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.
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