Samsung 960 PRO M.2 1TB NVMe SSD review - Specifications & Features

Samsung SSD 960 Pro Specifications & Features

Samsung is to offer three versions of the new 960 PRO initially, the 512GB / 1TB and 2TB models. The sample that we have at hand for testing today is the 1TB version of the drive. The 960 Pro series will come with MLC NAND flash memory from Samsung's latest revision V-NAND node (48-layers vertically stacked NAND).  The EVO series will be fitted with TLC written NAND.

So what is V-NAND? 

V-NAND is a physically vertical NAND cell stacking not to be confused with chip stacking in a multi-chip package. In V-NAND, NAND layers, not chips, are stacked in a single IC. The good news is continued cost reduction, smaller die sizes and more capacity per NAND chip. Also, installed NAND toolsets in the wafer fabs can, for the most part, be reused, thereby extending the useful life of fab equipment. Current V-NAND stacks have 32 cell layers vertically over one another, rather than decreasing cell dimensions to fit onto a fixed horizontal space, resulting in higher density and better performance with a smaller footprint. With the M.2 form factor SSDs, more consumers with desktops or ultra-thin PCs can benefit from best-in-class performance and reliability of the technology. Last year's 950 series was 32-layers, this year's 960 series has 48-layers. And yes, 64-layers already is finished and starting up for fabbing next year. 

So what is NVMe?

NVMe is also known as Non-Volatile Memory Express or the Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification. The idea behind NVMe is to improve the storage stack by optimizing the way an application accesses a Flash device. NVMe cuts corners by removing components within the I/O path like that good old fashioned RAID controller. To be able to make use of the new NVMe based devices inside your PC you have to have a proper driver installed, this can be downloaded at the Samsung website. This enables NVMe devices to function within the existing operating system I/O stack protocol. On the next page we'll talk a little more about NVMe. Let's have a quick peek at the key specifications:

	960 Pro 1024GB	950 Pro 512GB	850 Pro 512GB
Form Factor	M.2 2280	M.2 2280	2.5" SATA
Controller	Samsung Polaris	Samsung UBX	Samsung MEX
Interface	PCIe 3.0 x4	PCIe 3.0 x4	SATA III
Protocol	NVMe 1.2	NVMe	AHCI
DRAM	1GB LP DDR3	512MB	512MB
NAND	Samsung V-NAND 48-layer 128Gbit MLC	Samsung V-NAND 32-layer 128Gbit MLC	Samsung V-NAND 32-layer 86Gbit MLC
Sequential Read	3,500MB/s	2,500MB/s	550MB/s
Sequential Write	2,100MB/s	1,500MB/s	520MB/s
4KB Random Read (QD32)	440K IOPS	300K IOPS	100K IOPS
4KB Random Write (QD32)	360K IOPS	110K IOPS	90K IOPS
Power	7.3W (burst) 5.2W (average) 1.2W (idle)	7.0W (burst) 5.7W (average) 1.7W (idle)	3.3W (read) 3.0W (write) 0.4W (idle)
Encryption	AES-256, TCG Opal 2.0	AES-256, TCG Opal 2.0	AES-256, TCG Opal 2.0
Endurance	800TB	400TB	300TB
Warranty	5 Year	5 Year	10 Year
Launch Date	October 2016	October 2015	Summer 2014

Now if that doesn't impress you I don't know what will. The 960 PRO is a direct derivative from the OEM version of the SM961 available from 128GB up-to 1TB versions. If you see a little more value, check them out. There are differences though in NAND type used and power consumption, but overall... it's more of the same being tweaked. The reason you have seen so few SM961 reviewed is that this product was released for OEM only, and thus the units ended up in pre-fabricated laptops and PCs, not in retail. I just pulled some numbers from some online etailers. Making your own SSD with your own controller, own PCB, own cache chips and own NAND flash memory does have advantages as Samsung is able to keep the prices very competitive as this product is made 99% in-house.

• Samsung SSD 960 PRO 2TB - MZ-V6P2T0BW costs 1299 USD (63 cents per GB)
• Samsung SSD 960 PRO 1TB - MZ-V6P1T0BW costs 629 USD (61 cents per GB)
• Samsung SSD 960 PRO 512GB - MZ-V6P2T0BW costs 329 USD (64 cents per GB)