Samsung 870 EVO 500GB

The Samsung 870 EVO uses a vertically integrated architecture pairing Samsung’s MKX controller with 128-layer 3-bit MLC (TLC) V-NAND. It retains a dedicated 512MB LPDDR4 DRAM cache rather than relying on Host Memory Buffer. Performance is managed by Intelligent TurboWrite, a dynamic pseudo-SLC caching scheme that absorbs write bursts before offloading data to native TLC blocks. Early 2021 production batches were reported to have elevated uncorrectable errors and bad blocks in enthusiast communities; verify the drive is running firmware revision SVT02B6Q or newer. The chassis is a metal enclosure that acts as a passive heat spreader.

Key Specifications

• Interface: SATA III (6Gbps)
• Sequential Speeds: 560 MB/s Read / 530 MB/s Write
• Controller: Samsung MKX (Metis)
• NAND: Samsung 128-Layer V-NAND TLC
• DRAM Cache: 512MB LPDDR4
• Encryption Support: AES 256-bit Encryption (Class 0), TCG/Opal, IEEE1667 (Encrypted Drive)
• Endurance: 300 TBW (Total Bytes Written)

Hardware Alternatives

• Crucial MX500: primary architectural rival, uses a Silicon Motion SM2258 or SM2259 controller paired with Micron TLC NAND and includes dedicated DRAM for comparable sustained write performance
• WD Blue 3D NAND (Original): historically a direct competitor in performance and reliability; newer iterations (specifically the SA510) have shifted hardware configurations, while the legacy WD Blue 3D remains the closest performance match from Western Digital’s lineup
• SK Hynix Gold S31: a vertically integrated competitor (controller, NAND, and DRAM by SK Hynix) that offers similar throughput saturation of the SATA III bus