Solid State Drives (SSDs) have become an essential component for any high-performance computer system. With no moving parts, SSDs provide much faster access speeds compared to traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs). Top SSD manufacturers like Samsung offer different product lines designed for varied use cases and budgets. Two of Samsung‘s most popular consumer SSD offerings are the QVO and EVO series. This comprehensive guide provides a detailed comparison between these two drives to help you choose the right one for your needs.
A Brief Background
Before diving into the differences between QVO and EVO, it‘s helpful to understand what sets SSDs apart from traditional HDDs. SSDs use NAND flash memory chips to store data instead of magnetic platters found in HDDs. This flash memory is available in different types based on the number of data bit layers per memory cell:
- Single-Level Cell (SLC) – Highest performance but very expensive
- Multi-Level Cell (MLC) – Faster speeds with decent endurance
- Triple-Level Cell (TLC) – Good balance of cost, speed and endurance
- Quad-Level Cell (QLC) – Highest density but lower speeds
The more bits stored per cell, the more cost-effective the flash is from a density perspective. However, more bits per cell reduce the write performance and endurance ratings.
Samsung QVO SSDs
Samsung launched the first consumer QLC-based QVO SSD range in 2018. The QVO series uses the latest 4-bit QLC V-NAND flash memory to deliver massive drive capacities at affordable pricing.
The newest Samsung 870 QVO SSD was released in 2020 offering excellent speeds up to 560MB/s read and 530MB/s write via the SATA III interface. The QVO range is available from 1TB up to a mammoth 8TB.
Samsung EVO SSDs
Samsung‘s EVO lineup pioneered the consumer TLC SSD market since its first release in 2013. The EVO series uses the reliable and high performance 3-bit MLC V-NAND technology.
The latest Samsung 870 EVO was launched in 2020, supporting blazing fast sequential reads up to 560MB/s and write speeds up to 530MB/s over SATA III interface. The EVO is offered in capacities between 250GB up to 4TB.
Now that we‘ve provided some background context on both SSD product families, let‘s analyze how they compare across various parameters that impact your buying decision.
Storage Capacities
When it comes to available capacities, the QVO clearly wins with massive drive sizes up to 8TB. The EVO tops out at 4TB currently. For affordable large storage, QVO is undoubtedly better. However, EVO starts at 250GB vs 1TB for QVO – so EVO suits lower capacity needs.
Winner: Samsung QVO
Sequential Read/Write Speeds
Thanks to Samsung‘s Intelligent TurboWrite tech, both QVO and EVO deliver similar max sequential speeds in the 500-560MB/s range. However without TurboWrite, the native speeds vary significantly. Here EVO pulls ahead with its superior TLC NAND over QLC allowing 300MB/s native write speed even for large transfers.
For sustained performance across varying file sizes, the EVO is 25-50% faster making it better suited for demanding workloads. But QVO still outpaces HDDs while costing lesser.
Winner: Samsung EVO
Endurance Ratings
Endurance is measured by Terabytes Written (TBW) – total amount of data that can be written to an SSD over its lifetime before wear-out. The EVO significantly outlasts QVO thanks to durable TLC NAND compared to density-optimized QLC flash.
For example the 1TB EVO is rated at 600 TBW while the 1TB QVO only handles 360 TBW – that‘s 40% lower. As capacity increases, the endurance gap also widens. The 4TB EVO with its 2400 TBW rating will easily outlive the 1440 TBW QVO.
If your usage involves heavy writes like video production or database workloads – EVO is the clear choice. For read-intensive general usage – QVO works fine.
Winner: Samsung EVO
Hardware Features
Both SSD product lines utilize the reliable Samsung controller and DRAM cache to enable excellent performance consistency even under demanding workloads. A key difference is while EVO uses the newer NVMe PCIe Gen 3 interface, the value-focused QVO still leverages the SATA III interface. So if your system supports NVMe PCIe, you can obtain even faster speeds with EVO SSDs.
The EVO SSDs also offer superior reliability with a 5-year warranty compared to a 3-year coverage for QVO drives. And with bundled Magician software, EVO delivers handy drive monitoring and optimization capabilities lacking in QVO series.
Winner: Samsung EVO
Pricing
The QVO SSDs are targeted as an affordable high-capacity storage tier while EVO is positioned as a high-performance offering. Hence in terms of $ per GB, the QVO range is cheaper especially at higher capacities.
For instance a 2TB QVO costs around $170 while a 2TB EVO will set you back by $220. The price difference is even larger on 8TB models where the QVO is over $500 cheaper than EVO.
If budget is important and you need lots of storage, QVO clearly delivers better value. Just ensure your usage won‘t be hampered by its moderate endurance rating.
Winner: Samsung QVO
Recommendations
So which is the better choice overall – Samsung QVO or EVO SSD? Here is a summary:
- For affordable, high-capacity storage (up to 8TB) for personal computing or gaming rigs – Samsung QVO is best suited
- For demanding workloads like content creation, databases, programming needs – Samsung EVO is strongly recommended
- If you need blazing NVMe PCIe speeds and maximum endurance from your SSD – Get Samsung EVO
- For general usage that is read-intensive like booting Windows or Mac OS – QVO offers plenty of speed
- When evaluating, compare TBW endurance ratings against your projected usage before deciding
Bottomline – EVO for performance, QVO for capacity on a budget! Choose wisely based on your individual needs.
I hope this detailed feature comparison has cleared up any confusion between Samsung‘s QVO and EVO SSD product families. Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments!
