Samsung 850 Pro (256GB)

$189 | WWW.SAMSUNG.COM/AU The king of the SATA SSD hill.

This is how we imagine the Samsung design meeting went down when laying out the goals for the 850 Pro. First objective is to crush the competition in performance with strong write speeds. Second is to make all other vendor warranties irrelevant. Third is to deliver the first 3D NAND consumer SSD product to market. Fourth — profit.

With a price premium that sets the unit apart from the pack (except for the Intel 540s 120GB), the 960 Pro fully justifies its premium market position. Featuring a stunning 10-year, 150TBW warranty thanks to the firm’s obvious belief in the longevity of its TLC 3D NAND paired with its MEX controller, users are more likely to forget about the warranty and upgrade should it ever fail near the 10-year mark. For those needing the reassurance in the quality of their purchase, it’s there in spades. If you want the best and the price doesn’t concern you, buy this. If the price does worry you, get the 850 EVO (left).