Samsung 970 evo plus review in Spanish (full review)?

The Samsung 970 Evo Plus is the SSD under review today. It is the unit that is located just below the Pro se Samsung series, so it is competing in the high-end and with its big brother in performance, although in this case we have 92-layer V-NAND TLC memories instead of MLC.

In our case we analyze the 250 GB M.2 version working on NVMe 1.3, which delivers a speed of 3, 500 / 2, 300 MB / s in sequential read / write and up to 250K / 550K IOPS in random read and write. Figures that maximize the interface, and that is why Samsung will soon launch its PM1733 and PM1735 PCIe 4.0.

Samsung 970 Evo Plus technical characteristics

Unboxing Samsung 970 EVO Plus

As a worthy high-end SSD such as this Samsung 970 Evo Plus, the manufacturer has chosen for its presentation a nice flexible cardboard box with measures similar to a 2.5 ”SSD. On the main face we have a photo of the SSD showing its chips along with the model badge and its capacity, in this case 250 GB. On the back we only have some information about it.

Inside the box is the SSD perfectly placed on a white plastic mold. We can separate two parts of it to see that below we have the unit support manual as the only complement to the main product.

Design and encapsulation

The Samsung 970 Evo Plus is an SSD that was launched in early 2019, which we have taken advantage of to analyze now because it is a unit at an excellent price according to its features and quality and because we are already waiting to have the new units with PCIe 4.0. This model is Samsung's proposal to compete in the range of SSD configurations with high-performance TLC memories, since this is its main asset, with numbers that leave little room for the maximum capacity of the interface.

In it Samsung bet for the first time to introduce the new 92-layer V-NAND 3D memories. Self-built memories that were intended to compete with the new 96-layer 3D NANDs manufactured by Intel, Micron, SK Hynix and Toshiba. And not only to match them, but once again outperformed its rivals by outlining itself as the best SSD of the generation with high-density TLC memories.

As for the design of its packaging, the Samsung 970 Evo Plus does not have too many novelties to say the least. It continues to be an SSD in M.2 2280 format, that is, the average and generic size of SSDs without reaching 22110 and presenting a good density of electronic components on one side of its PCB. Only the 2 TB drive has memory chips on both sides, while in this model we have two chips with 128 GB each.

In this model we do not have any type of integrated or optional heatsink, so the manufacturer has complete confidence that its controller will obtain good temperatures. In addition, this benefits us in the sense that the current boards almost all have built-in heatsinks, and they also come in handy for Max-Q laptops where a heatsink does not fit. We must highlight that it has a small copper strip that allows us to cool the back, which is always exposed.

Although it does have. Something that we did not like so much is that removing the sticker that covers the chips would void the warranty since it directly breaks when trying. Why do we want to keep the sticker? Well, to obtain better heat conductivity between chips and heatsink, but it is not mandatory either.

Features and characteristics

Well, the main novelty of this Samsung 970 Evo Plus is its memories as we have already commented in the previous section. Specifically, they are V-NAND TLC 9xL memories, being 92 layers in this case with 3 bits of storage per cell with which the Koreans intend to substantially improve the efficiency-performance ratio. This is achieved thanks to the update of the communication interface with the controller, now type DDR 4.0 to 1.2 V in Toggle mode, thus increasing the speed of the interface from 800 Mbps to 1400 Mbps. The competition in this section only It was capable of 1200 Mbps with 96-layer TLC chips. While this 250 GB SSD has two 128 GB chips, the 1 and 2 TB versions have 512 GB chips, thus demonstrating the high cell density that has been achieved.

Having 92 layers instead of 96 as its competition is reason for the implementation of its lithography. In this case, stacking by the string stacking method is not used like the competition, which generates less layer density. But on the other hand, it plays in favor of performance and cell density, generating thinner layers and improving latency by 30% compared to the previous generation. Not for nothing has it been one of the great SSDs of the year. For its part, the cache is an SLC type memory that can reach up to 4 GB in 2 TB versions.

And now going to the controller section, we have no news in this case regarding the 970 Evo, since it continues to use the Samsung Phoenyx that for example is found in the PM900 series. This chip offers us performance rates under the PCIe 3.0 interface working with NVMe 1.3 of 3, 500 MB / s for sequential reading in all units. Its write performance ranges from 2, 300 MB / s for this 250 GB version we analyzed to 3, 300 MB / s for the 1 and 2 TB version. Similarly, the performance in input and output operations is at 550K IOPS for random writing and between 250K and 620K IOPS for random reading.

As other features to mention of the Samsung 970 Evo Plus, we have AES 256-bit encryption, TCG / Opal and IEEE1667 as usual in this and other manufacturers. It also offers support for SMART, TRIM and Samsung's automatic Garbage Collection algorithm, with support for WWN falling by the wayside. The mean time between failures (MTBF) amounts to 1.5 million hours, while the warranty for these units is 5 years limited by the number of terabytes written (TBW) which will be 150, 300, 600 and 1, 200 depending on capacities of storage.

Finally, the consumption of these units is slightly higher than the competition, with 0.3W in standby state and between 5 and 6W at maximum performance. In any case, they are almost residual differences for a user.

Use software

As in other cases, the software in charge of managing this Samsung 970 Evo Plus unit will be the Magician Software, which is one of the best we have in the SSD scene.

In its interface we have enough options in terms of monitoring the state of both solid state and mechanical units that are compatible. Highly recommended to keep track of this unit and its volume of written data.

Test equipment and benchmarks

We now turn to the battery of tests corresponding to this Samsung 860 QVO. To do this, we have used the following test bench:

TESTING BENCH
Processor:	Intel i9-7900X
Base plate:	Asus X299 Deluxe
Memory:	32GB DDR4 Corsair Domiantor
Heatsink	Corsair H100 v2
HDD	Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 256 GB
Graphic card	EVGA RTX 2080 Super
Power supply	Corsair RM1000X

The tests to which we have submitted this SSD are as follows:

• Crystal Disk MarkAS SSD BenchmarkATTO Disk BenchmarkAnvil´s Storage

All of these programs are in current versions. Remember not to abuse these tests in your units, since the life time is reduced.

Temperatures

Samsung 970 EVO Plus 256 GB	Temperatures
Rest (Idle)	31 ºC
Maximum (Full)	73 ºC
Peak	77 ºC

One of the big problems that we run into with M.2 NVME SSDs is the temperature that reaches maximum performance. Although at rest it only has 31 ºC, when we do a performance test it goes up to 73 ºC on average, achieving peaks of 77 ºC. How can we solve these problems? Easy! Buying an M.2 SSD heatsink. With this we can lower between 10 to 20 degrees.

Final words and conclusion about the Samsung 970 Evo Plus

At this point we believe that this Samsung 970 Evo Plus leaves no doubt that it is one of the best PCIe 3.0 units that has been launched this past 2019 and will surely continue to dominate much longer, although its price is higher than its competition.

The unit offers exceptional performance under this interface, thanks to NVMe 1.3 around 3, 500 MB / s in reading and 2, 400 MB / s in writing, while the values ​​in random operations improves substantially what we see in the competition. We can say that we are almost at the maximum real capacity of the interface. The controller used continues to be the Samsung Phoenyx that has performed so well on its NVME SSDs.

We recommend reading the best SSDs on the market

The memories used are of the NAND 3D TLC type, which in this case are 92 layers. What does this mean? Well, they offer improvements in energy efficiency and up to 5 years of warranty with a TBW limitation quite in line with the competition, starting from 150 TBW in the 250 GB SSD and reaching 1200 TBW for the 2 TB one. We would have liked to see MLC memories, but we are at a time when few units incorporate it and we have to opt for Samsung's PRO models.

Finally, we will get the Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250 GB today for a price of 79.85 euros, 111 euros for the 500 GB, 220 euros for the 1 TB and 480 euros for the 2 TB. It is priced remarkably higher than other TLC SSDs on the market, but in both performance and reliability they are hands down the best. Do you have this unit? Which one do you have? We want to know your opinion!

ADVANTAGE	DISADVANTAGES
+ EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE	- WITHOUT PASSIVE REFRIGERATION BUILT IN, WE HAVE TO BUY A HEAT SINK SEPARATE.
+ QUALITY COMPONENTS, THEY ARE NOT THE CREAM OF THE CREAM, BUT FOR THEIR PRICE IT IS OK.	- NO MLC MEMORY
+ GOOD SOFTWARE
+ 5 YEARS WARRANTY
+ AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS SIZES

The Professional Review team awards you the gold medal and recommended product:

Samsung 970 EVO Plus

COMPONENTS - 88%

PERFORMANCE - 89%

PRICE - 80%

GUARANTEE - 85%

86%

OF THE BEST OPTIONS IN SSD

Samsung is one of the best manufacturers of SSD drives. This 970 EVO Plus is no exception and will give us great joy. Our results are fantastic.