Question 1

Whats the difference between this one and the 960 pro?

Accepted Answer

The 960 Pro is from the previous generation. The newer one is the 970 Pro. Comparing the 960 Pro to the newer 970 EVO is a bit difficult because they aren't in the same class. 
The Primary difference between the Pro and the EVO is the Pro uses MLC (Multi Level Cell) whereas the EVO uses a Triple Level Cell.

Case and point with the EVO. You can get a 2tb EVO drive but the Pro tops out at 1tb. The silicon is able to get more storage space for the real estate with TLC. On the other hand MLC is more reliable and more hearty than TLC which is why the Pro is using the MLC.

Maybe you want to know about write endurance. One thing to keep in mind about write endurance is you will probably never come close to hitting it's limits unless you are using the drive all the time to save and load large files like a professional would. Also, the write endurance of the 1tb 970 Pro is double the write endurance of the 512gb 970 Pro.  hardware review sites and done tests of the actual write cycle longevity of these drives and these drives last longer than what they're rated for. More than likely in your case, these drives will be long obsolete by the time they're half worn out.

The write endurance of the 500gb 970 EVO is 300TB write cycles. Sequential R/W of the 970 EVO is 3400MB/s read and 2300MB/s write. I believe the 970 evo uses a Single Level Cell cache to boost write speeds.

The write endurance of the 512gb 960 Pro is 400TB/wc. Sequential R/W of the 960 Pro is 3500MB/s read and 2100MB/s write

The 970 series is more refined. Both use the updated Phoenix controller whereas the 960 series uses the Polaris controller.

Both the 960 Pro and 970 EVO have a 5 year warranty. The older 960 EVO only has a 3 year warranty.

The answer to this question between the 960 Pro and 970 Evo is simple........... get whichever is cheaper.

Question 2

I want the 2 TB, is it possible?

Accepted Answer

It's technically possible. Frankly if you need 2TB you aren't using NVMe technology for what it was made for. In my opinion NVMe should be used for the OS and high memory demand games ONLY. For large data storage SSD are only good if you want to write data once and leave it safely for a long time. SDD's have a finite number of times you can write to each data block before they fail. And NVMe is best used for super fast data writing (ei done in the background). For games I use my NVMe for extended page filing (swap). If you are writing new data frequently you are better off with a high speed HDD (which are also allllot cheaper).

Question 3

Hi i have questions how the better samsung evo 970 or  wd black 250gb high-performance nvme pcie gen3 8 gb/s m.2 2280 ??

Accepted Answer

Reviews have suggested that the two drives are VERY close in performance (nearly within margin of error of tests).  The WD Black gen3 devices were the first ones to actually challenge the 960 EVO NVMe drives for dominance of the high-performance consumer grade SSDs.  You can't go wrong with either one, as far as I can tell, at least from reviews.  They'll provide insignificant differences in speed/performance between the two.  Therefore, you should purchase based on price and (if it's important to you) warranty.  Note also that the WD drive caps at 1TB in size (vs. 2 TB for the 970 EVO), so if you wanted to go that route, there's only one choice.

As far as "best high-performance consumer level" NVMe drive, the 970 EVO and the 3rd generation WD black are on an even playing field, and both at the top of the stack (this ignores the "prosumer" market devices like the 970 Pro where prices are much higher per gigabyte).

Note that it's possible that you won't notice any performance difference between these high-performance NVMe drives and, say, a high-quality SATA drive.

Question 4

How do you format this and why is that necessary for new drives? What stops me from plugging it right into my system and getting started?

Accepted Answer

It's necessary for new drives because formatting sets up a file system.  Different operating systems use different file systems and Samsung doesn't know what OS you're using, so they don't format it for you.  Oftentimes flash drives or external drives come already formatted, but they're making an assumption, and you should probably re-format those when you get them too.

Brand	SAMSUNG
Product Dimensions	2.21 x 8 x 2.29 cm; 54.43 g
Item model number	MZ-V7E500BW
Manufacturer	Samsung
Series	970 EVO
Color	Black/Red
Form Factor	2.5" \| M.2(2280) \| mSATA
RAM Size	500 GB
Hard Drive Size	500 GB
Hard Disk Description	Solid State Hard Drive
Hard Drive Interface	SATA 3 GB/s sata_3_gbps
Hard Disk Rotational Speed	3500
Wattage	500
Operating System	Windows & Mac
Are Batteries Included	No
Item Weight	54.4 g

Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 PCIe NVMe Internal SSD(MZ-V7E500BW)

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