The Deal and the Reality Check
The Samsung 870 EVO 2TB SSD SATA III is showing a 54% discount, landing at $474.97 versus an original price of $1,039.99. Here's the thing: that original price is inflated enough to make you suspicious. The real story isn't the discount percentage—it's whether this drive makes sense for your actual needs right now, in September 2026.
Speed and Performance: The Honest Conversation
The 870 EVO maxes out at 560MB/s read speeds. That's respectable for a SATA drive, and it'll feel fine if you're upgrading from a traditional hard drive. But "fine" isn't the same as competitive. NVMe drives have been the standard for three years now, and they routinely hit 3,500–7,000MB/s. Real-world difference? Booting Windows takes seconds instead of 10–15 seconds. Loading large files in Photoshop is noticeably snappier. Games load faster. If you're doing video editing or working with huge datasets, the gap becomes impossible to ignore.
Who Should Actually Buy This
The 870 EVO makes sense in specific situations. If you're upgrading an older laptop or desktop that only supports SATA connections, this is a solid, reliable choice—Samsung's reputation for durability holds up, and the enterprise-grade security features (like AES 256-bit encryption) are a genuine plus. It's also a good secondary storage drive if your main NVMe slot is full. For those use cases, $474.97 for 2TB of proven storage is reasonable.
Who Should Skip It
If you're building a new PC or replacing a drive in a modern laptop, don't settle for SATA. The Samsung 990 2TB NVMe SSD is available at $369.99—that's $105 cheaper, and you're getting 13x faster speeds. If you can stretch the budget slightly, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB is at $599.99, giving you double the capacity and triple the performance.
The Verdict
This deal isn't a trap, but it's not a slam dunk either. The 870 EVO is reliable, proven hardware—just outdated for the price. Buy it only if your system physically can't use NVMe, or if you need a dedicated secondary drive. Otherwise, invest those $474.97 in an NVMe alternative and feel the difference every single day you use your computer.
FAQ
Is SATA storage completely obsolete in 2026?
No, it's not obsolete—it's just slower. SATA works fine for casual computing, but for gaming, content creation, or any performance-sensitive task, NVMe is the standard now and costs roughly the same.
Will this drive slow down my new PC?
If your motherboard supports NVMe, installing a SATA drive will leave performance on the table. You'll notice it during boot, file transfers, and application loading. Stick with NVMe for new systems.
Is Samsung 870 EVO reliable?
Yes. Samsung's track record is solid, and the 870 EVO includes good longevity specs and encryption. Reliability isn't the issue here—it's speed for the money.
Should I buy this as a backup drive?
If you already have a fast NVMe boot drive and just need extra storage space, the 870 EVO is fine. It'll handle file archiving, media storage, and backups without complaint.