Samsung 840 Pro 256GB SSD Review

[AkG]

Partial and Full Drive Performance

Partial and Full Drive Performance

While it is important to know how a drive will perform under optimal conditions, more realistic scenarios are just as important. Knowing if a solid state drive will behave differently when partially or even nearly full than when it is empty is very important information to know. To quickly and accurately show this crucial information we have first filled the drive to 50% capacity and re-tested using both synthetic and real world tests. After the completion of this we then re-test at 75% and 90% of full capacity.

Synthetic Test Results

For our synthetic testing we have opted for our standard PCMark 7 test.

​

Real World Results

For a real world application we have opted for our standard Vista Start Up with Boot Time A/V Scan Performance test. Unlike Windows 7, Vista is a horribly slow loading OS so we decided to use it.

This drive was released in 2012, and yet it still comes within scratching distance of dominating these crucial tests. That is simply astounding and the fact it is able to do it without proper levels of NAND interleaving make it all the more special. We can see why Samsung continue to work and refine this model as they must be especially proud at what has been created.

 

[AkG]

SATA 2 Performance

SATA 2 Performance

<i>In a perfect world everyone investing in a new solid state drive would have access to a SATA 6GB/s controller which could pass on the TRIM command. In reality not everyone has this and for many the decision comes down either giving up TRIM – never a good idea with most controllers – and running it off a secondary controller; or taking a performance hit and running in SATA 2.0 mode.

These tests will consist of some of our real world and synthetic benchmarks run on our standard 1155 test-bed; but the drive will be attached to an SATA 2 port.

For synthetic we have opted for the newcomer to our charts: Anvil Storage Utilities Pro. For real world we have opted for our Adobe test. These two tests should give you a very good idea of the level of performance impact you can expect from running a modern SATA 6 drive in compatibility mode.</i>

<div align="center">
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/840_Pro/s2_a.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/840_Pro/s2_a_r.jpg" border="0" alt="" />
<img src="http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/akg/Storage/840_Pro/s2_a_w.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></div>

Back in 2012 the chances of an enthusiast grade model being actually used in an older rig was a lot higher than it is today and the high ranking reflects this. By the same token this is a drive based on 2012 technology, and using only half the number of NAND ICs to do it, and yet it still is beating the majority of the competition like they owed the 840 Pro money.

 

[AkG]

Rapid Mode Performance

Rapid Mode Performance

Unlike most Solid State Drives, the Samsung 840 Pro comes with one very unqiue feature: Rapid Mode. As the name suggests Rapid Mode enables a high performance mode which uses 1GB of your system RAM as a read/write buffer similar to a typical RAM Drive's capabilities. Unlike a typical RAM drive, Rapid mode is entirely seamless and promises to be an easy way to further boost the 840 Pro's performance.

These tests will consist of some of our real world and synthetic benchmarks run on our standard test-bed.


Synthetic Test Results

For our synthetic testing we have opted for our standard AS-SSD test.

Real World Results

For a real world application we have opted for our standard Adobe load time test.

As you can see, Rapid Mode can indeed boost performance well above what any SATA based SSD can usually offer. However there are a few caveats to this program. For example it can only cache about 1GB worth of data and this amount is not end-user configurable. This makes it less than optimal for any consumers that use a wide variety of programs on a daily basis. In addition, there is no way to pre-load applications into the RAM.

We do applaud Samsung for thinking well outside the box and realizing the full potential Nvelo's software had to offer consumers. We even have to admit this is the easiest RAM Drive you will ever find, but they do need to work on make it a touch more adaptable. By making it so easy they have also removed some of the benefits and consumers with 32GB or more of RAM will still be better served by using any one of the many Ram Drive programs already available.

 

[AkG]

Conclusion

Conclusion

While our review of the Samsung 840 Pro may be a bit late but with updated NAND, additional features and being rolled out in the last few months, this is almost a brand new drive. And what an SSD it is. Despite boasting an internal architecture whose age can be measured in years, Samsung created an adaptable drive that isn’t even beginning to show its age.

There’s no denying the competition has stepped up their games in the enthusiast bracket with drives like OCZ’s Vector, AData’s SP920 and Crucial’s M550 all giving the 840 Pro a run for its money. None of these drives even existed when Samsung’s SSD was first introduced and yet, through a process of gradual evolution, the Pro has remained near the top of our charts. It even manages to retain high levels of performance even after being filled close to capacity. There are very few SSDs -even in the current generation- which can claim that capability.

Ironically, the 840 Pro’s out-of-box performance represents just the tip of the iceberg. With their purchase of Nvelo, Samsung’s access to the Dataplex software has allowed them to create a quasi-RAMDisk caching technology. Its ability to speed up application load times makes a world of difference, provided it has your chosen program cached. Unfortunately, Rapid Mode can’t accelerate a large cross-section of your programs, nor is it particularly adaptable since it can’t be modified to fit a particular set of usage patterns. In some ways this makes it extremely user friendly but we’d still appreciate some options to fine tune its extremely limited 1GB capacity.

So is there anything not to like about the 840 Pro? No necessarily but there are some points which may make you hesitate. Here in Canada Samsung’s warranty support is supposed to get turned around at some point but that hasn’t happened yet. This means Canadians still have to jump through a ridiculous set of hoops to get their RMA’s taken care of, despite Seagate (the owner of Samsung’s storage division) having a well-oiled customer service machine of their own.

With excellent performance and good capacity metrics, the 840 Pro is still one of today’s best SSDs. However, unless you manage to find a sale, it doesn’t offer much better value than similarly priced high end drives from the likes of OCZ, AData and Crucial.

After more than a year on the market, Samsung’s 840 Pro has shown a company doesn’t need to roll out an endless string of new SSDs to remain relevant. It is a top-tier product that offers unique features, excellent performance and endurance levels that remain some of the best around. You really can’t ask for more than that.