Samsung's SSD health issues continue to plague users with severe rapid health declines soon after installation, with some users losing up to 64% of their SSD's health after just 2 TB of data was written.

A moderator from the Samsung Community discussion board offered further insight, confirming that Samsung is actively reviewing customer inquiries related to the health status of the SSD. The moderator went on to state that the company's SSD technicians were able to replicate the issue under certain conditions and that a firmware update is expected to be released later this month to resolve the issue. With this news, customers can rest assured that their concerns are being addressed and a solution is in the works.

Despite numerous complaints, Samsung has maintained that there is "no defect found" with the 990 Pro and has been returning them to customers after a fresh format and restoration to factory settings.

In response to the growing concerns, Puget Systems and Samsung have worked together to identify the root cause of the rapid health declines, which eventually leads to the drive failing. A solution has been found for the 980 Pro SSDs by upgrading the firmware to the newer 5B2QGXA7 build. However, the problems with the 990 Pro SSDs persist, leading Puget Systems to make the decision to stop using these drives, except for the 500GB 980 Pro, until the situation is resolved.

Puget Systems will be switching to Sabrent SSDs with capacities ranging from 1TB to 4TB, while the issues with the 990 Pro and 980 Pro SSDs continue to be addressed by Samsung. The system builder emphasized the importance of speaking up about this issue, as it rarely announces changes to its product line, but felt it was necessary in this particular situation.

Update: Samsung has come out with a firmware update aimed at preserving the longevity of its 990 Pro SSDs. Despite this, DavidB, a moderator from the German Samsung forum, highlights that the smart values have not been reset. The exact reason behind the accelerated drop in lifespan is unclear and it remains to be seen if the firmware can effectively reverse any erroneous wear.

The update, version 1B2QJXD7, can be easily accessed through the Samsung Magician tool (download) or by visiting the given link. This is a crucial step for users to take in ensuring the longevity and optimal performance of their 990 Pro SSDs.

Samsung: Firmware Update for the 990 Pro SSD Is On the Way (updated: firmware available)