To anyone out there who’s struggling to come to terms with their computer’s slow performance, Samsung Electronics has four simple words for you: it’s not your fault. Ageing hard disk drives (HDDs) have slowed so many of us down at the most inconvenient of times. We all have our stories. Fortunately, as the videos below show, Samsung has a solution.

Each tongue-in-cheek clip in Samsung’s “It’s not your fault” series opens on a group therapy session that’s unlike any other, but that so many of us can relate to. After sharing stories of how their sluggish PCs caused increasingly long boot times, crashed in the middle of a game (and erased all of their progress), and prevented a father from buying his daughter a birthday gift she’d never forget, the participants learn that it’s not their fault that their computer let them down, and that they can start the healing process by upgrading from an HDD to a Samsung solid-state drive (SSD).

When it comes down to it, most computer processing issues are caused by slow storage devices, which can limit the speeds of the fastest CPUs. Unlike HDDs, which feature internal parts that physically rotate in order to read and write data, SSDs feature no rotating parts – which makes them much more durable than HDDs – and store data on semiconductor chips that support much faster processing.

To offer HDD users insight into their computer’s health, Samsung has created a fun and simple questionnaire that allows you to find out whether your computer is stuck in the Jurassic or Middle Ages, or firmly in the SSD era. Head over to Samsung’s official PC Age Calculator to see how your computer stacks up.

Don’t forget to check out each of the hilarious (and all-too-relatable) clips above, and stay tuned to Samsung Newsroom for more fun “It’s not your fault” videos.

We’re speaking, of course, of solid state drives (SSDs). While it’s true that SSDs have been on consumers’ radars for quite some time, many have found large-capacity models to be a bit too expensive for their liking.

That is, until now. Samsung’s recent release of the multi-terabyte 860 QVO SSD has made cutting-edge speed and performance more accessible than ever. Let’s examine how the company’s latest innovative drive stacks up against conventional HDDs, and discover why it’s time for more consumers to adopt a true 21st-century storage solution.

Built for Reliability

One of the key differences between HDDs and SSDs boils down to design. HDDs rely on moving parts, which, over time, can make them slower and less reliable. This can eventually lead files to become scattered across the disk, further reducing the drive’s performance.

The 860 QVO, on the other hand, was built with Samsung’s high-density 4-bit multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash architecture, which features no moving parts to slow you down. This also allows the SSD to offer better durability than an HDD, with greater resistance to shocks.

The design differences between HDDs (above) and SSDs

Efficiency Is Everything

In addition to a durable, lightweight design, the 860 QVO offers users exceptional efficiency.

Compared to a conventional HDD, Samsung’s drive consumes less power, emits less heat, and runs noise and vibration free. And because it’s backed by Samsung’s industry-leading TBW rate, users can trust that the 860 QVO will keep their data more safe.

The Need for Speed

Now let’s talk speed. Featuring sequential read and write speeds of up to 550 megabytes per second (MB/s) and 520 MB/s, respectively, the 860 QVO offers approximately 60 percent faster boot speeds, makes unzipping files 110 percent faster, and allows you to copy files a whopping 250 percent faster than a conventional HDD.

Best of all, because the drive’s 2.5-inch form factor fits perfectly into most PCs and laptops, upgrading from an HDD to the 860 QVO – and turbocharging your computing experience – couldn’t be easier.

Making ‘Exceptional’ More Accessible

Before Samsung’s introduction of the 860 QVO, offering a multi-terabyte SSD that combined this level of speed and reliability, all at a price point comparable to an HDD, was virtually unheard of.

Affordability is just one of the many factors that make this drive a true game-changer. Check out the video above to learn more about why you should consider making the 860 QVO your first terabyte SSD.

Professional sports players are sensitive to even the slightest changes in their equipment. For gamers, establishing the most suitable environment for gameplay can be just as important as improving their skills. One of the most significant pieces of computer equipment is the Solid-state Drive, a key component that improves a computer’s performance and the smoothness of play.

One individual who appreciates the importance of hardware performance is Kyo Min “Evermore” Koo, a rising star in professional gaming and avid streamer. He was also amongst the winners in the recent Charity tournament at the PUBG Invitational 2018 in Berlin. To get a better understanding of the interplay between the game, the equipment and the gamer, the Newsroom invited Evermore to perform a brief experiment on Samsung’s fastest SSD to date, the NVMe SSD 970 EVO.

Samsung NVMe SSD 970 series and SATA SSD 860 series

An SSD is a type of data storage device, similar to a Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Currently the worldwide market share of HDD and SSD is 45% and 55%, respectively, but there are some key differences between the two devices. While an HDD stores and retrieves digital information using rotating disks coated with magnetic material, an SSD uses semiconductor flash memory to store data. This means an SSD is able to withstand greater amounts of shock and heat. The Samsung NVMe SSD 970 EVO boasts the fastest speed and highest reliability amongst SSDs, providing consumers the best conditions to perform HD and 3D graphic design tasks, play high spec games and create VR content.

Evermore tested out two desktop computers that had exactly the same systems – apart from their data storage drives. One was fitted with an HDD (1TB, SATA3, 7200rpm) and the other with an SSD (NVMe SSD 970 EVO, 250GB).

Installing an NVMe SSD 970 is quite simple. Insert the SSD in the M.2 slot. No additional cable is required. Remember to check in advance whether the M.2 slot of the mainboard supports the NVMe interface.

Recalling his past experiences, Evermore pointed to the tangible differences between the two types of data storage device: “My personal computer is equipped with the best of the best. One day I stopped by an Internet café that had computers with HDDs installed. I could really feel the difference. Just as I suspected, I was slower to start than my friends who were playing on different computers. There were also some delays during the battle. I had never lost to my friends before that day.”

The nature of open world games means that time is of the essence. “Everything happens in the blink of a moment when playing open world games,” Evermore explained. “The loading time of the textures on the map is crucial when playing games such as PUBG. Even when you spot your enemy before they spot you, if you react slowly because of the loading time, they will attack first and it can be hard to win.”

Evermore playing PUBG on Samsung CJ89 – 49” supersize monitor

During battle royale games, multiple players all interact with each other across a vast battlefield, which means that a large amount of data is processed very quickly. A highly advanced SSD can significantly affect the match result.

During the experiment, Evermore could feel this immediately: “When playing the game, the computer reads and writes the data from the storage drive repeatedly, so it is important for the storage to have a high performance. While playing today on the computer installed with an HDD, I felt the same delay I experienced at the Internet café, whereas the computer with the NVMe SSD 970 EVO showed no such issues.”

Measuring the data processing speed for each computer. The speed of the computer equipped with an SSD 970 EVO (right) is more than twenty times faster than that of the computer with an HDD (left).

When playing a game which requires high specs, the computer’s fan can be very loud as it rotates to cool down the heat that the computer components are generating inside the case.

The power consumption can also soar when playing games for a long period of time, as Evermore revealed: “I spend any spare time I have playing games. However, the computer heats up when I use it for several hours.”

An SSD consumes less power than an HDD since the booting, loading and data processing speeds are swifter and it emits less heat.

To Evermore, the contrast is significant: “I can definitely tell the difference between an HDD and SSD. Since large data processing is essential when playing open world games, they automatically consume more power. Of course, the CPU or storage drives heat up once you’ve been playing a high spec game for some time. The SSD 970 EVO, in that sense, is fascinating because it has a high level of performance but doesn’t heat up that much. I heard this is because of its high power efficiency.”

The NVMe SSD 970 EVO also has a Dynamic Thermal Guard function that safeguards against overheating by automatically monitoring and maintaining optimal operating temperatures. With high power efficiency optimized for high spec computing systems, gameplay can continue for many hours.

The increasing popularity of game streaming platforms has led more and more professional gamers to create their own streaming channels, and Evermore is no exception.

Evermore enjoys interacting with his fans on various streaming channels, including Twitch and Kakao TV

“Streaming is the easiest way to communicate with my fans,” he remarked. “In order to record and talk to my fans at the same time, I definitely need a high spec computer.”

Streamers will edit and upload highlight films, or live stream while playing games and communicating with their fans. Since everything is happening simultaneously, this process requires strong multitasking skills from both the gamer and the computer. The Samsung NVMe SSD 970 EVO minimizes buffering and other issues when multitasking, so that gamers can record their games and voice-chat with other players at the same time.

Evermore preparing to start streaming after the SSD 970 EVO has been installed on the computer

Evermore outlines the potential pitfalls and solutions: “During live streaming, there can be buffering when you run several programs at the same time. Sometimes, your voice does not sync with the video if you don’t have an adequate computer system. Using an advanced SSD like the 970 EVO eases the burden on the CPU and the graphics.”

With lightning fast speeds, superior power efficiency and the ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, the SSD 970 EVO is a data storage drive ideal for a wide range of high spec games and tasks.