Samsung 1TB SSD SATA III

The Samsung 870 EVO is a 1TB SATA III internal SSD that maxes out the SATA interface at 560 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write. It's the go-to upgrade for older laptops and desktops with 2.5-inch drive bays, backed by a 5-year warranty and 600 TBW endurance. Just don't expect NVMe speeds, and shop around since prices swing from USD 120 to USD 740.

Sequential speeds top out at 560 MB/s read and 530 MB/s write, which is about as fast as the SATA III interface allows. In our database, that puts it in the 38th percentile for speed, which sounds rough until you remember it's competing against NVMe drives that hit 7,000 MB/s. For a SATA drive, these numbers are effectively maxed out. Random write performance lands at 88K IOPS, which is fine for everyday tasks but sits in the 8th percentile overall. That's a weak spot if you're hammering it with heavy sustained writes.

In practice, boot times will drop to under 15 seconds on most systems, apps snap open, and file transfers feel snappy. The DRAM cache helps keep things consistent during larger writes, and Samsung's variable buffer means performance doesn't crater immediately when the cache fills. It's not going to win any benchmark races against NVMe drives, but for a SATA SSD, this is about as good as it gets.

Stacked against the Crucial T710, Western Digital WD_BLACK SN7100, Kingston FURY Renegade G5, and Micron T710, the 870 EVO is playing a different game entirely. Those are all NVMe drives that hit multiple gigabytes per second, while the Samsung is capped at 560 MB/s. If your system has an M.2 slot, any of those competitors will deliver dramatically faster load times and file transfers. The 870 EVO only makes sense when SATA is your only option.

Where the Samsung wins is endurance and track record. The 600 TBW rating and 5-year warranty beat many budget NVMe drives, and the 870 EVO has been in the wild long enough to prove itself. The WD_BLACK SN7100 might be faster, but it's also newer and pricier per gigabyte in many markets. For an older laptop that can't take an M.2 drive, the 870 EVO is the clear choice over any NVMe competitor, simply because those competitors won't physically fit.

Value here depends entirely on where you buy it. US listings range from USD 120 to USD 740, which is a spread that makes no sense for a SATA drive. Best Buy tends to have the most reasonable everyday pricing, and Newegg often runs deals that bring it down to that USD 120 range. In Canada, you're looking at CAD 440 to CAD 634, with Memory Express typically offering the better end of that spread. At the low end, this is a solid buy for an older system upgrade. At the high end, you're getting fleeced. For context, you can often find 1TB NVMe drives for less than the mid-range of this SATA drive's price spread, and those will run circles around it if your system supports them.

The Samsung 870 EVO is a 1TB 2.5-inch SATA III internal SSD, and it's basically the default answer when someone asks what drive to breathe new life into an older laptop or desktop. It sits in that comfortable mid-range price bracket for SATA drives, though prices swing wildly depending on where you shop. We're talking anywhere from USD 120 to USD 740 across US listings, which is frankly absurd for a SATA drive in 2025. The sweet spot is finding it closer to that USD 120 mark.

This drive is all about compatibility and reliability. If your machine has a standard 2.5-inch SATA bay, this thing just drops in and works. No M.2 slot required, no adapter cables, no drama. Samsung pairs TLC NAND with a DRAM cache and their in-house MKX controller, which is a recipe that has proven itself over millions of units. It's not the fastest SSD on paper, but for the vast majority of people upgrading from a spinning hard drive, it's a night and day difference.

Is the Samsung 870 EVO good for gaming? For older titles and general game storage, absolutely. Load times will be dramatically better than an HDD. But if you're building a new system with a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 M.2 slot, this isn't the drive to chase. It's a SATA drive, and it's bound by SATA's ceiling. That's not a flaw, it's just physics.

Skip the 870 EVO if your system has an M.2 slot, because you're leaving massive performance on the table for no good reason. NVMe drives like the Crucial T710 or WD_BLACK SN7100 will run circles around it for similar or less money. Also skip it if you need portable storage, since a 2.5-inch internal drive isn't exactly pocket-friendly and its portable use score in our database is a dismal 16.7 out of 100. If you're building a new PC in 2025, this drive shouldn't even be on your radar unless you're specifically adding bulk SATA storage to an older case.

Should you buy the Samsung 870 EVO? If you have an older laptop or desktop with a 2.5-inch SATA bay and you're still running a hard drive, yes. This is the easiest, most reliable upgrade you can make. The performance jump from HDD to this SSD is massive, and the 5-year warranty means you won't have to think about it again for a long time.

But if you're building a new system or your motherboard has an M.2 slot, skip it. NVMe drives are faster, often cheaper per gigabyte, and take up less space. The 870 EVO is a fantastic SATA drive, but SATA itself is the bottleneck. Buy it for what it is: the best plug-and-play upgrade for aging hardware, not a performance drive for a new build.