Wings on your mobile! Samsung’s Spinpoint M8 series employs advanced format technology (AFT) that raises the data storage density per unit area, enabling efficient and convenient data storage. It operates on a high-performance 3 gigabits per second SATA interface, provides an eight megabyte buffer memory and incorporates EcoSeek and NoiseGuard features for minimal noise levels. A redesign of the overall structure ensures enhanced shock resistance to protect the disc from physical fracture and data loss. Fast and reliable with a 5400rpm spin speed and 8MB buffer, Samsung’s Spinpoint M8 series is the perfect choice for use in mobile computing applications such as notebooks.
High PerformanceCombining SATA 3Gbps with Native Command Queuing, generous high speed cache and large capacity, the Samsung Spinpoint M8 series hard drive delivers solid performance to meet the most demanding applications.
Optimized AcousticsFeaturing advanced SilentSeek technology and NoiseGuard, the Samsung Spinpoint M8 series drive helps create an almost silent work space and keep your mind in peace.
Pros: This Samsung Spinpoint M9T 2TB is a fantastic little drive for the price. Of course, when I say little, I only mean in physical size, becasue you get a ton of storage. Before we go any further, we may as well get the numbers out of the way. All of these tests were performed on the test hardware listed in "Other thoughts". All results are in MB/s unless otherwise specified. * CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 X64 * 50MB Read/Write: Seq: 125.3 / 148.4 512K: 62.42 / 156.3 4K: 0.846 / 8.969 4K QD32: 1.945 / 7.096 1000MB Read/Write: Seq: 133.0 / 131.6 512K: 38.15 / 51.25 4K: 0.454 / 1.054 4K QD32: 0.858 / 1.145 4000MB Read/Write: Seq: 131.1 / 131.7 512K: 36.93 / 47.69 4K: 0.412 / 0.874 4K QD32: 0.731 / 0.907 * AIDA64 Disk Benchmark Reads * 4KB Linear Begin: 69.6 4KB Linear Middle: 69.6 4KB Linear End: 56.4 4KB Random Read: 63.4 4KB Buffered Read: 46.8 512KB Linear Begin: 129.2 512KB Linear Middle: 98.7 512KB Linear End: 56.1 512KB Random Read: 88.0 512KB Buffered Read: 334.6 4MB Linear Begin: 129.0 4MB Linear Middle: 99.0 4MB Linear End: 56.2 4MB Random Read: 104.9 4MB Buffered Read: 362.9 8MB Linear Begin: 129.0 8MB Linear Middle: 99.6 8MB Linear End: 56.3 8MB Random Read: 80.7 8MB Buffered Read: 354.4 Average Read Access (across all tests): 13.25ms to 16.63ms * AIDA64 Disk Benchmark 8MB Writes * Linear Min: 118.3 Linear Max: 141.0 Linear Average: 127.8 Random Min: 58.0 Random Max: 117.2 Random Average: 93.98 Buffered Min: 225.2 Buffered Max: 291.9 Buffered Average: 286.2 Average Write Access 64KB Min: 12.95 ms Average Write Access 64KB Max: 19.17 ms Average Write Access 64KB Average: 16.06 ms * General File Copy * Average write times from SSD. 50 MP3 Files (565MB): 8s 2GB Movie: 19s 3.9GB Fraps Video: 28s Average read times to SSD. 50 MP3 Files (565MB): 4s 2GB Movie: 15s 3.9GB Fraps Video: 29s Copy/Duplicate to self. 50 MP3 Files (565MB): 6s 2GB Movie: 30s 3.9GB Fraps Video: 1m 8s Now that we got all of that out of the way... While some of the numbers are not as impressive as other drives on the market, those other drives are also don't offer 2TB of capacity. So the trade off makes a lot more sense when you take that into account. It also pays to mention that this drive never draws over 3W during operation, and it idles under 1W. I don't have the tools necessary to give exact power draw numbers that are more specific. It's low power draw is a huge plus for mobile use. During my testing, I put the drive under a host of "real world" use to see how it would perform on common tasks most users would likely do. I had no problems playing back HD video from the HDD while still performing other general tasks. Game load times are what you would expect from such a drive. It also had no problems keeping up with multi-tasking. At no time did the drive feel "slow", it performed as expected, and better in some cases. A credit to the
Cons: None that I have experienced as of yet.
Overall Review: Test Hardware Used: AMD FX-8350 @ 4.5GHz ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 16GB G.Skill 1866 Seagate 600 Series SSD Overall, I think Samsung (technically Seagate since they bought the HDD division of Samsung) has a great drive in the M9T. This is a wonderful option for those looking for large storage capacity, but would still like performance as well. Other than dropping it into your laptop, this would make a fantastic high capacity drive for an HTPC or other small form factor setup. In fact, that's where this drive is going for the long haul. I will drop another review here if I run into any problems, or if there are any noteworthy developments as it runs in my gaming HTPC. So in closing, I would easily recommend this drive. It's specs, price, and performance make it a very competitive product!