Samsung 860 EVO

drastically in performance according to their capacities, because the less capacious models have fewer chips and pipelines for shotgunning data. Samsung rates all its capacities the same for the same performance. We didn’t have other capacities to test, but based on previous testing and experience, we find this claim likely to be just.

As sustained write speed is no longer a concern with the latest TLC SSDS, the only reason to go with an pricier MLC drive such as the 860 Pro is if you’re concerned about longevity or write far more data daily than the average user. Note that the average SSD is rated for at least 10 years averaging 10GB of writes a day. And privately, vendors are The 860 EVO is the fastest TLC SSD we’ve tested, albeit by a gnat’s eyebrow. But a win is a win, and given the same price, we recommend it over the WD Blue 3D and Sandisk Ultra 3D. That said, you’ll be more than happy with any of the three, so if you find the latter two significantly cheaper, go for it. Subjectively, you’ll never be able to tell the difference.

Caveat emptor: There are still lots of older TLC SSDS out there with slow to pitifully slow sustained writes. Shop carefully, and of course, read our other SSD reviews ( go.pcworld.com/18sd).

PROS CONS

$299 convinced they’ll deliver more. That’s not a promise, just reassurance for the faint of heart.

BOTTOM LINE

• Excellent performance on a par with MLC drives • Very affordable

• Very fast with small queued writes • Less long-lived than the MLC (2-bit) SSDS

BOTTOM LINE

The Samsung 860 EVO delivers performance every bit as good as its MLC rivals. It’s a worthy competitor for the WD Blue 3D and Sandisk 3D, two other TLC drives that are undoing TLC’S weak reputation.