Tested: Samsung 860 EVO, 2TB and 4TB
Get Samsung SSD at MacSales.com and Samsung EVO at B&H Photo. For those looking for capacious portable and ultralight storage, see the Samsung T5.
Thanks to B&H Photo for loaning the 2TB and 4TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD for testing. Drives tested in the OWC Thunderbolt 2 Drive Dock.
For high performance needs, see the OWC Envoy Pro EX Thunderbolt 3 series.
MPG reviewed the predecessor Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD 18 months prior to this review. Since then, Samsung upped their game. Compared to the EVO 850, the EVO 860:
- EVO 860 is faster, hitting data rates that approach the limits of SATA III (see test results).
- 860 EVO is rated for up to 8X more terabytes written than the 850 EVO—far more durable. For most users, the longevity is way beyond what will ever be needed.
- 860 EVO includes a 4TB EVO 860 option.
As SATA III drives, they cannot be expected to perform like PCIe drives, or Thunderbolt 3 drives, since they are limited to 600 MB/sec by the SATA III bus.
Read more:
Samsung 860 EVO, 2TB and 4TB SSDs
Both drives are very fine performers. MPG expects to test some similar capacity OWC SSDs soon.