Samsung 980 Pro review: A beast mode upgrade for your PC or PS5

Samsung 980 Pro Source: Windows Central

Allow me start past saying this. Samsung's SSDs are a personal favorite of mine. The various PCs in our firm all have at least one Samsung bulldoze inside. Why? Because they make the best SSDs. The quality and performance are astounding, you get a bully warranty for added peace of listen and helpful companion software to extract the very best.

Only there's been one glaring hole in Samsung's SSD lineup until now. PCIe iv.0 SSDs were initially limited to the AMD Ryzen platform, but nevertheless, Samsung notwithstanding arrived pretty much last to the party.

But was the wait worth information technology?

Creature Mode

980 Pro

Samsung 980 Pro

Lesser line: Samsung's 980 Pro isn't the absolute fastest PCIe 4.0 drive you tin can buy, but information technology continues the visitor's tradition of blistering performance, quality, and a fair cost.

Pros:

Insane functioning
Attractive pricing
Not bad warranty
Choice of capacity
PS5 compatible

Cons:

Can get warm
No included heatsink

Samsung 980 Pro delivers on performance

Samsung 980 Pro Source: Windows Central

The Samsung 980 Pro is the SSD I've been most excited to finally get my hands on all year. Why? Considering the Korean giant has a legendary reputation in the space and every i of its almost contempo releases has been an accented barnstormer. I've been using a Samsung 970 EVO Plus in one of my machines since it came out considering it was the best of its fourth dimension.

Samsung has taken its time getting into PCIe 4.0 only it'due south certainly worth the expect.

Spec-wise here's what we're looking at.

Category	Spec
Capacity	250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB (coming subsequently in 2022)
Interface	PCIe Gen4 x4, / NVMe one.3c Compliant
DRAM	512MBV LPDDR4 (250GB, 500GB) 1GB LPDDR4 (1TB)
Sequential read	Upwardly to 7,000 MB/s
Sequential write	Up to 5,000 MB/due south
Random read	Up to ane,000K IOPS
Random write	Up to 1,000K IOPS
Endurance	Up to 600 TBW
NAND	Samsung V-NAND 3-fleck MLC
Controller	Samsung Elpis
Warranty	5 years

At that place's little else to talk nigh in terms of the raw product, information technology's a blackness PCB like all other Samsung NVMe drives and a regular m.2 size. In terms of warranty and endurance, it's on par with other leading SSDs from Samsung and competitors.

Why you really desire ane of these is the functioning. And let's non shell around the bush, it's astronomically fast. I've been using a Sabrent Rocket PCIe 4.0 SSD in an alternative machine since that launched and in almost every test the 980 Pro has diddled it out of the water. The maximum read speeds of the 980 Pro are around double those of the previous generation 970 EVO Plus, Samsung'due south previous top dog.

In CrystalDiskMark you lot can encounter the difference between the Samsung 980 Pro, the Sabrent Rocket PCIe 4.0, and the Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

It'southward a similar story in the ATTO Disk Criterion, too, with the 980 Pro topping out at an center-watering half-dozen.14GB/s, compared to the five.26 GB/due south the Sabrent Rocket managed to hit. Samsung's ain Magician Software has slightly different results again merely forth the same theme. Extremely fast.

It'due south worth as well noting that the review sample I accept is the 500GB capacity, and every bit is always true in these tests, the maximum operation comes from the higher capacity models. The 500GB 980 Pro is absurdly fast, and the larger versions will just go upwards from in that location.

Will you find this in existent life? On an average 24-hour interval to day use, probably not. Though that also depends on what yous're upgrading from. If y'all're moving from a SATA SSD to i of these, for example, there will exist a noticeable difference in how fast everything on your PC is.

Games launch faster, install times for even big programs are incredibly fast and you'll never, ever be waiting for your storage to take hold of up with you. Where drives similar this make the most sense is for anyone treatment a lot of very large files, because the data speeds here are going to actually make a difference.

And from September 2022, the PlayStation v will accept a Samsung 980 Pro every bit an expansion to its internal storage. Sony has some adequately strict sounding compatibility requirements (that aren't as scary equally they audio) and the Samsung 980 Pro is a confirmed match for all of them.

What this means for PS5 owners is that yous can have reward of all the speed and reliability on offer with this SSD and employ information technology to store your console games on. And afterwards in 2022 Samsung will begin shipping the 980 Pro with its own heatsink for a little more added peace of mind for console users.

Where the Samsung 980 Pro could be better

Samsung 980 Pro Source: Windows Central

The Samsung 980 Pro is a truly magnificent SSD, but it'south not perfect. The kickoff thing to indicate out is the temperatures. This thing gets warm. Many PCIe 4.0 SSDs accept shipped with a heatsink in the box considering they all get warm. AMD X570 motherboards that too handle PCIe iv.0 have been shipping with fans over their chipsets because they get warm.

Lots of performance like this usually leads to increased temperatures, just the 980 Pro can become a petty warmer than some other PCIe 4.0 SSDs. Granted, it also outperforms many quite handily, but it'southward something to exist aware of. Later benchmarks, the Samsung Magician app was reporting a maximum temperature of 61C (141.8F) and a warning it was as well toasty.

Samsung doesn't transport a heatsink (at to the lowest degree, not correct now) and so you lot could experiment with a third-party solution, merely it's besides worth highlighting that in my PC case the PCIe 4.0 SSD slot is on the back of the motherboard, so there's non a lot of airflow. If it were mounted on the front with air beingness drawn over information technology from the intake fans chances are it wouldn't be quite as warm. Indeed, when I've since removed information technology and tested it in another PC with a front-mounted m.2 slot and much improve airflow, temperatures topped out at 49C (120.2F) in the aforementioned tests.

Samsung Magician Source: Windows Central

Believe it or not, the Samsung 980 Pro isn't the absolute fastest SSD out in that location, either. Sabrent has a competing product hit the market that promises a performance match on read speeds simply edges information technology on write, likewise, Adata has recently announced a drive that has an edge on paper. In the grand scheme of things, this is a non-event, but if you shop for the accented fastest, Samsung has contest at present.

But at least PCIe 4.0 SSDs like this are no longer exclusive to AMD's Ryzen platform.

Should you buy the Samsung 980 Pro?

Samsung 980 Pro Source: Windows Central

If you're looking to build your PC with the all-time possible storage and then you should always consider a Samsung SSD and the new 980 Pro is admittedly no exception. It has all the trademarks of other Samsung SSDs similar incredible quality, intuitive software, and a great warranty backed upwardly by one of import political party piece.

The Samsung 980 Pro offers truly amazing operation.

The flip side is that it can get a bit toasty, there's no heatsink in the box to assist with that and it will certainly do good from being mounted in a case that allows cool, refreshing air to dance beyond it.

Just if you lot're looking to requite your PC a animal mode upgrade, you'll find it with the Samsung 980 Pro.

Samsung 980 Pro

The 980 Pro from Samsung is merely ridiculous. It offers data transfer speeds of up to 6,900 MB/due south, so long as you accept a PCIe iv.0 compatible motherboard and processor.

Nosotros may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Updated Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro series with Intel 12th Gen ships April 1

Super light and thin

Updated Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro serial with Intel 12th Gen ships Apr 1

Samsung is going deep into Windows 11 PCs with 4 new laptops announced today at Mobile Earth Congress. The laptops all ship with Intel twelfth Gen processors, thin designs, and support for Samsung South Pen, along with a bevy of new features and improvements. They begin shipping in April.

Intel, AMD reportedly stopped exports of CPUs to Russia due to invasion

Tech warfare

Intel, AMD reportedly stopped exports of CPUs to Russian federation due to invasion

A new written report from RBC claims Intel and AMD are set to comply with new sanctions imposed by the United States on sales and exports of specific technologies to Russia in response to its invasion. TSMC, who also makes some of Russia's own chips, is also said to be complying. The news, if authentic, could severely hurt Russia's economy as companies would non be able to add together, supplant, or...

Is this real life?

Watch the Big Game in 4K for inexpensive!

Since 4K is slowly becoming the standard for televisions, there's never been a amend time to buy cheap, gorgeous boob tubes. These are the all-time cheap TVs you can buy with 4K HDR support.