those prices are not competitive. The 2TB Crucial MX500 for $500 makes a lot more sense than the 2TB 860 EVO for $650.
Across the full range of capacities, Samsung is trying to continue charging a premium that their product no longer justified, because the alternatives are just as good. 30¢/GB should be about the upper limit of pricing on the 860 EVO, instead of being the lower limit.
As 64L 3D TLC finds its way out to other brands and as the other NAND manufacturers start supplying their 512Gb 64L TLC parts in volume, the competition will only increase. Samsung's reputation can guarantee the 860 EVO a lot of sales, but there are better deals out there.
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yankeeDDL - Friday, February 16, 2018 - link
Today, on Newegg, the 860 Evo m.2 250GB is $77.99. The 960 Evo is $98.99. It seems to me a relevant question to understand if $21 are worth the difference. If the 960 "utterly destroys" the 860 (and, therefore, all other devices in the comparison), then why even bother, given $21 price difference?Luckz - Monday, April 30, 2018 - link
Because it destroying the 960 only matters if you copy files from left to right. Sequential writing.PeachNCream - Thursday, February 15, 2018 - link
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this feels like a slightly disappointing result. There's nothing outwardly wrong about the 860 EVO, but it isn't very far ahead of the competition and the price seems too high for what you get back.Samus - Thursday, February 15, 2018 - link
Is the 2TB m.2 drive single sided?OddFriendship8989 - Thursday, February 15, 2018 - link
I'm always kinda annoyed by these comparisons. Yes the obvious 850 vs 860 comparison was done, but what about the 960? I think both the 860 EVO and 860 Pro should be tested against the 960 and compared. It gives people perspective if they should shell out extra $$ or not. It always seems to me a lot of these benches are lazy. I know it takes time to do comparisons, but that's why we trust you reviewers.saketh_ravirala - Sunday, February 18, 2018 - link
What is the main difference between 850 EVO and 860 EVO?If it is a upgraded version, then why is there a slight performance loss?
If i get both for the same price, which one should i buy!!!
yifu - Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - link
Cheapestyifu - Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - link
If Same price, Which box looks better to you. At this level, there is no difference you will ever knowzodiacfml - Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - link
Reading the first few pages, it felt that Samsung has not done anything substantial. In the last pages, it can be see that the gains are in the mixed random load. They optimized for this load which is logical!peevee - Tuesday, February 20, 2018 - link
What's the point of making iit m.2 and then only giving it SATA?