Specifications, Pricing and Availability

Samsung lists quite a bit of information on their spec sheets. Each capacity size has its own list. Yesterday we reviewed the 840 500GB with 530MB/s sequential read performance and 330MB/s sequential write speed.

The 250GB 840 keeps the same 530MB/s sequential read speed, but the sequential write speed dips down to 240MB/s. This is a bit of an issue because at 250GB of capacity, the Samsung 840 has to compete with a number of products that perform best in this capacity size.

The Samsung 840 500GB looked much better because the Team SandForce 480/512GB drives lose a lot of performance at the largest capacity. The Team SandForce drives are optimized for performance at 240/256GB and that may turn into a problem for Samsung.

Newegg lists the Samsung 840 250GB at $189.99 and $209.99 depending on the accessory kit. Both accessory kits are very good, but the upgrade bundle includes a desktop adapter bracket, key for Norton Ghost (Data Migration Software), SATA power and data cables.

Both kits include Samsung's Magician Software to secure erase, firmware update and other functions.?