Like their predecessors, the new 850 SSD Pro and EVO drives remain in the same 7mm, 2.5-in. aluminum case. The storage capacities include 120GB, 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. Designed for power users and client PCs that may need higher performance, the 850 Pro with up to 550MBps sequential read and 520MBps sequential write rates and up to 100,000 random I/Os per second (IOPS). However, the 850 EVO SSD has slightly lower performance with 540MBps and 520MBps sequential read/write rates and up to 90,000 random IOPS. Both the SSD models come native with full AES 256-bit full disk encryption capability, like the previous SSDs. The SSDs are made up of 128 individual 32-layer 16GB 3D V-NAND flash chips, along with an upgraded high-performance MHX controller, and four 20 nanometer (nm) size process 4Gb LPDDR3 DRAM chips. While Samsung was the first to begin mass producing its own version of 3D NAND in 2013, Intel, Micron and other flash makers too have rolled out their own versions. According to Samsung, the 3D NAND technology offers two to 10 times higher reliability and twice the write performance over planar (2D) flash memory, along with far greater density. The biggest difference on paper is the specified durability and the length of the warranty. Samsung guarantees the 2TB 850 Pro for 10 years or 300 terabytes written (TBW), and the 2TB 850 EVO for five years or 150 TBW. Samsung 850 Pro was reviewed by Computerworld last year and it was found to be quick and cheap. With the introduction of V-NAND flash memory, Un-Soo Kim, Samsung has witnessed a sudden large increase in demand for 500GB and higher capacity SSDs, said Un-Soo Kim, Samsung’s senior vice president of branded product marketing, “The release of the 2TB SSD is a strong driver into the era of multi-terabyte SSD solutions,” Kim said. While the 2TB model of the 850 Pro will sell for $999.99, the 850 EVO will retail for $799.99. The 120GB will sell for $69 (Rs.4300), the 250GB for $99 (Rs.6300), the 500GB for $179 (Rs.11300) and the 1TB EVO SSD for $399 (Rs.25300) . On the other hand, the 128GB 850 Pro will retail for $99 (Rs.6300), the 256GB for $144.99 (Rs.9200), the 512GB for $259 (Rs.16400)and the 1TB for $499 (Rs.31600).
