I originally published this review when the Samsung 850 EVO 2TB first launched. I’ve kept it here for archival purposes. The product is outdated today, but if you’re shopping for a modern drive, check my updated guide:
I’ve tested a lot of SSDs over the years, and a few things have always been true. They’re fast, they used to come in small capacities, and prices kept dropping. That’s why the Samsung 850 EVO 2TB stood out when I got my hands on it.
At the time, buying a 128GB SSD felt like a luxury. If you were on a budget, that was enough. But if you wanted to go big, the 2TB EVO gave you the freedom to load it up with games, applications, and anything else you wanted all with the blazing speed of solid-state storage.
Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD Closer Look
Samsung kept the packaging simple but classy — clean black and white design with minimal text. Inside, you didn’t get much beyond the drive, warranty papers, and a software disk. But what really mattered was under the hood:
- 32-layer 128Gbit TLC V-NAND flash memory for higher density.
- Samsung MHX controller with tri-core design for separate read, write, and optimization tasks.
- 2GB DRAM buffer (double the size of smaller EVOs) to maintain speed at large capacity.
- Endurance rating: 150TB writes.
- Warranty: 5 years, which was excellent compared to most 3-year SSD warranties.
Even if the drive looked plain in its matte black shell, the internals told a different story — this was serious hardware.
Software
Samsung Data Migration
If you’ve ever dreaded reinstalling everything, this tool was a lifesaver. I cloned my existing drive onto the EVO in a few clicks. No complicated tools, no wasted hours — just a working clone.
Samsung Magician
This was the real gem. With Magician, you could:
- Optimize Windows settings for SSDs.
- Update firmware instantly (no boot disks needed).
- Benchmark the drive.
- Enable RAPID Mode, which used system RAM as a cache to supercharge performance.
Back then, most SSDs shipped with nothing, so Samsung’s software really set the EVO apart.
Performance
The 850 EVO 2TB didn’t just deliver capacity — it delivered speed. In real-world use, it matched or beat its smaller EVO siblings:
- Fast boot and load times.
- Excellent sustained write performance thanks to the big DRAM buffer.
- Solid reliability with Samsung’s V-NAND design.
At the time, there was no real competition in the “big SSD” market. Samsung owned it.
Is It Still Worth Using?
If you’ve still got an 850 EVO 2TB lying around, it’s not useless. It’s a reliable SATA SSD, and it’ll still crush any mechanical hard drive. But compared to modern NVMe drives, it feels slow.
- It maxes out at SATA III speeds (~550 MB/s), while today’s NVMe SSDs reach 7,000+ MB/s.
- The warranty is long expired.
- Most new builds use M.2 slots instead of 2.5” SATA drives.
If you want a modern equivalent, I’d look at the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, WD Black SN850X, or Crucial T700.
Legacy
The 850 EVO 2TB was a milestone. It proved you could get huge SSD capacity without sacrificing speed or reliability. For gamers and power users back then, it was a dream upgrade. Even now, I give it credit for pushing the SSD market forward.
FAQs
Q: Can I still use the Samsung 850 EVO 2TB in 2025?
Yes, it works fine in any SATA-compatible system, but I’d only use it as secondary storage.
Q: What made it special when it launched?
The combination of 2TB capacity, fast V-NAND performance, and Samsung’s excellent software.
Q: What’s the modern replacement?
The Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe or Crucial T700 deliver the same “big, fast, reliable” formula today.
