Samsung announces the QVO 870 SSD with double the capacity of its predecessor

[Karlston]

Samsung announces the QVO 870 SSD with double the capacity of its predecessor

Samsung today announced the QVO 870 consumer SSD, its second-generation SSDs using quad-level cell (QLC) technology. The company debuted QLC SSDs in late 2018 with the QVO 860 SSD, which came in sizes up to 4TB. The new model doubles the maximum capacity, with an "industry-leading" 8TB of storage space.

 

In addition to a significant bump in storage capacity, the new model also promises enhanced performance and reliability. The drive uses a single-level cell (SLC) buffer to help maintain its peak performance for longer, since QLC storage tends to be slower in exchange for the higher capacity in a smaller physical package. The SLC buffer is variable, with up to 42GB on the 1TB model and up to 78GB on the larger models.

 

It promises slightly higher sequential read and write speeds, plus up to 13% better random read speeds. However, despite the promised improvements, the spec sheet doesn't look all that different between the new model and the previous one. Here's a quick comparison between the two:

 

	QVO 860	QVO 870
Interface	SATA 6 Gbps	SATA 6 Gbps
Form factor	2.5-inch	2.5-inch
Storage memory	Samsung V-NAND 4-bit MLC (QLC)	Samsung V-NAND 4-bit MLC (QLC)
Controller	Samsung MJX Controller	Samsung MKX Controller
DRAM	4GB LPDDR4 for 4TB 2GB LPDDR4 for 2TB 1GB LPDDR4 for 1TB	8GB LPDDR4 (8TB) 4GB LPDDR4 (4TB) 2GB LPDDR4 (2TB) 1GB LPDDR4 (1TB)
Capacity	1TB, 2TB, and 4TB	1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB
Sequential Read/Write Speed	Up to 550/520 MB/s	Up to 560/530 MB/s
Random Read/Write Speed	Up to 97K/89K IOPS	Up to 98K/88K IOPS
Total Bytes Written	1,440TB (4TB) 720TB (2TB) 360TB (1TB)	2,880TB (8TB) 1,440TB (4TB) 720TB (2TB) 360TB (1TB)

 

The new QVO 870 SSD is available for pre-order starting today on Samsung's website, with a shipping date of July 17, though the 8TB model doesn't seem to be available yet (Tom's Hardware reports that variant will launch in August). It starts with a 1TB option at $129.99, and the 4TB costs $499.99. Samsung didn't say how much the 8TB model will go for.

 

 

Samsung announces the QVO 870 SSD with double the capacity of its predecessor

 

[Karlston]

Samsung unveils cheapest 8TB SSD, but it uses a controversial technology

Samsung 870 QVO officially sees the light of day, offering an affordable 8TB SSD.

(Image credit: Samsung)

 

There's another good reason to get rid of hard disk drives once and for all after the launch of the Samsung 870 QVO. 

 

This new SSD is the follow up to the 860 QVO, currently one of the cheapest large capacity SSDs (per unit storage) on the market, with four SSDs between 1TB and 8TB all set to go on sale.

 

Retail prices will start at just £110.99 for the 1TB model, with the 8TB version set to go on sale for £899 - only marginally more expensive per terabyte than the absolute cheapest 1TB SSDs around.

Samsung 8TB SSD

To reach this highly competitive price point, Samsung opted for QLC 3D V-NAND technology, which usually means lower endurance (write wear) and performance, especially as the SSD reaches full capacity. 

 

For this reason, QLC-based SSDs also usually have a shorter warranty compared to similar products. For what it’s worth, the Samsung 870 QVO's warranty will likely be around three years.

 

Samsung usually mitigates some of the issues associated with QLC using a feature called Intelligent TurboWrite, which accelerates write speeds and maintains long-term performance with a larger variable buffer.

 

The previous iteration, the 860 QVO, is faster than solid state drives from Micron and Crucial in sequential and random read and write speeds, and also offers a written warranty of 720TB.

 

1TB is the sweet spot as far as solid state drives are concerned and the launch of the 870QVO will coincide with the steep rise in price we've seen for that capacity (they used to be routinely available for around $80).

 

 

Samsung unveils cheapest 8TB SSD, but it uses a controversial technology