Comparison of the Samsung EVO 870 and Samsung EVO 860 SSDs

Samsung has introduced the EVO 870, the successor to the popular 2.5-inch SATA SSD EVO 860. We compare the two models of the best-selling SSD from the Korean SSD giant. This much in advance: an already excellent SSD has become even better.

What is a 2.5 inch SATA SSD?

SSD stands for solid-state drive and serves as a storage device for data and programmes in a computer. In contrast to classic hard disk drives (HDD), SSDs have no mechanics and are significantly faster. SSDs are available in different form factors and for different ports. The two most common form factors for SSDs are 2.5 inch and M.2. SATA and NVMe are the dominant connection types. NVMe allows even higher transfer speeds than the current SATA III standard. Roughly speaking, the majority of NVMe SSDs are available in the M.2 form factor and almost all 2.5-inch SSDs are connected via SATA III

EVO 870 and EVO 860 – differences and improvements

The first difference between the Samsung EVO 870 and the Samsung EVO 860 is a new and improved controller, the MKX controller. The controller is the “brain” of the SSD and manages the read and write accesses. This makes the SSD controller a little-noticed but highly important component of an SSD. There are great differences in quality between different SSD brands and models. The MKX controller of the EVO 870 is among the leading controllers for SATA SSDs in terms of performance and quality.

As with the Samsung EVO 860, TLC NAND is used as storage technology. This means that there are 3 bits on each memory cell. However, the 3D NAND of the EVO 870 already belongs to the sixth generation and, according to Samsung, should offer at least 10% more performance than the EVO 860. Simultaneously, the energy efficiency increases so that the power consumption is reduced by 15% compared to the EVO 860. If you want to know more about the different SSD storage technology types, we recommend the blog post Differences in SSDs.

Upgrade for the PrimeMini 5

The Samsung EVO 870 can impress in all respects and offers several improvements over its already excellent predecessor, the Samsung EVO 860. This is why Prime Computer has switched generations of 2.5-inch SSDs for the PrimeMinis to the Samsung EVO 870. All PrimeMinis can be configured with a 2.5 inch SSD in addition to the M.2 SSD.

Samsung has not yet presented a successor for the EVO 860 in the M.2 SSD form factor. Likely, the EVO 870 will never be released as an M.2 SSD. Prime Computer customers have the option of ordering the PrimeMini with an M.2 Samsung PRO 970 2-bit NVMe SSD, which is significantly faster than a SATA EVO 870 SSD.

Conclusion: If you have a Samsung EVO 860 installed in your computer, it is not worth replacing it with the EVO 870 in most cases. But we recommend that all new buyers take the EVO 870 right away, even if the price is a little higher at the beginning compared to the EVO 860.