Samsung 840 - 250GB SSD Review

Review: Samsung 840 250GB SSD
Reviewed by: Wendy
Robertson

Provided by: Samsung
Model: MZ-7TD250
Firmware version: DXT07B0Q

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It was just a few weeks ago, that I took a look at Samsung's
flagship consumer grade SSD, the 840 Pro. In this article I'm taking a look at the
first SSD in the world to use TLC NAND, the standard 840 series SSD. TLC NAND
is able to store 3 bits of data per cell. This differs from MLC NAND in that
MLC NAND can only store 2 bits of data per cell. The obvious attraction for
using TLC NAND is down to cost.

The question must be, how does TLC NAND compare to MLC with
regard to performance, and durability? Samsung are very confident in the durability
of their own TLC NAND, and also confident that performance will still be top
drawer.

Whilst I can easily show you how this SSD delivers performance
wise in this review, durability is another matter. The testing period for a
review sample is only a couple of weeks, and clearly this is not enough time to
make any meaningful predictions about TLC NAND durability. Fear not though,
after this article is published, I will start a long-term testing phase on the
Samsung 840 series SSD, and will publish quarterly reports on how well its TLC
NAND is coping with a normal consumer PC workload.

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The review sample that Samsung sent was the 250GB version,
so let's find out how the Samsung 840 performs in our range of tests.

Samsung company information

Samsung should need no introduction, but those of you who
would like to find out more about Samsung, can do so at their website.


The Samsung 840 - 250GB SSD

Now it’s time to take a look at the drive itself and what it
came shipped with.

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Packaging

The SSD I received was a retail unit, so let's first start
with the packaging.


Box front


Box rear

Inside the box


The complete package

The Samsung 840 package contained the Samsung 840 250GB SSD
itself, quick installation booklet, warranty information, and software support
DVD-ROM.


Drive top

The top of the drive is made of plastic with metal shielding.


Drive bottom

On the underside of the SSD, I found a label which displays
the SSD model number, storage capacity, and indicates that the SSD was
manufactured in Korea.

The case itself is 7mm thick and designed to be housed in a
standard 2.5 inch drive bay, or a 3.5 inch drive bay using a 3.5 inch to 2.5
inch converter bracket.

Now let's head to the next page, where we look in more
detail at the Samsung 840 SSD.....

 

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