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Samsung 850 EVO 1TB 2.5-Inch SATA SSD: features, specs and who it suits
A 1TB 2.5-inch SATA III solid state drive with V-NAND, rated at up to 540MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes. What the specs mean and what to check first.
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The Samsung 850 EVO 1TB (model MZ-75E1T0B/AM) is a 2.5-inch SATA III solid state drive. It swaps in for a hard drive in a desktop or laptop and, per Samsung, is meant to improve boot-up, application loading and multitasking. It uses the same connector as a traditional hard drive, so it suits older machines that have no M.2 slot.
What SATA III means
SATA III (6Gb/s) is the interface that most 2.5-inch drives use. Samsung says the drive is also compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and 1.5Gb/s ports, so it can run in older computers, though at the speed of the slower port. The SATA interface itself limits speeds to roughly 550MB/s, which is below what modern NVMe drives achieve.
Speed figures
Samsung rates sequential reads at up to 540MB/s and sequential writes at up to 520MB/s. Random performance is listed at up to 98K IOPS for reads and 90K IOPS for writes. These are best-case figures from the brand. Real-world results depend on the rest of the system. The usual gain over a hard drive is in responsiveness, because an SSD has no moving parts to wait for.
V-NAND technology
The drive is built on Samsung's V-NAND, in which memory cells are stacked vertically in layers instead of laid out flat. Samsung says this supports endurance, reliability and energy efficiency. Lower power draw can matter in laptops.
Software and compatibility
Samsung offers free downloads of two programs: Data Migration, which helps copy your existing drive to the new one, and Magician, for managing the SSD. The listing names Windows 10, 8, 7 and Vista SP1 and later (32/64 bit), Windows Server 2008 and Linux as compatible. The drive comes with a 5-year limited warranty, according to Samsung.
Size and what's in the box
It is a standard 7mm-thick 2.5-inch drive, about 3.9 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches (100 x 70 x 7 mm), weighing roughly 0.1 lb. The box contains the drive and a user manual. Samsung states that cables, screws and brackets are not included, so you need to provide them.
Who it suits
It suits people upgrading an older laptop or desktop from a hard drive, anyone wanting a second internal drive on a SATA port, and builders with 2.5-inch bays. If your computer has an M.2 NVMe slot and you want maximum speed, a different type of drive would match it better.
What to check before you buy
- Connection: confirm a free SATA port and a SATA power connector (desktop), or a 2.5-inch bay (laptop).
- Thickness: 7mm drives fit most laptops, but check your model's bay.
- Cables and mounting: the drive ships without cables, screws or brackets. A 3.5-inch bay needs an adapter.
- Cloning: plan how to move your existing system across and back it up first.
- Operating system: compare your version with the compatibility list.
- Capacity: usable space is a little below 1TB because of how capacity is counted.
The short version
- Samsung 850 EVO 1TB, 2.5-inch, 7mm SATA III SSD.
- Up to 540MB/s reads and 520MB/s writes; up to 98K/90K random IOPS.
- V-NAND technology and a 5-year limited warranty.
- Data Migration and Magician software available to download.
- Cables, screws and brackets not included.
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