Samsung has the cheapest 2TB SSD right now but it uses a controversial technology

1TB is the sweet spot as far as solid state drives are concerned, with the cheapest 1TB SSD routinely available for around $80.

But if you need more capacity, it's often worth looking at a 2TB drive (unless you have enough space and connectors to plug in two separate 1TB drives).

Such items are falling in price rapidly and at least five models - from Samsung, Team Group, Crucial, Micron, and Gloway - can be purchased for under $200 (all from Newegg). Samsung is by far the most well known of the vendors, but its 860 QVO drive (MZ-76Q2T0B/AM) is based on QLC technology, which might raise eyebrows.

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In a nutshell, QLC-based SSD tend to have lower endurance and performance, especially as the drive reaches capacity. They also usually have a shorter warranty compared to similar products. For what it’s worth, the Samsung’s 860 QVO has a three-year warranty, similar to other TLC-based products available at the same price.

On paper, the 860 QVO is faster than solid state drives from Micron and Crucial - in sequential and random read and write speeds. It also offers a written warranty of 720TB (i.e. writing/rewriting the drive 360 times over).

Samsung mitigates some of the issues associated with QLC via a feature called Intelligent TurboWrite, which accelerates write speeds and maintains long-term high performance with a larger variable buffer.