Samsung QVO vs EVO

Samsung, arguably the most popular SSD brand on the market, just announced a new SSD line to complement their existing popular options, the Samsung 870 QVO.

Nowadays, many computer users want to replace their old hard disk drives with solid-state drives (SSDs), such as Samsung SSDs. The issue is that they cannot distinguish between different Samsung QVO and EVO series.

Samsung EVO
Samsung EVO Plus

QVO vs. EVO Comparison

Generally, there are two types of Samsung SSDs: enterprise-level SSDs and consumer-level SSDs. Data integrity is prioritized in enterprise SSDs, followed by capacity, speed, and ultimately cost, and consumer SSDs prioritize cost, capacity, performance, and data integrity last.

Furthermore, consumer-level SSDs are separated into two categories: SSDs for retail customers and OEM customers. The suffixes QVO and EVO are commonly found in retail consumer SSD devices. These prefixes, to some extent, represent different technologies used in the NAND flash of these SSDs.

Samsung QVO
Samsung QVO

As we all know, NAND flash is commonly used in SSDs to store data permanently. When NAND memory is manufactured using different technologies, the storage, performance, and lifespan of SSDs will change. EVO implies that the SSD utilizes TLC, while QVO indicates that the SSD uses QLC in Samsung SSDs.

Single-Level Cells, or SLCs, hold one bit of data in two states. MLC (Multi-Level Cell) refers to a memory cell that can hold two data bits, and TLC (Triple-Level Cell) refers to a memory cell with three data bits. The acronym QLC stands for Quad-Level Cell, which signifies that each memory cell can hold four data bits.

1. Cost

Previously, a memory cell could only hold one bit of data, known as SLC (Single-Level Cell). Because the SLC NAND flash chip has a small capacity and a high cost, the price of SSDs remained high at the time.

NAND flash chips can have more capacity thanks to MLC, TLC, and QLC. For example, an SLC flash chip has a capacity of 128 GB in the same situation, while an MLC flash chip can have a capacity of 256 GB (twice). A TLC flash chip can have a capacity of 384 GB (triple), and a QLC flash chip can have a capacity of 512 GB in the same condition (quadruple).

While the capacity of SSDs grows, the number of NAND flash chips does not. As a result, the price of SSDs is lower. As a result, while searching on Amazon for Samsung EVO and QVO SSDs in the same capacity, the EVO SSD is the most expensive, followed by the QVO SSD.

2. Performance

MLC, TLC, and QLC influence Samsung EVO and QVO SSD speeds. In general, the Samsung EVO SSD has the best performance, followed by the QVO SSD due to the NAND flash’s writing and reading mechanisms.

Through voltage application, the NAND flash completes data reading and writing. Because SLC contains just one bit of data—0 or 1—and thus has only one threshold voltage, reading and writing it is exceedingly quick and straightforward. It means 0 if the voltage in the cell reaches the threshold value, and if not, it signifies 1.

Samsung QVO vs EVO

Because MLC flash holds two bits of data—00, 01, 10, or 11—it requires three threshold voltages to identify them, making it slower than SLC flash. The number of threshold voltages required increases as the number of data bits in the cell increases, and the SSD must thus spend more time identifying the voltage signal, slowing read and write speeds.

3. Lifespan

When an SSD writes data, the master controller erases the old data and writes new data, as we all know. The P/E cycle (program/erase) is the name for this procedure. The SSD is likely to fail when the P/E cycle runs out.

SLC, MLC, TLC, and QLC flash chips have the following approximate P/E cycle ranges:

• A SLC NAND flash memory cell has a P/E cycle range of 50,000 to 100,000.
• A MLC flash memory cell may typically withstand 5,000 to 10,000 P/E cycles.
• Only about 3000 P/E cycles are supported by TLC NAND flash memory cells.
• A QLC flash memory cell can handle up to 1000 P/E cycles.

Based on the P/E cycles, we can conclude that the Samsung EVO SSD has the most extended lifespan, followed by the QVO SSD. This conclusion is not difficult to show if you are familiar with the Samsung QVO and EVO warranties.

Best Option – EVO

Samsung EVO

Budget Option – QVO

Samsung QVO

What does QVO mean?

QVO means Quality and Value Optimized.

What does EVO mean?

EVO means Evolution and Value Optimized.

What is the difference between the QVO and EVO?

Samsung QVO SSDs employ 4-bit QLC technology, whereas EVO SSDs employ 3-bit TLC. QVO SSDs are less expensive and slower than EVO SSDs due to this difference. Furthermore, QVO SSDs have a shorter lifespan than EVO SSDs.

Which is better, Samsung EVO vs. QVO?

The Samsung EVO outperforms the QVO in terms of performance and service life. However, the Samsung QVO is less expensive than the EVO.

How long will a QVO last?

Built with Samsung V-NAND technology and supported by a 3-year limited warranty or up to 1,440 TBW, the 860 QVO offers a dependable alternative to old storage.

Does Samsung QVO have DRAM?

Yes, it does. It comes with LPDDR4 memory. It doubles in size as storage capacity grows, starting at 1TB (2TB – 2GB | 4TB – 4GB | 8TB – 8GB).

Should I buy an external SSD or HDD?

That seems like a good investment if you’re constantly on the move. External SSDs, on the other hand, are typically slower than internal SSDs.

However, if you only plan on using it on one device, have the necessary connectors and cables, and don’t require portability, a standard SSD is the way to go.

What do I need to check before buying an SSD?

There’s not much to look out for when purchasing a SATA SSD.

Almost every computer produced in the last 15 years has SATA connectivity that will work.

If you’re considering obtaining an NVME SSD, check ahead of time to see if your motherboard can accept one and, if so, what type and length of NVME drive it can accept.

The Samsung EVO outperforms the QVO in almost every application; however, the value isn’t always higher.

You should acquire an EVO if you need to deal with incredibly huge, high-quality files and transmit them at high speeds without lag.

If you only require a QVO SSD for regular computer use, gaming, or other workloads that don’t necessitate excellent storage performance, you can save a few bucks by obtaining a QVO SSD.

Has this page answered your Samsung QVO versus EVO questions? Do you have any further thoughts on the subject? Please post a comment in the space provided below.