SSDs in the past were very expensive and one had to save a lot of money to buy one to speed up his PC/Mac. But, with the advent of technology, prices for SSDs have come down. In this article, we will discuss the two most affordable SSDs currently available in the market and do a WD Blue SSD vs Samsung 860 Evo comparison.
If your computer is slow despite having a high RAM, a modern and strong CPU, and a great dedicated GPU but has a mechanical hard drive, it won’t perform well. That leads us to discussing about solid state drives.
The days of mechanical hard drives seem to have long gone, and one must now move to the future of hardware storage that is SSDs. An SSD aka Solid State Drive is much needed for a speedy computer usage. Let’s first discuss the two best budget available SSDs; the WD Blue SSD and the Samsung 860 Evo.
FEATURES | WD BLUE SSD | SAMSUNG 860 EVO SSD |
Price | ||
Ideal For | PC Enthusiasts | Gamers, Professionals |
Form Factor | 2.5'' / M.2 2280 | 2.5'' / M.2 2280 |
Data Transfer Rate | 6 GB/s | 6 GB/s |
Read/Write Speed | 560 MB/s , 530 MB/s | 550 MB/s , 520 MB/s |
Capacity | 250 GB - 4 TB | 250 GB - 4 TB |
Warranty | 5 Years | 5 Years |
Reviews |
WD Blue SSD
The budget-end WD Blue 3D NAND SSD WDS100T2B0A was released in 2017 as an economical solution to PC/Mac speed solutions. The SSD has lived up to its expectations and some suggest it is the best SSD currently available. Let’s look at the best features of the WD Blue SSD before doing a WD Blue SSD vs Samsung 860 Evo comparison later on in the article.
Who is it for?
The WD Blue SSD is a good option for just about everyone but if you’re a PC enthusiast or a creative pro and work with graphics and other similar stuff, then this is the ideal SSD for you in the budget SSDs category.
Interface and Form Factor
The WD Blue comes with a SATA 3 interface. It has a 2.5 inch or a 7mm form factor. It also has an M.2 2280 form factor, which makes it ideal to be used in PCs and laptops. However, for ultra-slim devices, the M.2 2280 wouldn’t fit.
Data Transfer Rate
The WD Blue SSD has a data transfer rate of 6 GB/s, which is pretty good considering this is a budget SSD.
Read/Write Speed
The good thing about this SSD is its read and write speeds. The WD Blue SSD has a sequential read speed of up to 560 MB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 530 MB/s.
Drive Capacity Options
The WD Blue SSD comes with a variety of size options. It starts from 250GB and goes all the way to up to 4TB, hence giving you a great deal of flexibility in choosing the right sized SSD for you.
Does the WD Blue SSD come with Warranty?
Yes, the WD Blue comes with up to 5 years of limited manufacturer warranty.
Samsung 860 Evo SSD
The Samsung 860 Evo SSD came in 2018 and comes with great data encryption options from Samsung. This SSD is chosen the most by people seeking to purchase SSDs at economical prices. Let’s look at its best features.
Who is it for?
The Samsung 860 Evo SSD is perfect if you’re looking for an SSD for gaming purposes. This SSD is also quite good when it comes to professional computing like 4K video rendering or 3D rendering.
Interface and Form Factor
The SSD comes in a 2.5 inch or 7mm size. It also comes with M.2 2280 form factor that makes it suitable for usage in laptops or PCs. Samsung also offers the mSATA option for those seeking to install this SSD in ultra-thin devices. Its interface is SATA 3.
Data Transfer Rate
The SSD comes with a 6 GB/s data transfer rate, which is quite good for its affordable price.
Read/Write Speed
When it comes to sequential read/write speeds, the Samsung 860 Evo SSD really shines. With a read speed of up to 550 MB/s and a write speed of up to 520 MB/s, it really sets up the SSD for a solid performance.
Drive Capacity Choices
Just like the WD Blue SSD, the Samsung 860 Evo SSD comes with multiple size options, starting from the 250 GB up to 4 TB drive size options.
Does the Samsung 860 Evo come with Warranty?
Yes, the Samsung 860 Evo comes with 5 years of limited Samsung warranty.
Differences – WD Blue SSD vs Samsung 860 Evo
Having specified each and every detail about the two drives, it now comes to finding the differences. In the above specifications, there are no differences at all, and the WD Blue SSD being the cheaper option seems just about the right choice. But, there’s a catch to it.
The Samsung SSDs have been lasting longer than WD Blue SSDs, and that makes them a good option when it comes to durable SSDs. Another key difference comes in the TBW rates. The Samsung 860 Evo has far better TBW rates that make it ideal for rendering and gaming purposes. Here is a table of the TBW rates that come with both SSDs.
| Size | Samsung 860 Evo | WD Blue 3D SSD |
| 250GB | 150TBW | 100TBW |
| 500GB | 300TBW | 200TBW |
| 1TB | 600TBW | 400TBW |
| 2TB | 1200TBW | 500TBW |
| 4TB | 2400TBW | 600TBW |
Final Verdict – Which One to Buy?
If you’re just looking for a smaller-sized SSD with non-professional or casual computer work, then go for the cheaper option. However, if you want an option that lasts longer and has faster TBW rates, then go for the bit more expensive Samsung one.
For heavy gaming or professional usage, the Samsung 860 Evo is recommended by us, but it is priced a little higher. In short, both SSDs are solid budget options and perform very well. It depends on you and your laptop/PC/Mac usage on which one suits you best.
