Conclusion
Although there are corner cases where one SATA-based SSD outperforms another, even enthusiasts have a tough time telling the difference under light or moderate workloads. Increasingly, absolute performance is taking a backseat to price and, in many cases, reliability when we make our buying decisions.
At this year's CES, Samsung let us know that its 750 EVO SSD would become available worldwide. Up until then, it was only sold in a few select Asian markets. I was even hunting for a vendor to buy from in Japan.
When the 750 EVO was first announced, Samsung didn't delineate that the SSD's primary target was system integrators. Now that we understand the product better, we know why it was so difficult to purchase. The 750 EVO is also more affordable than the 850 EVO, competing with other ultra-lowcost drives. With a MSRP of $74.99 for the 250GB model and $54.99 for the 120GB version, the 750 EVO can compete with drives that the 850 EVO can't.
The 750 EVO's endurance rating pigeonholes the drive as an entry-level offering, despite deceptively good performance. This should not come as a surprise; it's typical of Samsung to target a segment with pricing, only to soak up market share with a product superior in other ways.
Like the 850 EVO, Samsung's 750 EVO introduces the performance of a higher-end SSD to a lower price point. The new drives even deliver 10,000 random read IOPS, so you can be sure your storage experience will be responsive. Who would have thought we'd be identifying an excellent-performing 250GB-class drive in the $70 price range so early in 2016?
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Chris Ramseyer is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware, covering Storage. Follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.