TRIM Performance:
While SSDs offer many benefits, there are some downsides to using flash memory. One of the biggest issues people run into is performance degradation. Over time, an SSD will run out of fresh blocks and will have to write over data the file system has marked as deleted. This procedure is very complicated and can slow an SSD's write speeds considerably.
To fix this problem, most manufacturers have added TRIM support to their SSDs. The TRIM command allows an operating system, such as Windows 7, to tell an SSD which data blocks are no longer in use. Using this information, the drive pro-actively erases these blocks and adds them to the free block pool.
To test the 870 EVO's TRIM function, I first put the drive in a "dirty" state. I used Iometer to fill the entire drive and then ran a random write test for 30 minutes. This had little impact on the 870 EVO's read speed. However, its average writing speed dropped to a mere 65.4 MB/s.
Samsung 870 EVO - Dirty
To see how well the 870 EVO could recover, I let the computer sit for about 30 minutes and then reran the test. The drive wasn't able to reach the factory fresh performance shown in our earlier tests. However, its average write speed jumped up to 424.9 MB/s.
Samsung 870 EVO - After Trim
Lastly, I used Parted Magic to perform a secure erase on the 870 EVO. With the drive wiped clean, it had average read and write speeds of 467.7 MB/s and 432.5 MB/s, respectively.
Samsung 870 EVO - Secure Erase
Final Thoughts:
Samsung's EVO series SSDs are known for delivering performance, reliability and storage capacity at a reasonable price and the 870 EVO is no exception. Designed and built entirely in-house, this new 2.5-inch SATA SSD is powered by the same MKX "Metis" controller found in the 870 QVO and is available with up to 4TB of Samsung's latest 3-bit MLC V-NAND flash. Combine this with a large DRAM cache and the company's Intelligent TurboWrite technology and you have one of the better performing SATA SSDs on the market today. In our tests, the 1TB version of the 870 EVO was able to read at speeds as high as 564 MB/s and write at speeds in excess of 530 MB/s. The drive also did very well in our random write tests, producing more than 92,000 IOPS at low queue depths.
Of course, speed and capacity aren't the only things the 870 EVO has to offer. Along with support for Samsung's Intelligent TurboWrite technology, the drive features AES 256-bit full disk encryption and is compliant with both the TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE 1667 specifications. The 870 EVO also works with Samsung's Magician software and is covered by a 5 year warranty with an endurance rating of up to 2,400 terabytes written (TBW) for the 4TB model.
The 870 EVO comes in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities and will be available worldwide starting this month. Prices range from $40 up to $480 with the 1TB model reviewed here retailing for about $130.
Highs:
- Available in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB and 4TB capacities
- Equipped with 3-bit MLC V-NAND technology
- Good sequential and random read and write speeds
- Features Intelligent TurboWrite technology
- Large DRAM cache
- Supports TRIM and garbage collection
- AES 256-bit full disk encryption
- TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE 1667 compliant
- Includes SSD Magician software and Data Migration Tool
- Great endurance
- Reasonably priced
- 5 year warranty
Lows:
- Not as fast as NVMe SSDs
