Best 500GB Samsung MLC SSDs
There are 8 500GB Samsung MLC SSDs compared here. The fastest is the Samsung 960 PRO M.2 at 3500 MB/s read, and the highest-rated for endurance is the Samsung 860 PRO (4800 TBW). Sequential reads across the group span 450–3500 MB/s at 500GB.
Why this configuration
A 500GB Samsung MLC SSD is a legacy endurance choice. MLC stores two bits per cell instead of three, so these older drives take far more rewriting than a modern budget drive, at a much higher cost per gigabyte. Samsung specifically tends to be chosen here for its firmware track record and warranty support.
500GB is a sensible OS-plus-a-few-games size.
Usually chosen for: write-heavy secondary roles and keeping older machines useful.
Good fit: mainstream desktop and laptop builds.
Ranked list
Speeds on this page are the manufacturer's 500GB ratings where published (2 of 8 drives), not the family headline figure. Rated writes at 500GB run 450–1000 MB/s.
| # | Model | Tier | Controller | Read MB/s (at 500GB) | TBW | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Samsung 960 PRO M.2 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG POLARIS CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500* | 1200 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 |  Samsung 860 PRO 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG MJX CONTROLLER (3-Core, 8- | 560* | 4800 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 |  Samsung 840 PRO 128GB, 250GB, 500GB | Top-tier | Samsung's 3-Core MDX Controller | 540* | 73 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 |  Samsung PRO 970 M.2 500GB, 1TB | Top-tier | SAMSUNG PHOENIX CONTROLLER (5-Core | 3500* | 1200 | Find on Amazon |
| 5 |  Samsung 830 SERIES 128GB, 250GB, 500GB, 64GB | High-end | SAMSUNG S4LJ204X01-Y040 | 520* | — | Find on Amazon |
| 6 |  Samsung 950 PRO 250GB, 500GB | Mid-range | Samsung UBX | 2500* | 400 | Check price on Amazon |
| 7 |  Samsung T7 TOUCH PORTABLE SSD 500GB, 1TB, 2TB | Mid-range | "SAMSUNG 2-core Samsung Pablo + SA | 1050 | — | Find on Amazon |
| 8 |  Samsung T1 PORTABLE SSD 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | Mid-range | SAMSUNG 2-core MGX controller(S4L0 | 450 | — | Find on Amazon |
* family rating — the manufacturer does not publish a 500GB figure for this drive.
The parts, explained
500GB is a comfortable OS-and-games starting point.
MLC NAND is older and costs more per gigabyte, but is very durable.
Staying with Samsung means consistent firmware, tooling and warranty handling across the range.