Samsung SM863a SSD Review

by Paul | Last Updated: July 5, 2022

The Samsung SM863a SSD drive is built using Samsung’s in-house components and it is designed for more write’s intensive tasks. It was released alongside the Samsung PM863a SSD drive that was designed for more read-intensive tasks.

The SSD drive uses Samsung’s V NAND technology that gives it a higher density with lower footprints. We have five storage options here starting from 120GB to 1.92TB.

The drive works well for enterprises but because of the sweet price point small and medium businesses can also use it. You can use the SSD drive for high-performance computing that takes up more of the write side while performing. It has the capacity to endure and sustain IOPS consistency.

The SM68 drive comes with an advanced error-correcting code engine that proactively finds and correct signal discrepancies in real-time.

In this comprehensive review, we will provide you with all the information you need to evaluate the Samsung SM863a as the best SSD drive for you. read on for its key features as well as pointers for selecting the best SSD card for your laptop.

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Why you need the Samsung SM863a for your laptop

An SSD card otherwise known as a solid-state drive is a computer data storage device that uses flash memory chips and it doesn’t have moving parts. It keeps data safe and performs faster than HDD (hard disk drive).

If your laptop doesn’t have an SSD drive then you are missing out on fast performance and a number of other features that will save your time.

 An SSD drive doesn’t have any moving parts so data stored inside will be safe even when it falls to the ground. Because there are no moving parts inside an SSD it won’t come up with any mechanical problems. Laptops that rely on HDD drives have to supply energy to the card before it works.

A laptop that uses an SSD drive wouldn’t sacrifice any power in order to service the SSD drive because it doesn’t come with a motor as we find inside an HDD drive.

A laptop that uses an SSD drive has faster read and write speeds than a laptop that uses HDD. there is the need for an HDD drive to spin before it works and it slows down the read and writes speed. An SSD drive uses a flash memory chip and data read and write speeds happen instantly and that’s why it is fast.

Maybe you have heard some weird noises when carrying out a graphic demanding task on your laptop well sometimes it’s the HDD drive inside your laptop.

Using an SSD card like the Samsung SM863a guarantees almost zero noise because we don’t have any parts moving. It also generates less heat an SSD drive is better if you want your workflow to be faster.

Selecting the Best SSD drive for your laptop 

The SM863a by Samsung looks similar to most of the other Samsung-made SSD drives out there. It comes in a minimalistic, slim, and flat design with a flat top and Samsung branding. At the back, we have a sticker that has all the necessary information that you need to know about the SSD drive.

The drive has tantalum capacitors for power loss protection. this SSD drive will work superbly well if you have a data center where they have to work all the time. Samsung also added some built-in thermals to prevent the SM863 from overheating.

The SSD drive has a sequential read speed of 520MBps and a sequential write speed of 485MBps. Random performance is quoted to be around 97,000 IOPS read and 29,000 IOPS write. It consumes low power and offers a reliability of 2 million hours.

The Samsung SM863a has a starting price of $140 for the 120GB model. There are a number of other benefits that you will get if you buy the SM683 SSD drive. One thing that doesn’t go down well with me is that it comes in only one form factor that is the 2.5. it has a five-year warranty which is certainly a great addition.

The SSD drive has a super low latency when loading applications and it has a SATA interface. It is one of the few SATA-based solid-state drives that enterprises can depend on to get consistent high performance. read along as we try to explore more about the components inside the SSD in a bit.

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Here are 6 key points for selecting the Samsung SM863a for your laptop

Good Build Quality

The Samsung SM863 has an identical finish that comes with all the order Samsung SSD drives. The black metal finish on the SM863 is reminiscent of both low and high-end SSD drives from Samsung. It was built in a superb way and it also has some thermals that keeps it from overheating. It has a minimalistic look and that is one of the things I love about the SSD card.

Reliable and Durable

The SSD drive can last for a while and to backup this claim Samsung is giving you a five-year warranty when you purchase the SSD card. it has some components that protects your files and data while they are stored in the SSD drive. Samsung claims the SM863 has a reliability of 2 million hours which is very impressive.

Great Performance

In terms of performance this is actually one of the best SSD drives that I have seen. It can be used to run intensive applications because it is originally an enterprise-based SSD drive. You can use it to run games and other intensive software’s. It has super low latency while loading apps and games which is impressive to see.

Warranty

The SSD drive has five years warranty which is incredible to see on a solid-state drive. Most of the drives we have reviewed generally come with a three- or two-years warranty. It tells you what Samsung thinks about their SSD card in terms of durability and reliability.

To claim the warranty however you need to keep the package it came with and the sticker intact.

V-NAND

Samsung used their in-house V-NAND flash memory inside the SSD drive. The V-NAND flash memory is a cell layer stacking technology where multiple flash memory cell layers are stacked vertically and 3-dimesionally on a single NAND chip. It is different from the normal NAND flash memory that we are used to seeing inside an SSD drive.

Low Power Consumption

The SSD drive doesn’t consume power that much because it doesn’t have moving parts like the motor inside a hard disk drive. When its idle it barely consumes any power but when in use it consumes between 2.4 watts and 3.1 watts at the maximum. You won’t get any of those creaky sounds when its working.

A closer look at the Samsung SM863a SSD

Inside the Samsung SM863a SSD drive you will see the vertically integrated components, from the Samsung V-NAND to the Samsung SSD controller. The solid-state drive has Samsung’s Mercury controller.

Performance on the SM863a is highly optimized for mixed workload applications. 4k random read/write speed is rated at up to 99,000/12,320 IOPS endurance rating depends on the capacity of the SSD drive.

Samsung used a ¾ sized PCB with a total of 8 NAND packages onboard. The design is almost identical to the popular Samsung EVO 850. It comes with 256-bit hardware-based encryption and it works well with Windows, Linux, and macOS.

The SSD card can be used at the enterprise level but at the same time Samsung also markets it as an option for small and medium businesses. As a creator, you can also trust on the Samsung SM863 SSD drive to be your storage option.

It can handle demanding tasks including 3D modeling and rendering. You can use it to edit photos and even open the most demanding video editing software like DaVinci resolve and Adobe Premier Pro.

Samsung makes a lot of incredible SSD drives and the Samsung SM863a is not different it can easily be recommended because of its performance. it is also durable although it lacks some features that I would have loved to see as a software package for modifying the SSD drive.

About the Samsung SM863a manufacturers

Samsung is one of the largest technology conglomerates in the world with its headquarters in Samsung town Seoul. It comprises of numerous affiliate businesses with most of them united under the Samsung brand name. the brand is the largest South Korean business Conglomerate and as of 2020, Samsung was the 8th highest brand in the world in terms of value. They are one of the biggest smartphone and electronics makers in the world as well as a number of other products that includes SSD drives.

Product Specifications and Features

Form Factor – 2.5 7mm

Controller – Samsung Mercury

Storage Options – 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, 960 GB, and 1.92 TB

NAND – Samsung 2-bit V-NAND

Interface – SATA 6GBps

Warranty – Up to 5 years

Dimension – 3.94 x 2.75 x 0.39 inches

Weight – 6.3 kilograms

Description of the Samsung SM863a SSD

The Samsung SM863a SATA SSD with V-NAND technology is an ideal solution for servers that need enhanced data reliability to safeguard critical data. From optimized performance and high quality of service, to power loss protection and end to end data protection.

They deliver a highly reliable enterprise storage solution using the SATA interface. The Samsung SM863a SSD features a 2.5 form factor and SATA interface, making it easy to upgrade your SSDs within your existing infrastructure. And the SSD is backed by a 5-year limited warranty.

Pros of the Samsung SM863a SSD

Different Storage Options – the SSD drive has different storage options and it gives the consumers choice depending on their budget or need. We have five storage variants and they include the 120 GB, 240 GB, 480 GB, 960 GB, and 1.92 TB. They come in a linear format not the normal format that you get the complete storage space. for example, 2 TB here is capped at 1.92 TB.

Low Latency – the SM863a has super low latency while loading software’s. it is really fast and reliable because of the components that Samsung used while building the Solid-state drive. You can use the SSD card for intensive graphic task that include 3D modeling and rendering. It can be used for gaming although the main purpose of the SSD drive is for enterprise usage.

Excellent Performance – performance on the Samsung SM863a SSD is excellent and superb. It has a great read ad write speed that you can depend on. The performance is consistent and it stays the same even when you use it for long hours. We have a V-NAND flash memory that stays consistent inside the SSD drive.

Good Build – the SSD card has an amazing build quality and it has Samsung signature written all over it. It looks like most of the other Samsung SSD cards with a black minimalistic metal finish. It comes in a 2.5 format and will fit inside most modern laptops and desktops. All the components inside the SSD drive are perfectly arrange and the NAND components are arranged vertically. Samsung impressed me with the aesthetics of the SM863 SSD drive.

Cons of the Samsung SM863a SSD

Only one Form Factor – the SSD card comes in only one form factor and that is 2.5. it would have been better if we have other form factors like the M.2 and mSATA to give consumers more options. Although we have different storage options it would have been better if they gave consumers more form factors. It would have been much easier to recommend the SSD drive.

Lacks Software Support – the lack of software support is another problem as you can’t modify the Solid-State Drive. It only has 256-bit encryption that is built in without a software which is a problem for me. With a software you will be able to monitor the State of the SSD drive easily and even make changes to the SSD drive

F.A.Q

Can I use the Samsung SM863a inside my gaming laptop?

Yes, as long as the form factor will fit inside the gaming laptop then it would work nice and easy.

Will this work with MacOS?

Yes, the SSD card works with windows, macOS and Linus it works well across all the operating systems.

Where was this Solid-State Drive Manufactured?

It was made in Korea. Not China as most consumers will think.

Rounding Up

Samsung made a statement with the release of the Samsung SM863a SSD drive. Even though it has the standards of an enterprise they still marketed it as an SSD drive for smaller data centers. The drive is a write-intensive SSD that delivers high performance, high endurance, and low power consumption.

It has built in thermals that prevents it from overheating and it has tantalum capacitor that protects it against power loss. The SSD drive has super low latency in application workload analysis and it is a solid performer as well.