It’s time. Samsung presents the next generation of its popular SSDs. Although SATA is already a thing of the past due to the much faster NVMe protocol, it is still more popular with many users. So it’s no wonder that despite the limited speed, Samsung is launching new models in the form of the 860 series. We took a close look at the Samsung SSD 860 EVO and Samsung SSD 860 PRO in our test.
Even though the Samsung SSD 850 series has already nibbled at the limit of SATA, which is 600 MBit/s gross, Samsung was able to increase the speed again. The Samsung SSD 860 PRO offers up to 560 MB/s reading and 530 MB/s writing. The Samsung SSD 860 EVO reads at 550 MB/s and writes at 520 MB/s and is therefore 10 MB/s slower. But that’s not the only difference. Compared to the 850 series, the durability could be significantly increased. The TBW (Total Bytes Written) is now at a maximum of 4,800 TB (Terabyte). NAND flash memory for the 860 PRO Samsungs is V-NAND with 2-bit MLC technology, while the 860 EVO uses 3-bit MLC. This difference also goes hand in hand with low power consumption for the 860 PRO.
As controller Samsung relies on the new MJX controller. This causes a slight increase in speed, which also affects the IOPS. Overall, however, the speed is not slowed down by the memory, but by the interface. The most important improvements are therefore durability and energy consumption.
Samsung SSD 860 Series Specifications
| Capacity | 256 GB | 512 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB | 4 TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware Information | Interface | SATA 6 Gb/s, compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s & 1.5 Gb/s | ||||
| Controller | Samsung MJX-Controller | |||||
| NAND Flash memory | Samsung V-NAND memory architecture with 2-bit MLC technology | |||||
| DRAM cache memory | 512 MB LPDDR4 | 512 MB LPDDR4 | 1 GB LPDDR4 | 2 GB LPDDR4 | 4 GB LPDDR4 | |
| Form factor | 2.5 inch | |||||
| Maximum performance | Sequential Reading | 560 MB/s | ||||
| sequential writing | 530 MB/s | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Read (QD1) | 11,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Write (QD1) | 43,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Read (QD32) | 100,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Write (QD32) | 90.000 IOPS | |||||
| Energy requirement (typical) | Idle (DIPM switched on) | 40 mW | ||||
| For activity (average) | 2.0 W | 2.0 W | 2.2 W | 2.2 W | 2.2 W | |
| Device Sleep (DVSLP) | 2 mW | 2 mW | 2.5 mW | 4.5 mW | 7 mW | |
| Reliability | MTBF | 2 million hours | ||||
| warranty | TBW (Total Bytes Written) | 300 TB | 600 TB | 1,200 TB | 2.400 TB | 4,800 TB |
| Guarantee duration | 5 years limited | |||||
| Supported functions | TRIM (requires operating system support), Garbage Collection, S.M.A.R.T | |||||
| data security | AES 256 Bit Full Disk Encryption (FDC), TCG/Opal V2.0, Encrypted Drive (IEEE1667) | |||||
| Capacity | 250 GB | 500 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB | 4 TB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware Information | Interface | SATA 6 Gb/s, compatible with SATA 3 Gb/s & 1.5 Gb/s | ||||
| Controller | Samsung MJX-Controller | |||||
| NAND Flash memory | Samsung V-NAND memory architecture with 3-bit MLC technology | |||||
| DRAM cache memory | 512 MB LPDDR4 | 512 MB LPDDR4 | 1 GB LPDDR4 | 2 GB LPDDR4 | 4 GB LPDDR4 | |
| Form factor | 2.5 inch, M.2 (2280), mSATA | |||||
| Maximum performance | Sequential Reading | 550 MB/s | ||||
| sequential writing | 520 MB/s | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Read (QD1) | 10,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Write (QD1) | 42,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Read (QD32) | 98,000 IOPS | |||||
| 4KB Ran. Write (QD32) | 90.000 IOPS | |||||
| Energy requirement (typical) | Idle (DIPM switched on) | 50 mW | ||||
| For activity (average) | 2.2 W | 2.5 W | 3.0 W | 3.0 W | 3.0 W | |
| Device Sleep (DVSLP) | 2 mW | 2 mW | 2.6 mW | 5 mW | 8 mW | |
| Reliability | MTBF | 1.5 million hours | ||||
| warranty | TBW (Total Bytes Written) | 150 TB | 300 TB | 600 TB | 1,200 TB | 2.400 TB |
| Guarantee duration | 5 years limited | |||||
| Supported functions | TRIM (requires operating system support), Garbage Collection, S.M.A.R.T | |||||
| Data security | AES 256 Bit Full Disk Encryption (FDC), TCG/Opal V2.0, Encrypted Drive (IEEE1667) | |||||
Test System
- MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon Mainboard*
- Intel Core i7-8700K Processor*
- 32 GB Crucial DDR4-3000 RAM*
- ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Strix Graphics Card*
Benchmarks
- AS SSD Benchmark
- AS SSD Benchmark Score
- AS SSD compression benchmark
- AS SSD Copy Benchmark
- Crystal DiskMark
- ATTO Disk Benchmark
- HD Tune
- Access times
| wdt_ID | SSD | Seq (lesen, MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K (lesen, MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (lesen, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (schreiben, MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 506,29 | 468,26 | 20,07 | 83,41 | 353,98 | 228,57 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 516,37 | 472,97 | 32,40 | 113,85 | 376,93 | 349,97 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 526,20 | 498,49 | 45,57 | 129,23 | 377,11 | 340,89 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 528,46 | 498,50 | 43,69 | 130,20 | 378,80 | 342,79 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 489,92 | 496,99 | 36,36 | 88,72 | 373,74 | 334,34 |
| 7 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 463,37 | 371,80 | 27,40 | 70,12 | 268,58 | 168,03 |
| 8 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 522,71 | 460,83 | 15,56 | 92,66 | 205,45 | 220,96 |
| 9 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 523,80 | 494,89 | 35,53 | 96,22 | 368,67 | 331,16 |
| 10 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 517,78 | 401,51 | 24,52 | 70,22 | 238,72 | 226,73 |
| 11 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 526,54 | 493,04 | 37,07 | 90,57 | 372,59 | 337,20 |
| SSD | Seq (lesen, MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K (lesen, MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (lesen, MB/s) | 4K-64-Thrd (schreiben, MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Lesen | Schreiben | Gesamt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 425 | 359 | 1.004 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 461 | 511 | 1.217 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 474 | 520 | 1.252 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 475 | 523 | 1.256 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 459 | 473 | 1.180 |
| 7 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 342 | 275 | 798 |
| 8 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 273 | 360 | 774 |
| 9 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 457 | 477 | 1.178 |
| 10 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 315 | 337 | 816 |
| 11 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 461 | 477 | 1.183 |
| SSD | Lesen | Schreiben | Gesamt |
| wdt_ID | SSD | ISO (in MB/s) | Programm (in MB/s) | Spiel (in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 380,64 | 193,10 | 244,38 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 257,05 | 105,71 | 183,26 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 475,42 | 328,58 | 456,63 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 460,70 | 327,49 | 440,99 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 561,93 | 416,23 | 505,09 |
| 7 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 252,77 | 131,44 | 146,53 |
| 8 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 267,41 | 109,81 | 196,38 |
| 9 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 269,89 | 118,24 | 243,96 |
| 10 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 215,69 | 103,90 | 186,73 |
| 11 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 472,84 | 309,70 | 438,83 |
| SSD | ISO (in MB/s) | Programm (in MB/s) | Spiel (in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Seq Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | Seq (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 544,40 | 504,50 | 347,90 | 334,30 | 522,80 | 483,40 | 26,93 | 96,19 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 552,90 | 514,20 | 377,20 | 356,30 | 535,30 | 499,10 | 32,73 | 143,10 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 560,40 | 529,40 | 398,40 | 357,20 | 537,90 | 514,80 | 49,47 | 151,30 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 562,20 | 533,10 | 403,10 | 359,00 | 551,30 | 522,80 | 48,49 | 155,00 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 563,00 | 534,10 | 394,70 | 361,10 | 294,10 | 276,90 | 40,71 | 110,60 |
| 6 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 549,60 | 519,80 | 307,90 | 256,00 | 483,40 | 398,60 | 29,31 | 79,30 |
| 7 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 560,50 | 373,10 | 252,80 | 189,30 | 507,50 | 372,70 | 24,52 | 91,99 |
| 8 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 560,00 | 529,10 | 295,10 | 299,10 | 533,50 | 501,10 | 35,77 | 97,54 |
| 9 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 520,00 | 442,80 | 248,30 | 219,60 | 440,80 | 436,90 | 27,14 | 61,66 |
| 10 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 561,40 | 528,90 | 312,80 | 284,50 | 542,20 | 503,00 | 42,89 | 93,74 |
| SSD | Seq Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K Q32T1 (schreiben, in MB/s) | Seq (lesen, in MB/s) | Seq (schreiben, in MB/s) | 4K (lesen, in MB/s) | 4K (schreiben, in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1 TB | 12.288 | 26.425 | 50.688 | 88.969 | 131.657 | 216.627 | 293.011 | 354.146 | 406.935 | 444.835 | 468.590 | 480.421 | 484.759 | 486.957 | 492.542 | 488.872 | 492.542 | 489.954 | 490.293 | 490.470 | 492.542 |
| 6 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 16.302 | 29.802 | 55.158 | 91.701 | 124.616 | 155.847 | 176.690 | 370.350 | 207.580 | 218.453 | 243.289 | 246.144 | 302.183 | 381.647 | 420.481 | 446.677 | 458.018 | 472.242 | 476.354 | 477.849 | 480.488 |
| 7 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 21.067 | 40.091 | 74.240 | 131.766 | 212.460 | 304.158 | 387.404 | 444.311 | 483.066 | 504.123 | 515.270 | 520.385 | 524.288 | 526.922 | 524.615 | 524.506 | 524.124 | 523.960 | 524.369 | 524.192 | 524.016 |
| 8 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 20.428 | 39.737 | 74.240 | 116.155 | 213.970 | 300.847 | 377.474 | 443.238 | 480.704 | 504.123 | 515.270 | 521.679 | 525.602 | 526.261 | 525.272 | 525.602 | 525.766 | 525.821 | 525.684 | 526.359 | 526.989 |
| 9 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 18.460 | 36.440 | 120.610 | 216.800 | 355.470 | 450.870 | 458.640 | 489.000 | 509.590 | 496.280 | 503.020 | 503.360 | 489.000 | 510.200 | 466.200 | 423.580 | 425.420 | 424.400 | 424.570 | 424.830 | 425.890 |
| 10 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 13.952 | 21.291 | 33.224 | 74.380 | 105.966 | 126.030 | 171.176 | 188.141 | 193.702 | 197.471 | 257.003 | 501.711 | 321.156 | 341.277 | 263.958 | 244.518 | 263.254 | 251.935 | 249.123 | 248.852 | 247.121 |
| 11 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 15.577 | 29.952 | 56.039 | 101.890 | 163.840 | 255.493 | 317.109 | 321.254 | 360.800 | 361.577 | 364.088 | 384.798 | 371.835 | 388.721 | 394.572 | 412.960 | 433.631 | 432.997 | 422.972 | 407.304 | 404.422 |
| 12 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 14.720 | 28.855 | 54.511 | 100.101 | 169.560 | 254.862 | 333.371 | 354.248 | 412.575 | 459.901 | 489.988 | 505.337 | 516.539 | 518.455 | 518.455 | 518.882 | 518.579 | 520.385 | 520.950 | 519.439 | 518.637 |
| 13 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 12.323 | 21.852 | 1.777 | 18.662 | 17.266 | 19.980 | 242.128 | 338.979 | 370.958 | 418.951 | 436.906 | 442.437 | 445.255 | 443.841 | 445.018 | 443.060 | 440.346 | 439.347 | 439.366 | 439.653 | 439.102 |
| 14 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 13.952 | 27.188 | 50.693 | 93.499 | 161.276 | 243.943 | 286.563 | 309.841 | 372.232 | 439.614 | 474.058 | 499.414 | 516.222 | 519.971 | 521.233 | 523.544 | 522.502 | 522.309 | 522.502 | 523.249 | 525.057 |
| SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
| wdt_ID | SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1 TB | 6.194 | 13.212 | 24.778 | 93.499 | 143.382 | 223.665 | 283.402 | 343.344 | 404.103 | 438.584 | 467.424 | 479.349 | 482.580 | 478.281 | 481.498 | 482.031 | 479.349 | 480.835 | 481.498 | 481.532 | 481.498 |
| 6 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 17.920 | 32.859 | 65.024 | 115.423 | 183.402 | 277.142 | 330.095 | 391.259 | 445.390 | 478.801 | 476.625 | 488.846 | 491.136 | 488.846 | 486.578 | 487.709 | 486.437 | 486.672 | 488.704 | 490.252 | 489.385 |
| 7 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 21.833 | 41.984 | 78.140 | 136.192 | 210.417 | 303.104 | 385.505 | 442.368 | 477.203 | 499.321 | 514.007 | 517.815 | 521.679 | 516.539 | 517.495 | 516.752 | 514.165 | 516.327 | 515.112 | 516.940 | 516.687 |
| 8 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 21.248 | 40.960 | 75.399 | 122.880 | 213.439 | 291.992 | 377.474 | 437.988 | 468.114 | 493.447 | 507.784 | 512.751 | 515.270 | 513.378 | 511.188 | 511.292 | 512.281 | 511.292 | 511.812 | 511.783 | 511.991 |
| 9 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 31.490 | 61.280 | 124.510 | 250.980 | 392.580 | 489.740 | 515.630 | 528.610 | 535.710 | 536.990 | 479.620 | 497.510 | 537.630 | 536.910 | 537.270 | 535.480 | 534.580 | 533.690 | 527.360 | 534.730 | 534.810 |
| 10 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 10.518 | 20.327 | 40.448 | 99.852 | 172.356 | 234.635 | 352.256 | 409.600 | 473.754 | 480.998 | 504.123 | 472.331 | 460.912 | 464.485 | 480.172 | 486.578 | 485.873 | 487.143 | 488.206 | 489.763 | 492.542 |
| 11 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 10.086 | 17.698 | 38.114 | 70.970 | 117.899 | 187.478 | 220.632 | 291.992 | 326.862 | 359.101 | 434.192 | 469.161 | 486.578 | 498.135 | 505.033 | 506.966 | 508.863 | 509.842 | 509.326 | 510.415 | 386.846 |
| 12 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 15.360 | 29.952 | 56.690 | 102.654 | 171.602 | 253.318 | 330.908 | 349.102 | 401.871 | 455.336 | 493.447 | 502.914 | 505.337 | 501.711 | 502.612 | 500.712 | 506.100 | 508.708 | 506.941 | 509.734 | 510.697 |
| 13 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 11.080 | 20.378 | 41.671 | 66.064 | 114.401 | 200.704 | 281.788 | 312.076 | 373.601 | 443.238 | 484.330 | 483.214 | 471.270 | 502.311 | 493.447 | 508.195 | 502.311 | 508.297 | 509.403 | 509.432 | 510.166 |
| 14 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 14.208 | 27.068 | 51.200 | 96.804 | 166.154 | 228.286 | 276.627 | 321.126 | 367.393 | 432.507 | 481.498 | 494.811 | 498.256 | 501.748 | 504.104 | 504.462 | 505.290 | 504.462 | 506.481 | 506.937 | 506.481 |
| SSD | 512 B | 1 KB | 2 KB | 4 KB | 8 KB | 16 KB | 32 KB | 64 KB | 128 KB | 256 KB | 512 KB | 1 MB | 2 MB | 4 MB | 8 MB | 12 MB | 16 MB | 24 MB | 32 MB | 48 MB | 64 MB |
| wdt_ID | SSD | Minimum (in MB/s) | Maximum (in MB/s) | Average (in MB/s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 298,10 | 408,00 | 351,10 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 323,60 | 443,30 | 428,40 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 438,00 | 460,30 | 456,40 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 451,30 | 459,30 | 456,90 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 415,70 | 438,20 | 434,60 |
| 7 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 447,30 | 455,90 | 454,70 |
| 8 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 306,20 | 349,40 | 324,30 |
| 9 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 353,60 | 413,90 | 373,50 |
| 10 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 337,30 | 398,10 | 365,10 |
| 11 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 313,80 | 370,10 | 337,10 |
| SSD | Minimum (in MB/s) | Maximum (in MB/s) | Average (in MB/s) |
| wdt_ID | SSD | AS SSD (schreiben) | HD Tune Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toshiba Q300 Pro 1TB | 0,040 | 0,070 |
| 2 | Crucial BX300 480 GB | 0,050 | 0,028 |
| 3 | Samsung SSD 860 PRO 1 TB | 0,025 | 0,028 |
| 4 | Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB | 0,024 | 0,027 |
| 5 | SanDisk Ultra 3D 500 GB | 0,089 | 0,035 |
| 7 | Toshiba TR200 960 GB | 2,057 | 0,024 |
| 8 | Verbatim Vi560 S3 512 GB | 2,501 | 0,039 |
| 9 | Samsung SSD 870 QVO 1 TB | 0,345 | 0,030 |
| 10 | LC-Power Phoenix 480 GB | 2,725 | 0,031 |
| 11 | Samsung SSD 870 EVO 2 TB | 0,037 | 0,031 |
| SSD | AS SSD (schreiben) | HD Tune Pro |
Conclusion
An improvement of Samsung’s 850 series by the 860 series was hardly possible due to the strong limitation by the SATA protocol. Yet Samsung has made exactly that possible. A bit more performance is pressed through the line. In addition, we are promised a longer shelf life, which according to Hot long-term test is significantly higher in reality. It should be borne in mind that 4,800 TB TBW already correspond to over 100 days of writing performance at full speed. In a usage scenario that assumes 30 gigabytes of writing power on a typical office day, this corresponds to 160,000 days or over 400 years. Another exciting aspect is the low energy consumption, which is of particular interest for mobile applications.
All in all, Samsung has again surpassed itself with the SSD 860 series and offers the absolute top product. So I can only recommend the SSDs. If you want to save a little money, you can also take the SSD 850 series with a clear conscience. Until the stocks of the old series are raised, it will certainly be possible to purchase them at a lower price.
Samsung SSD 860 Serie
Access Time
Transfer Rate (read)
Transfer Rate (write)
Value for Money
Perfect!
Samsung again surpasses itself with the SSD 860 series and offers the absolute top product.
