Intel 660p VS 970 EVO: What’s the Difference and Which Is Better?

When you search for Intel 660p vs 970 EVO SSD on Google, you may find various answers on many forums and communities. There is no doubt that Samsung 970 EVO SSD has excellent data transfer speed, while some people are confused about its real performance and want to choose Intel 660p SSD.

Here’s a true example from Reddit community:

Intel 660p vs 970 EVO which one should I choose? Right now, 660p is around $200 and 970 is $120. But Intel offers 4 times space. I’m aware 970 is generally faster but how noticeable is that difference in real-world use cases? Is it worth it to grab the 660p for that price or should I stick with 970? https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/bectih/intel_660p_2tb_vs_samsung_970_evo_plus_500gb/

About Intel 660p SSD

The Intel 660p SSD is one of the most famous products from Intel. This SSD was designed with the Quad-Level Cell NAND flash that stores 4 bits of information per cell. Due to its impressive power efficiency and large capacity, this Intel SSD has attracted a great many people.

–image from Amazon

The Intel 660p SSDs come with the M.2 form factor and PCIe 4.0 NVMe interface. With an affordable price, the Intel 660p SSD is sold at about $0.2 per GB. Its sequential read and write speed can rate up to 1800 MB/s. This SSD also boasts fast random read and write speed (150,000 IOPS/220,000 IOPS).

It uses 256-Bit AES hardware encryption to secure data and provides a 5-year warranty. In addition, the Intel 660p NVMe SSD also supports both the static DRAM and SLC caches. To give you an intuitive understanding, here we summarize its pros and cons as follows:

Pros:

• NVMe M.2 SSD with high capacity
• Impressive power efficiency
• Low price point
• High random read and write speed
• SSD Toolbox

Cons:

• Relatively low write endurance

About Samsung 970 EVO SSD

Samsung 907 EVO Plus is a commonly accepted high-performance NVMe M.2 SSD. It is one of the fastest M.2 SSDs around the SSDs. This SSD is a perfect choice for those who want to enjoy the experience of high power efficiency, data security, and fast data transferring.

–image from samsung.com

With the sustainable performance, the Samsung 970 EVO Plus boasts 3500MB/s sequential read speed and 3300MB/s sequential write speed. This SSD also provides strong write endurance powered by the latest V-NAND technology.

Moreover, the 970 EVO achieves unparalleled reliability. Its advanced controller and heat spreader create excellent heat dissipation. Its dynamic thermal guard can automatically monitor temperatures，which can help sustain an optimal operating temperature.

Here are the pros and cons of a Samsung 970 EVO:

Pros:

• Fastest sequential read and write speed
• Advanced V-NAND technology provides high power efficiency
• Extremely endurable
• Unparalleled reliability

Cons:

• Fairly expensive

Right now, you may have an overall understanding of the Intel 660p and Samsung 970 EVO. Both of the 2 SSDs have their own advantages and disadvantages so that lots of people are tangled in choosing one. Intel 660p vs Samsung 970 EVO, which is better? The following part will analyze this question from different aspects.

Intel 660p VS 970 EVO SSD

Is Intel 660p better than 970 EVO? This part mainly focuses on Intel 660p vs Samsung 970 EVO SSD. To help you make an easier choice, here we will compare them from the 5 main aspects. They are disk performance, capacity/cache memory, power consumption, reliability, and cache memory.

# 1. Real Performance

Disk performance should be the first and foremost factor for most people when purchasing an SSD. The 660p vs 970 EVO, which has better performance? As mentioned above, the Intel 660p SSD can rate up to 1800 MB/s sequential read and write speed, while Samsung 970 EVO SSD can rate up to 3500MB/s sequential read speed and 3300MB/s sequential write speed.

So, there is no doubt that Samsung 970 EVO has faster data speed than the Intel 660p. As the example mentioned above, however, some people are still confused about their performance in real-world use.

Do you want to know the real disk performance of the 2 SSD? With the help of MiniTool Partition Wizard, you can get a disk benchmark with ease. It is a professional disk management tool trusted by millions of users around the world.

You can use it to migrate OS to SSD, convert MBR to GPT, and resize partition, etc. This powerful software has helped users compare many storage devices’ speed such as Micro SD card U1 vs U3, SanDisk Extreme vs Extreme Pro, mSATA vs M.2, and so forth.

Click on the button below to download this program and follow the on-screen prompts to install it on your computer.

MiniTool Partition Wizard FreeClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Now, let’s see how to measure your SSD performance with MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 1. Launch this program to enter its main interface, and then click on the Disk Benchmark feature on the top toolbar.

Step 2. Select the drive letter of your SSD from the drop-down menu, and then you can further specify the test parameters like Transfer Size, Transfer Length, and Test Mode. After you have set these parameters, click on the Start button.

Step 3. This program will test your SSD performance at once. After several seconds, you will see the real data speed including sequential/random read and write speed.

# 2. Capacity

For those who want to have a large capacity but with less money, perhaps the Intel 660p SSD is more suitable. If you choose the Intel 660p SSDs, there are 3 storage capacities available including 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB. If you want to purchase the Samsung 970 EVO SSDs, capacities including 250GB, 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB are available for you.

According to a survey, the Intel 660p is less expensive than the 970 EVO per GB. You can pay about $112 for 1TB Intel 660p SSD, while you need to pay $180 for 1TB 970 EVO. That’s why many people are confused about whether it’s worth sticking with 970 EVO.

# 3. Cache Memory

Cache memory is a type of chip-based computer component. As a temporary storage area between RAM and CPU, it enables the data to be retrieved from the RAM more efficiently. Cache memory can be used to speed up and synchronize with high-speed CPU. It also saves frequently requested data and instructions.

For 1TB storage capacity, the Samsung 970 EVO SSD provides 1GB cache memory, while the cache memory of the Intel 660p is not applicable. If the cache memory is also important for you, then the 970 EVO is a good choice.

# 4. Power Consumption

Power consumption is a very important aspect to consider for Intel 660p vs 970 EVO gaming. Some SSDs will consume several watts of power at idle, while an efficient SSD just consume mill watts. Different brands of SSD and storage capacities have an impact on power consumption.

According to a survey from tom’s hardware, the 1TB Intel 660p SSD is one of the most efficient SSDs. It only consumes 2.31 watts of power when transferring a 50GB file, while Samsung 970 EVO consumes more power.

Here you can refer to this form created by tom’s hardware. The lower watts of power the SSD consumes, the more efficient the SSD is.

# 5. Reliability

In addition to the above information, it is necessary to compare the reliability between Samsung 970 EVO vs 660p. Both of the two SSDs are designed with 256-Bit AES Hardware Encryption, but they differ from the aspects of endurance (Total Bytes Written) and MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures).

Compared with the Intel 660p SSD, Samsung 970 EVO SSD boasts better-written endurance and lower MTBF. The Intel 660p provides 200TBW endurance, while 970 EVO provides 600TBW. The MTBF of Intel 660p is 1.6 million hours, while the 970 EVO is 1.5 million hours.

All the detailed comparison on Intel 660p vs Samsung 970 EVO has been told to you. Is Intel 660p better than 970 EVO? In fact, the answer depends on your specific needs. If you want a cost-effective and less power consumption SSD, then the Intel 660p is a good choice. If you want to have the fast speed for your gaming laptop, then Samsung 970 EVO is very suitable.

How to Upgrade to Intel 660p/970 EVO Without Reinstalling OS

SSDs are often used to upgrade the hard disk on your laptop. No matter you choose the Intel 660p or Samsung 970 EVO, you need to replace the previous hard disk with the new SSD. How to upgrade to SSD without reinstalling OS?

For that, you can use MiniTool Partition Wizard to migrate OS safely. Here is a complete guide for you:

Step 1. Launch this program to enter its main interface, and then select Migrate OS to SSD/HD Wizard from the left pane.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, select Option B to copy the system required partitions only and click on Next to go on.

Step 3. Select the SSD that you connect to the computer and click on Next.

Step 4. Select a copy option based on your needs and click on Next to continue.

Step 5. Click on the Finish and Apply buttons to execute this system migration.

Now, your Operating System is migrated to the SSD successfully.

This post mainly focuses on Intel 660p vs Samsung 970 EVO. If you are also trying to make a wise choice between the Intel 660p and 970 EVO, this post is what you need.Click to Tweet

What’s Your Opinion

This post compares the 2 SSDs from the aspects of disk performance, capacity, cache memory, power consumption, and reliability. Right now, you should know how to make a wise choice between Samsung 970 EVO vs 660p.

If you have any questions about this software, please send us an e-mail via [email protected]. We also appreciate any ideas in the comment area

Intel 660p VS 970 EVO FAQ