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Samsung SSD 870 Evo Review: The End of an Era?

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Samsung SSD 870 Evo Review: The End of an Era?
The SATA SSD space is fairly boring now – all excitement has shifted to the PCIe SSD category, and if you’re an enthusiast or gamer looking for the best speeds, that’s where you should be looking. The SATA protocol is a leftover from the days of spinning hard drives, and it definitely helped make transitioning to SSDs easier for everyone. SATA 3.0 has now gone as far as it can go in terms of performance, and there won’t be any future versions. While it had plenty of headroom in the beginning, SSDs have managed to fully saturate it for quite a while now. That means we’re in commodity territory – new models are iterative upgrades focused more on manufacturing efficiency than delivering new capabilities.

 

With that said, SATA SSDs aren’t going away anytime soon. They’re still relatively affordable and plenty of desktops as well as laptops are designed around them. A SATA SSD is a very quick and simple upgrade for an older PC – even a 120GB drive, which is more than enough to hold your OS and essential data, will cost less than Rs. 1,800 today. On the other hand, if you want lots of storage, you can get higher capacities and don’t have to worry about running out of M.2 slots.

So what is Samsung doing releasing a new SATA SSD model? The new Samsung SSD 870 Evo is an obvious replacement for the SSD 860 Evo, a popular workhorse that performed admirably in our review almost exactly three years ago. Here’s everything you need to know.

SATA SSDs are not as popular as they once were, but there’s still demand

Samsung SSD 870 Evo features and specifications

The big difference with this generation is a shift to 128-layer TLC flash, which, of course, Samsung produces itself. As a side note, the company uses the marketing term “3-bit MLC” which might be a little misleading (it’s technically true – M stands for “multi” but is commonly understood to refer to two bits stored per cell). At least the lower-endurance QLC variety of flash is still confined to Samsung’s QVO SSD lineup. 128 layers is a pretty big jump in density from the SSD 860 Evo’s 64-layer chips. There’s also a new in-house Samsung controller called MKX.

Capacity options range from 250GB to 4TB. It’s important to note that while Samsung boasts of an impressive 530Mbps sequential write speed, that only applies to the 1TB and higher capacities; it gets cut down to 300MBps if you go with the 250GB or 500GB options. Sequential reads are rated at 560MBps which is as good as it gets in the SATA world.

Endurance ratings scale evenly, from 150TBW for the 250GB version to 2400TBW for the 4TB version. The lower two capacities each have a 512MB DRAM cache while the 1TB, 2TB and 4TB versions get 1GB, 2GB and 4GB respectively. The rated power draw also scales between 3.5W and 5W in use and between 30mW and 35mW at idle.

There’s 256-bit hardware AES encryption with support for the TCG/Opal standard and Windows 10’s eDrive feature. The warranty is 5 years or the TBW threshold of your capacity, whichever comes sooner.

There’s very little to say about physical quality – design hardly matters, but you do get a simple metal enclosure, and the whole thing weighs about 48g. The package it ships in has only a paper leaflet – the days of SATA SSDs coming in elaborate packages with cables and adapters are over.

It’s worth noting that Samsung has launched the SSD 870 Evo only in the 2.5-inch form factor. There’s no mSATA option anymore, but more surprisingly, there’s no M.2 option either. It’s unlikely that such an option will be introduced later, and Samsung seems to think there’s no need for a mainstream M.2 SATA SSD anymore, with NVMe prices coming down as much as they have. Conversely, it doesn’t look like there’s going to be an enthusiast-class SSD 860 Pro SATA successor.

samsung ssd 870 evo sata ndtv ssd 870 evo

The Samsung SSD 870 Evo offers great performance within its category

Samsung SSD 870 Evo software and performance

One of Samsung’s best SSD features is the free software that you can download – if you know it exists. First, there’s a Data Migration Tool that will let you clone an older hard drive or SSD to a Samsung SSD, and it seems pretty straightforward. What’s more interesting is the brand new Samsung Magician SSD utility which has loads of features. You can check detailed stats including drive health, temperature and TBW; run a quick diagnostic and benchmark; set overprovisioning manually; set up encryption; and securely erase the entire drive. The only downside is that Samsung felt the need to display ads for its other products in the UI.

I tested a 1TB version of the Samsung SSD 870 Evo using an AMD Ryzen 2700 CPU, ASRock X470 Taichi Ultimate motherboard, 2x8GB of G.Skill F4-3400C16D-16GSXW DDR4 RAM, a trusty 1TB Samsung 860 Evo SSD, and a Corsair RM650 power supply.. All the latest drivers and OS patches were installed at the time of testing. Windows reported a total formatted capacity of 931.5GB.

CrystalDiskMark 6 showed sequential read and write speeds of 563.9MBps and 535.4MBps, slightly exceeding Samsung’s own rated speeds. Random reads and writes, which are a much more realistic indication of real-world use, came in at 403.7MBps and 377.1MBps respectively. Samsung Magician’s built-in benchmark also reported 563MBps and 535MBps respectively. Interestingly, the 1TB SSD 860 Evo had posted pretty much identical data speeds in both tests at the time of its own review. Finally, the Anvil benchmark reported read and write scores of 2,536.86 and 2,657,92 points for a total score of 5,194.78.

samsung ssd 870 evo magician ndtv ssd 870 evo

The Samsung Magician software offers lots of functionality

Verdict

In terms of performance, there’s nothing that the Samsung SSD 870 Evo does better than its predecessor, the Samsung SSD 860, at least as far as what the average consumer will experience in everyday use. This release is purely about Samsung moving to newer tech and optimising its production. As a buyer, you’ll be just fine choosing whichever of these you find selling for less. The SSD 860 Evo is already disappearing from retail listings, but thankfully the newer SSD 870 Evo is not all that much more expensive.

Samsung’s official prices are Rs. 3,599 for 250GB; Rs. 5,999 for 500GB; Rs. 10,999 for 1TB; Rs. 21,999 for 2TB and Rs. 43,999 for 4TB. It’s good to see that the top-end capacities aren’t disproportionately more expensive. Also, for once, these numbers are actually pretty close to current street prices – usually, the two have no relation whatsoever. You’ll pay a few hundred rupees less online or at your local hardware shop, and do keep in mind that SSD prices fluctuate all the time.

You can get substantially less expensive 1TB SATA SSDs but these tend to ditch the DRAM cache and performance isn’t always in the same league. These days, even 1TB M.2 NVMe drives go on sale for less, and this option would offer far better bang for the buck. Samsung’s own SSD 970 Evo Plus is only slightly more expensive but is rated for seven times faster speeds . Hopefully, SSD 870 Evo prices prices will drift lower over time.

The SSD 870 Evo has a pretty limited market these days, but the higher capacity options will serve those who want a large secondary SSD for games and data, as well as those who have exhausted their motherboards’ M.2 slots already or who want to give an older PC new life. This is an excellent drive with top-notch features, but NVMe is the better option for those who can take advantage of it.

Samsung SSD 870 Evo
Prices: 
Rs. 3,599 (250GB)
Rs. 5,999 (500GB)
Rs. 10,999 (1TB)
Rs. 21,999 (2TB)
Rs. 43,999 (4TB) 

Pros

  • Very good performance
  • Feature-rich software
  • Good endurance
  • High capacities at proportional prices

Cons

Ratings (Out of 5)

  • Performance: 4
  • Value for Money: 4
  • Overall: 4



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Microsoft Partners With Inworld to Bring AI Game Development Tools to Xbox

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Microsoft Partners With Inworld to Bring AI Game Development Tools to Xbox


Microsoft is teaming up with Inworld AI to create game development tools for Xbox, enabling developers to create characters, generate entire scripts and quests, and more. The multi-year deal brings an AI design copilot and an AI character runtime engine to the forefront, both of them being totally optional to use and to varying degrees. Of course, the use of AI in art has been criticised by many for simply lacking originality, in addition to running the risk of fewer jobs for artists — a growing fear among many considering the alarming number of layoffs seen at game studios this year in an attempt to cut costs.

“At Xbox, we believe that with better tools, creators can make even more extraordinary games,” Haiyan Zhang, GM, Xbox Gaming AI, said in a blog post. “This partnership will bring together: Inworld’s expertise in working with generative AI models for character development, Microsoft’s cutting-edge cloud-based AI solutions including Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft Research’s technical insights into the future of play, and Team Xbox’s strengths in revolutionizing accessible and responsible creator tools for all developers.”

The aforementioned AI design copilot is a toolset that will help game designers turn prompts into scripts and dialogue trees. In contrast, the character runtime will enable dynamically generated plot beats and quests. We’ve already seen heavy AI integration in games by way of procedural generation — a more recent example being the 1000+ planets in Starfield. Not to mention, enemy AI has been around for way longer.

Inworld made headlines in August when it launched a modded story mode for Grand Theft Auto V, Sentient Streets, in which players had to investigate the rise of a bizarre AI-worshipping cult — a segment loaded with characters that spoke in AI-generated dialogue, on the fly. The mod was later taken down by publisher Take-Two, leaving a permanent strike on the creator Bloc’s YouTube channel. As per The Verge, Inworld’s AI technology can also be used for narration in top-down RPGs to warn players about any events awaiting off-screen and respond to questions like we’ve seen in the past year with AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Bing Chat. Microsoft has also been heavily banking on artificial intelligence, having made a $10 billion (about Rs. 83,254 crore) investment in OpenAI. The company has also integrated AI tools into its popular suite of services and also added an AI copilot to Windows.

Despite being a Microsoft-affiliated AI toolset, it would be interesting to see whether titles using them will be allowed to thrive on other platforms. In July, Valve claimed that it would be cracking down on games that included AI-generated assets if the developer didn’t own the copyright to the piece of art. For the uninitiated, when you insert a prompt to create something in AI, the software simply repurposes existing assets found online and mushes them together — basically stealing from other artists and writers without appropriate commercial licenses. Infringing them would lead to the game not being distributed on Steam, forcing the developers to seek proper licenses for the asset by reaching out to the AI companies involved. It’s unclear how Microsoft’s partnership will play out — as long as AI content is being used as a catalyst to innovate and create something new, it should be fine.


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BSNL Offers Free 4G SIM Upgrade: Here’s How to Get It

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BSNL Offers Free 4G SIM Upgrade: Here’s How to Get It


BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) is a state-owned telecommunication company in India. Earlier this year in May, the government said that the firm started rolling out 4G services in the country. By December, the networks were said to be upgraded to 5G. However, at the India Mobile Congress, BSNL chairman P K Purwar said that the company will launch 4G services in December and then roll it across the country by June 2024. The chairman added that the 5G upgrades will take place after June next year.

In a post on X shared by BSNL’s Andhra Pradesh (@bsnl_ap_circle) unit, the company confirmed that BSNL users can upgrade their older 2G or 3G SIMs to a 4G SIM for free. Not only will the upgrade be free, but a promotional image shared with the post suggests that users who opt for the upgrade will also receive 4GB of free data that will be valid for three months. It is speculated that BSNL is aiming to boost its upcoming 4G services with this offer. The announcement was first spotted by Telecom Talk.

To access the free data offer and the free upgrade, BSNL users are requested to get in touch with executives at BSNL’s Customer Service Centre, franchisee or retailer stores, or contact one of their Direct Selling Agents (DSA). The promo image also adds in a finer print that the offer is available with certain terms and conditions, but hasn’t detailed any, so far.

Reliance’s Jio recently launched the 4G-supported Bharat B1 feature phone in India. The handset is priced at Rs. 1,299 in India. Alongside 4G connectivity, the phone comes with JioCinema and JioSaavn applications pre-installed.

The Jio Bharat B1 is equipped with the JioPay application, which is said to allow users to make UPI payments. Aiming to increase accessibility, the phone supports 23 languages overall, including multiple regional languages.


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Realme GT 5 Pro Teased to Feature 3,000 Nits Display; More Details Revealed

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Realme GT 5 Pro Teased to Feature 3,000 Nits Display; More Details Revealed


Realme GT 5 Pro’s launch date is not far away. The Chinese smartphone brand on Tuesday (November 7) confirmed the arrival of the new GT series smartphone in its home country. The Realme GT 5 Pro is teased to come with a display with over 3000 nits of peak brightness. It is also confirmed to pack a larger heat dissipation area for thermal management. The handset will ship with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The Realme GT 5 Pro is expected to come as a successor to the Realme GT 5 that debuted in China in August.

Realme, via Weibo, announced the arrival of the Realme GT 5 Pro in China. The display of the handset is confirmed to offer 3000 nits peak brightness. It has also been teased to offer heat dissipation with a surface area of around 10,000mm2. It is confirmed to ship with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The post doesn’t specify the exact launch date of the smartphone, however, given the release of the teasers, the launch could be just around the corner.

The Realme GT 5 Pro has been in the news a lot lately. It is expected to feature a 6.78-inch (1,264×2,780 pixels) AMOLED display and is tipped to come in 8GB, 12GB, and 16GB RAM options along with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB inbuilt storage options.

For optics, the Realme GT 5 Pro is said to have a triple rear camera unit comprising two 50-megapixel sensors and an 8-megapixel shooter at the rear. The camera setup might include a Sony LYTIA LYT808 sensor, an OmniVision OV08D10 secondary sensor, and a Sony IMX890 telephoto sensor. For selfies, there could be a 32-megapixel sensor at the front. It is said to carry a 5,400mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

The Realme GT 5 Pro is expected to come with upgrades over Realme GT 5. The latter was launched in China in August with a price tag of CNY 2,999 for the base model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.


The Motorola Edge 40 recently made its debut in the country as the successor to the Edge 30 that was launched last year. Should you buy this phone instead of the Nothing Phone 1 or the Realme Pro+? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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