3D VNAND Flash SSD

3D VNAND Flash SSD

This is the world’s first storage drive based on 3D VNAND flash which is offered by Samsung. The architecture of this SSD results in more storage, better performance, smaller footprint, and a breakthrough in conventional planar NAND. But what does it all mean? Here is real test data for the Samsung (512GB version) against other SSD’s:

  Samsung 850 Pro Seagate 600 OCZ Vertex 450
Tested capacity 512GB 480GB 256GB
Price $429 ($229 for 256GB) $410 ($209 for 240GB) $260 ($499 for 512GB)
Boot-up time 12 sec. 12 sec. 13 sec.
Max. read time (4K blocks) 524MB/sec. 514MB/sec. 469MB/sec.
Max. write time 493MB/sec. 443MB/sec. 355MB/sec.
2GB file transfer 8 sec. 8 sec. 10 sec.
Shutdown time 4 sec. 25 sec. 25 sec.
Restart time 36 sec. 35 sec. 37 sec.

Probably the most significant difference is the 4 sec shutdown time. We all know when we’re shutting down a laptop we want it to be quick so we can get up and go. Well, this does that for you. However, at these prices you better be putting that SSD to good use.

As SSD continues to advance, HDD seems more and more like old technology. However, they are still continuing to build upon the HDD technology and it is still more widely used than SSD’s. With that truth in mind, I’m not spending that kind of money for a fancy SSD when my HDD will work good enough at the lower price point. If your HDD is getting too old though, you can always send it to a recycler to pass to someone else. Just make sure they, or you, erase the disk fully be performing a complete overwrite!

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