Samsung Launches New 2TB SSD 850 EVO And 850 PRO Models

Samsung Launches New 2TB SSD 850 EVO And 850 PRO Models

URL: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9420/samsung-launches-new-2tb-ssd-850-evo-and-850-pro-models

Due to what Samsung is citing as a surge in demand for larger capacity SSDs, they have now launched two new models offering up to two terabytes of storage each. In order to drive the extra capacity, they have also launched a new SSD controller in the MHX controller. Our resident SSD expert Kristian expects the MHX to be similar in design to the MEX controller, but with additional DRAM to track the extra blocks.

The 2TB 850 EVO leverages the same 32-layer 128 Gbit TLC V-NAND that we have already seen in the smaller capacity 850 EVO products, but the 850 PRO will use a new 128 Gbit 2-bit MLC die, but still at 32-layers. It should be a nice addition to the 850 PRO series, especially with the rise of 4K video and the extra storage it requires.

Samsung 2TB SSD Specifications
Model	850 PRO	850 EVO
Controller	Samsung MHX
NAND	Samsung 128Gbit 40nm MLC V-NAND 32-layers	Samsung 128Gbit 40nm TLC V-NAND 32-layers
DRAM (LPDDR3)	2GB
Sequential Read	550MB/s	540MB/s
Sequential Write	520MB/s	520MB/s
4KB Random Read	100K IOPS	98K IOPS
4KB Random Write	90K IOPS	90K IOPS
Power	5mW (DevSLP) / 3.3W (read) / 3.4W (write)	5mW (DevSLP) / 3.7W (read) / 4.7W (write)
Encryption	AES-256, TCG Opal 2.0 & IEEE-1667 (eDrive supported)
Endurance	300TB	150TB
Warranty	10 years	5 years
Price	$1000	$800

Samsung will still package these drives in the same 7mm 2.5” SSD enclosure which means they will be SATA based for now, but Samsung has said they will be moving their 3D NAND to mSATA and M.2 form factors as well. Endurance ratings for the drives are 10 years or 300 TBW (Terabytes Written) for the PRO, and 5 years or 150 TBW for the EVO model.

The 850 Pro retails for $1000, and the 850 EVO retails for $800. Although not inexpensive by any means, and still much more than the $75 of a spinning disk, the prices are right around double the 1TB models in the lineup so there is not any extra premium to get the larger models at this time.

Kristian should have a full review of the new models soon.

 

Samsung tech would nearly double your phone's battery life

Samsung tech would nearly double your phone's battery life

URL: http://www.engadget.com/2015/06/27/samsung-graphene-coated-silicon-anode/?ncid=rss_truncated

Don't like that your Galaxy S6 conks out before you're finished for the day? Samsung might offer some relief in the future. Its scientists have developed lithium-ion battery technology that promises much longer-lasting power packs. They use a silicon...

Samsung's SSD 840 Read Performance Degradation Explained

Samsung's SSD 840 Read Performance Degradation Explained

URL: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/3a6g7XaxWZA/samsungs-ssd-840-read-performance-degradation-explained

An anonymous reader writes with a link to TechSpot's explanation of the reason behind the performance degradation noticed by many purchasers of certain models of Samsung SSD (the 840 and 840 EVO), and an evaluation of the firmware updates that the firm has released to address is. From the piece, a mixed but positive opinion of the second and latest of these firmware releases: "It’s not an elegant fix, and it’s also a fix that will degrade the lifetime of the NAND since the total numbers of writes it’s meant to withstand is limited. But as we have witnessed in Tech Report’s extensive durability test there is a ton of headroom in how NAND is rated, so in my opinion this is not a problem. Heck, the Samsung 840 even outlasted two MLC drives. As of writing, the new firmware has only been released for the 2.5” model of the SSD 840 EVO, so users of the 840 EVO mSATA model still have to be patient. It should also be noted that the new firmware does not seem to work well with the TRIM implementation in Linux, as this user shared how file system corruption occurs if discard is enabled."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

What is 802.11ac WiFi, and how much faster than 802.11n is it?

What is 802.11ac WiFi, and how much faster than 802.11n is it?

URL: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/160837-what-is-802-11ac-and-how-much-faster-than-802-11n-is-it


802.11ac is a supercharged version of 802.11n -- but what does that mean? Here are the details on what 802.11ac is, and how it will eventually replace wired gigabit Ethernet networking.

Sub-$20 802.11n USB WiFi Adapter That's Linux Friendly

Sub-$20 802.11n USB WiFi Adapter That's Linux Friendly

URL: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Phoronix/~3/DCLcoy8748M/vr.php

As a quick Friday note, if you're looking for a 802.11n/g USB WiFi adapter that's very affordable and will work great with Linux, here's one of my recent purchases. After being pleased with one of them, I've since ordered a few more of these Wireless-N adapters for Linux usage.

4K vs. UHD: What’s the difference?

4K vs. UHD: What's the difference?

URL: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/174221-no-tv-makers-4k-and-uhd-are-not-the-same-thing


The terms UHD and 4K have become so conflated that TV makers, broadcasters, and tech blogs are using them interchangeably -- but they're not the same thing.

Samsung Releases Statement on 840 EVO Performance - Another Fix Is In the Works

Samsung Releases Statement on 840 EVO Performance - Another Fix Is In the Works

URL: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8997/samsung-releases-statement-on-840-evo-performance-another-fix-is-in-the-works

Over the last month there has been some concern over the read performance of Samsung’s 840 EVO drives, and whether after Samsung’s previous performance fix, that these same drivers are starting to regress in performance once again. Since then we have been pressuring Samsung for additional information on the issue and a response, and this afternoon Samsung has finally issued a statement on the matter.

In October, Samsung released a tool to address a slowdown in 840 EVO Sequential Read speeds reported by a small number of users after not using their drive for an extended period of time. This tool effectively and immediately returned the drive’s performance to normal levels. We understand that some users are experiencing the slowdown again. While we continue to look into the issue, Samsung will release an updated version of the Samsung SSD Magician software in March that will include a performance restoration tool.

As a reminder, the original 840 EVO performance degradation issue was a result of a combination of NAND cell charge decay and NAND management algorithm issues. While NAND cell charge decay is a normal part of NAND operation, it was something Samsung’s more complex TLC NAND was more sensitive to. Meanwhile Samsung’s algorithms, when faced with this decay, erroneously went into an aggressive read-retry state, which is ultimately what lead to the drop in read performance. Samsung’s fix in turn addressed their NAND management algorithm, and at least at the time was thought to be a permanent fix for the issue.

These more recent performance issues and now Samsung’s statement make it clear that the issue is unfortunately not as fixed as Samsung initially thought it would be. At this point Samsung isn’t saying what the root cause of this latest issue is, but it’s likely that this is a continuation of the original issue. In any case the upshot is that Samsung believes the issue can be corrected, however given the last fix it’s not clear whether this next fix will be any more a permanent fix than the last one.