So-so PCMark 10 results in launching certain programs
Hard-to-remove heatsink
ADATA found itself in a bit of hot water in the world of internal solid-state drives (SSDs) last year, but that hasn t stopped the company from forging on with its relentless SSD releases. Following on from the middling ADATA Falcon and Swordfish drives, ADATA s XPG division is standing up to the plate with its latest offering, the XPG Gammix S50 Lite (starts at 1TB for $149.99; 2TB for $299.99, as tested). It s a PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 drive that features just four channels (half of the eight-channel standard established by premium options in the space), so we weren t expecting records to be shattered, especially not at this price. But it surprised us across most of the benchmark tests we run. The S50 Lite represents the first wave of PCIe 4.0 s budget set, and it fulfills that duty handily, earning our Editors Choice award as the best entry-level drive in the PCIe 4.0 class so far.
All Specs
Given all else it s known for across the galaxy, Samsung is certainly no stranger to the world of internal solid-state drives (SSDs). The company continues to be a leading force in the industry, producing some of the best SSDs we ve reviewed year in and year out. Pairing a few industry-standard features with a few more industry-leading speeds, the Samsung SSD 870 EVO (starts at $39.99; $479.99 for the 4TB version we tested) comes within inches of successfully bridging the gap between SATA and PCI Express drives with stellar results in program and game launching, as well as booting into Windows 10. Whether you need a new boot drive, a massive digital tome to store all your games (looking at you, Call of Duty: Warzone), or just a solid storage option all around, the zip-quick Samsung SSD 870 EVO is a premier option in the world of SATA SSDs, and easily wins our Editors Choice award as our favorite performance-minded SATA drive.
Strong write-durability rating
Cons
SATA drives still have a lower ceiling than PCI Express for large file transfers
Given all else it s known for across the galaxy, Samsung is certainly no stranger to the world of internal solid-state drives (SSDs). The company continues to be a leading force in the industry, producing some of the best SSDs we ve reviewed year in and year out. Pairing a few industry-standard features with a few more industry-leading speeds, the Samsung SSD 870 EVO (starts at $49.99; $529.99 for the 4TB version we tested) comes within inches of successfully bridging the gap between SATA and PCI Express drives with stellar results in program and game launching, as well as booting into Windows 10. Whether you need a new boot drive, a massive digital tome to store all your games (looking at you, Call of Duty: Warzone), or just a solid storage option all around, the zip-quick Samsung SSD 870 EVO is a premier option in the world of SATA SSDs, and easily wins our Editor