Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD Review

Introduction

I have to admit I wasn't a big fan of the Samsung 830. We only tested the 128GB model and no matter what firmware we loaded on the drive, the write latency on that capacity size was always an issue. This year Samsung released two drives, a mainstream model with spectacular low power consumption and an enthusiast model. We've already published two articles on the mainstream drives, 250GB and 500GB capacity sizes. Today we start working through the Pro models; the 128GB is up first with the 256GB on deck.

The Samsung 840 Pro uses the same MDX three-core controller found in the 840 base model. The main difference between these two classes of SSDs is the NAND flash. The 840 non-Pro uses triple-level cell flash, the first consumer SSD to use TLC flash. The 840 Pro uses Samsung's new 22nm MLC flash. Samsung pairs the MLC flash with a DRAM buffer, also from Samsung's catalog. All of the main components used in the 840 Pro come from Samsung and they are one of just a few SSD makers who are in a position to make such a product a reality.

A few weeks ago we told you we're lining up several 128GB capacity size SSDs after spending most of the year focusing on the larger capacity sizes. Today, we have benchmarks from the three fastest 120/128GB drives on the market today - Samsung 840 Pro 128GB, OCZ Vector 128GB and SuperSSpeed S301 SLC 128GB.

We have a few more high performance drives in route to the lab including the Corsair Neutron, Neutron GTX and the Plextor M5 Pro (with new Extreme firmware). We're also retesting several new, next gen 256GB products, but you'll have to wait till CES for those to hit the site.