Samsung has rolled out the latest solid state drive lineup for PC. 870 the QVO SATA SSD packs a capacity option of between 1 TB and 8 TB of meat, making it one of the most widespread consumer-level SSDS out there.
The new device is Samsung’s second-generation quad-level cell (QLC) flash drive, following the 860 QVO released in 2018. Four models will be available with capacity options including 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB, and 8 TB. The top end of that list is currently as high as a consumer-level SSD get-drive with dozens of terabytes currently available for business and data centers, but they carry a premium price tag.
The four models of the QVO 870 drive have sequential read speeds of up to 560 MB/s, and write speeds of up to 530 MB/s. To keep write speeds as high and consistent as possible, Samsung says SSDS use a technology called Intelligent TurboWrite, which can adjust the buffer size based on how much disk space can still be used. It can reach 42 GB for 1 TB model, and 78 GB for three others.
The company also said that QVO 870 has a 13 percent increase for random read speeds, compared to previous models. The new one is all packaged in the same 2.5-in box as the last time.
As mentioned, the drive is created using QLC technology, which allows storage space to be larger than the previous SSD by stuffing four bits of data per cell (hence, quad-level cells). The potential problem with this is that the cells gain damage as they are written, giving them a limited lifespan.
Samsung overcome it by giving each SSD a durable power rating. This is expressed in the total bytes written to the drive during its lifetime-so an 8 TB model, for example, seems to have up to 2,880 TB written before the drive is worn. A little math back-of-the-envelope tells us for each model, you have to write and wipe the entire drive 360 times before reaching that point. So you may be safe – at least until the three-year warranty runs out.
The Samsung 870 QVO lineup is available now. Except for the 8 TB model to be released later. Prices start from US $129.99 for 1 TB model, $249.99 for 2 TB, and $499.99 for 4 TB. Until now, 8 TB has not been priced.
