Samsung Announces 980 NVMe PCIe 3.0 DRAM-less SSD
You've probably read our review here, but here the press-release. Delivering the highest performance among DRAM-less SSDs, the new 980 makes blazing NVMe speeds more accessible to a wider range of users.
Previously, DRAM-less designs have presented a disadvantage in speed without the short-term memory at hand for fast access to data.
Samsung's 980 utilizes Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which links the drive directly to the host processor's DRAM to overcome any performance drawbacks. This technology, coupled with the company's latest sixth-generation V-NAND as well as optimized controller and firmware, enables the 980 to provide NVMe performance with six times the speed of SATA SSDs. Sequential read and write speeds come in at up to 3,500 and 3,000 MB/s, while random read and write performances are rated as high as 500K IOPS and 480K IOPS, respectively.
The newly upgraded Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 also offers significantly enhanced sustained performance over the previous iteration by allocating a much larger buffer storage area inside the drive. For users working with extremely large files or running graphics-heavy games, the new 'Full Power Mode' added to Samsung's Magician 6.3 software allows the drive to continuously run at peak performance for uninterrupted work and play.
Additionally, consumers will no longer have to worry about their drive overheating, thanks to its advanced thermal designs. With Dynamic Thermal Guard technology, nickel-coated controller and heat spreader label solutions available in Samsung's high-end 980 series, users can enjoy stable and reliable performance even during prolonged use.
The SSD further features improved power efficiency of up to 56% when compared to the previous 970 EVO, allowing laptop users to better manage power usage.
Pricing & Availability
The Samsung 980 SSD is available for a manufacturer's suggested retail price of 49.99 USD for the 250 GB, 69.99 USD for the 500 GB and 129.99 USD for the 1 TB.
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Senior Member
Posts: 8230
Joined: 2010-11-16
my 850 PRO 256 GB is
7 years old
4.3 years Power ON
47 TB written
91% Health
Warranty: 10 years warranty, or 150 TBW, whichever comes first.
My warranty will expire 3 years from now having written 45% of 150 TB.
So it looks to me that warranty-wise 'years' is more important than 'TB written', because it will expire sooner. I would need 22 years to write 150 TB at current rate.
Senior Member
Posts: 3660
Joined: 2007-05-31
It would be good if Samsung started to label their NAND writing methodology properly, as any responsible company would do. TLC versus MLC is important
Even more on the Samsung PRO were on last gen you have some TLC and some "real" MLC in the same product line, all badged MLC.
Senior Member
Posts: 8251
Joined: 2020-08-03
my 850 PRO 256 GB is
7 years old
4.3 years Power ON
47 TB written
91% Health
Warranty: 10 years warranty, or 150 TBW, whichever comes first.
My warranty will expire 3 years from now having written 45% of 150 TB.
So it looks to me that warranty-wise 'years' is more important than 'TB written', because it will expire sooner. I would need 22 years to write 150 TB at current rate.
Im never selling mine either.those disks don't die under normal conditions.
https://www.guru3d.com/news-story/endurance-test-of-samsung-850-pro-comes-to-an-end-after-9100tb-of-writes.html

Senior Member
Posts: 4245
Joined: 2011-11-24
Can you please explain? The Samsung 970 Evo (and even the Evo Plus) are somewhat cheaper at the same capacities. Why are you recommending the 980 and also, why didn't you point out the fact that Samsung themselves have better and at the same time cheaper SSDs than this one? So what exactly did you mean by "value proposition" in your review if this SSD is actually more expensive than Samsung's better SSDs? What "value" are you talking about?
Senior Member
Posts: 8251
Joined: 2020-08-03
uncompelling
there's better dramless budget drives like HP ex series
ex900 is 95eur
140eur for a dramless drive is too much