Samsung MZ7KM480HMHQ0D3 480 GB SM863a SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 inch Write Intensive / Mixed Use Solid State Drive

General

Brand	Samsung
Model	SM863a
Capacity	480 GB
Usage Class	Write Intensive / Mixed Use

Interface

Host Interface	SATA 6Gb/s
Total Interface Bandwidth	6 Gb/s

Physical Dimension

Form Factor	2.5

Flash & Endurance

NAND Flash	Samsung V-NAND 2bit MLC
Drive Writes Per Day	3.6
Total Bytes Written	3088 TBW

Performance

Sequential Read	510 MB/s
Sequential Write	485 MB/s
Random Read IOPS	95000
Random Write IOPS	28000
Average Latency	40 μs

Reliability

Mean Time Between Failures	2 Million Hours
Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate	1.0×10⁻¹⁷
Power Loss Protection	Yes

Part Number

MPN	MZ-7KM480E

Engineer's Note

The MZ7KM480HMHQ0D3 (SM863a) stands out in the 480GB SATA enterprise tier by combining Samsung V-NAND 2-bit MLC with 3.6 DWPD and 3,088 TBW, giving it a clear advantage for write-intensive virtualization, logging, and mixed OLTP workloads where endurance matters more than headline interface speed. Compared with the earlier MZ-7KM480E, this generation delivers a stronger endurance profile and better sustained enterprise consistency while maintaining near-SATA-limit throughput at 510/485 MB/s and up to 95K/28K IOPS.

Endurance & Reliability

With an endurance rating of 3,088 TBW and 3.6 DWPD, the MZ7KM480HMHQ0D3 is built to handle sustained write-intensive enterprise workloads over its service life. In practical terms, for typical server or system-disk usage, this level of endurance provides a very comfortable margin for long-term deployment and day-to-day operation without concern about premature wear. The drive also includes enterprise-class reliability features such as power loss protection (PLP), which helps preserve in-flight data and metadata if power is interrupted unexpectedly. Combined with an ultra-low UBER of 1.0E-17 and a 2 million hour MTBF, it is designed to deliver highly dependable data integrity and stable operation in business-critical environments.

Technical Specs & Insights

1. The SATA 6Gb/s interface ensures broad drop-in compatibility with mainstream enterprise servers and storage arrays, making it ideal for cost-efficient refreshes without changing existing backplanes or controllers.
2. With sequential read performance of 510 MB/s, this drive accelerates large-block workloads such as OS imaging, backup restores, and content distribution in read-heavy infrastructure.
3. Its 95,000 K IOPS random read capability enables fast access to small, scattered data blocks, helping virtualized environments and database workloads maintain responsive service under concurrency.
4. Rated at 3.6 DWPD, the SSD is built for write-intensive enterprise use cases, giving IT teams the endurance headroom needed for logging, caching, and transactional workloads over its service life.
5. Samsung V-NAND 2bit MLC combined with a typical latency of 40 µs provides enterprise-grade consistency and low response time, supporting predictable QoS for latency-sensitive applications.

Capacity Sweet

Lower capacity reference: 240 GB Higher capacity reference: 960 GB At 480 GB, this drive sits at the sweet spot of the series. Compared with the 240 GB model, it offers much better headroom for OS images, application growth, logs, and overprovisioning, reducing early capacity pressure in always-on enterprise environments. Compared with the 960 GB model, it keeps acquisition cost and replacement budgeting more controlled while delivering essentially the same class of sequential and random performance. In practice, 480 GB is a strong fit for mid-scale deployments, such as hosting boot and application volumes for about 40 to 60 virtualized business workloads.

FAQ