Conclusion, Pricing, and Final Thoughts

Conclusion:

PROS:

  • Superb (read) IOPS performance.
  • Reduced cost/GB (as compared to 840 Pro).
  • Low power consumption.

CONS:

  • Relatively poor mixed read+write performance.
  • 3-year warranty might be a negative for some.

Pricing and Availability:

Samsung 830 Series:

  • 64G   @ $75   ($1.17 / GB)
  • 128G @ $120 ($0.94 / GB)
  • 256G @ $200 ($0.78 / GB)
  • 512G @ $540 ($1.05 / GB)

OCZ Vertex 4:

  • 64G   @ $65   ($1.01 / GB)
  • 128G @ $100 ($0.78 / GB)
  • 256G @ $200 ($0.78 / GB)
  • 512G @ $400 ($0.78 / GB) ("512G.M" model – uses Micron flash)
  • 512G @ $450 ($0.88 / GB)

* Note that various rebates impact the above prices. I have listed the current Newegg prices, without rebates.

Here are the 840 prices straight from the Summit:

These are intro MSRP numbers, not street prices. I'd hope/expect to see the 840 see a street price consistently within the $0.80/GB range in short order once suppliers can obtain a steady supply.

Warranty:

The 840 will ship with a 3-Year warranty.

* Firmware *:

Samsung has a great track record on firmware. Their QC team is to be commended, as we've only seen the rarest of patches released for corner case compatibility issues. While Samsung firmwares tend to yield max performance without the need for revisions, the 840 is one example where I hope the youth of TLC enables them to squeak some better mixed mode performance out of a future firmware revision.

Final Thoughts:

The biggest consideration you have to make when judging the 840 is that it's a budget version of a Pro-level SSD. Triple Level Cell flash is slower to write and provides less endurance as compared to MLC units, and while the 840 does perform quite well as a first generation TLC SSD, there are several areas where it has no choice but to be outmaneuvered by the MLC-equipped competition. If you think back a few years, you'd realize it took MLC technology a while to catch up with the speeds of SLC. This is simply a necessary repetition of the past, in the interest of creating cheaper SSDs for the future.

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