Samsung 980 Pro: is PCIe 4.0 taking the lead?
After a two-year barren spell, Samsung is releasing a new SSD top model in the form of the 980 Pro. The biggest improvement is that it's now PCIe 4.0 compatible and should offer twice the read speed of its predecessor.
An M.2 SSD is the unsexiest component in a PC. It usually disappears completely into the slot behind all the RGB-lit components. But no PC upgrade gives you this level of distinctly increased performance like the M.2 SSD.
AMD heralded the PCIe 4.0 era last year with their Ryzen 3000 processors. They enabled data transfer rates to be twice as fast as the PCIe 3.0. Although this standard has been available for a year, compatible hardware is still in short supply. In our online shop, you can only get your hands on 17 PCIe 4.0 SSDs. In the 3.0 version, there are 224 (as of 15 September 2020). Now the Samsung 980 Pro is joining forces with the PCIe 4.0 to win the title of the fastest SSD.
The SSD in detail
The 980 Pro comes in three variations in the M.2 2280 design: 250, 500 and 1000 GB. All models feature the proprietary Elpis controller and TLC 3D NAND memory. Compared with the 250 and 500 GB models, the 1 TB model delivers twice as much DRAM cache, 1 GB LPDDR4, and higher read speeds up to a maximum of 7000 MB/s. In the 500 GB model, the rate is 6900 MB/s, while the smallest model has to contend with 6400 MB/s.
The write speed of the SLC cache is up to 5000 MB/s on the 500 GB and 1 TB models. Meanwhile, the 250 GB model can achieve 2700 MB/s. When it comes to IOPS, Samsung records up to a million input/output operations per second for the 1 TB version – 4K transfer with a queue depth (QD) of 32. QD refers to the number of outstanding access operations. QD32 means 32 access operations are being carried out at the same time. That's double compared with its predecessor, the 970 Pro. When it comes to QD1, Samsung talks about achieving up to 60,000 IOPS on all models.
I'm here today to test out the 1 TB model that Samsung has sent me for this review. Samsung classifies the lifespan as 5 years or 600 terabytes written (TBW) before the warranty expires. That's half the amount of the predecessor, the 970 Pro. And when it comes to the smaller models, this lifespan is halved again. 600 TB might not sound like a lot, but even if you write 100 GB of data on your SSD per day, that should still last you more than 16 years.
If you'd like to know more about how SSDs work, check out this article (in German):
Testing methods and set-up
I use CristalDiskInfo to monitor the temperature of the SSDs. This tool gives me information on the health of the drives, the interface and the transfer mode. You can find out more about the impact the temperature has on the speed of the SSD in the article below.
The ATTO Disk Benchmark uses uncompressed data; it tests read and write performance for various transfer sizes between 512 B to 64 MB. A lot of manufacturer data on read and write performance is based on this test method. It delivers better results because raw data is read and written quickly. But in everyday life, SSDs also have to deal with compressed data, which is why I've also used other benchmarks.
The Anvil’s Storage Utilities benchmark doesn't just give the read and write speeds. It also provides information on IOPS and response times. What’s more, I can set the ratio of compressed and uncompressed data in the benchmark. I set the amount of uncompressed data to 46% and leave the rest of the settings on standard.
The storage benchmark by PCMark 8 is based on a real-life scenario. The PCMark 8 storage test simulates tasks that result from different usage of the Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office and games. It records memory activity and generates a benchmark score based on the saved hard drive activity.
In addition to the three benchmarks, I measure how long it takes to load «Final Fantasy XV», «Rise of the Tomb Raider» and «Resident Evil 2 Remake». I then install «CS: GO» and see how long that takes.
Finally, I copy two uncompressed films with a total size of 69 GB from the SSD to the SSD, and measure how long it takes to transfer the data. This test lets me find out if the SSD throttles the transition speed once it gets to a certain volume of data.
I carry out the test on our DimasTech Easy V3.0 test bench using the following components:
I run all of the tests three times and take the best result. To get a comparison for the SSD, I use Corsair's MP600, which incidentally also features PCIe 4.0. So the comparison is fair, I don't have the operating system running on either of the SSDs. For the purposes of this test, they're purely data storage.
ATTO Disk Benchmark
On this test bench, the 980 Pro doesn't reach the read speed of 7000 MB/s, as advertised. 5.95 GB/s is the maximum it manages. The SSD doesn't reach the complete read and write speed until the file size is around 256 KB. The maximum write speed is 4.63 GB/s. Compared with the MP600, that's respectable – the maximum read speed that one achieves is 4.39 GB/s, and its maximum write speed is 3.97 GB/s.
Anvil Storage Utilities
With a total score of 20,616.67, the 980 Pro is about 11% faster than the MP600, which reached a score of 18,684.05. But if I take a closer look at the results from both SSDs, it turns out that the MP600 delivers better write speed values. Both the response times and IOPS are better in three of the four tests. Meanwhile, the 980 Pro fared significantly better in terms of read speed.
PCMark 8 and temperatures
In the PCMark 8, the 980 Pro also delivers better values. However, the difference between the scores is marginal and isn't even a whole per cent apart. Given the PCMark 8 takes around an hour and the SSD is active the whole time, this benchmark is the best place to draw conclusions about the temperature.
When idle, the MP600 is 56°C, while the 980 Pro is 58°C. The difference in temperature increases according to the amount of activity. During the benchmark tests, the 980 Pro reaches a maximum of 76°C. The MP600, on the other hand, stays comparatively cool at 65°C. As I'm testing on an open test bench, the temperatures are relatively high. That might sound paradoxical at first, but it's not. That's because there's air flow in the casing that you don't get on an open test bench. For that reason, the cooling effect of the heat sink will be more efficient on the SSD in the casing, meaning the temperatures will be lower.
Loading and installation time for games
Among the benchmarks, the difference between the SSDs is only small in the PCMark 8. And since the PCMark 8 uses real-world tasks and applications, I expect the difference to also be small when it comes to the games.
It turns out the MP600 is actually faster than the 980 Pro in not one but two games. The 980 Pro only just loaded a second faster than the 980 Pro on «Resident Evil 2 Remake». To give you a bit of context on how I work out these figures, I record the screen during loading time and then cut it into frames in Premiere Pro. That's why a second lasts 25 frames. When I test the two other games, the MP600 is ahead. In «Final Fantasy XV», it's only a matter of a half second difference, which doesn't really count for much when the whole thing takes 13 seconds. Meanwhile, in «Rise of the Tomb Raider», the MP600 is barely a second faster, which as a percentage – 30% to be exact – is a huge difference. But in reality, you'll probably hardly notice it.
When it comes to installing «CS: GO», it's the 980 Pro that's back in the lead. It takes 59 seconds compared to 63 seconds on the MP600.
Copying files
If we look at copying the two uncompressed films, «There will be Blood» and «Starship Troopers», they total 69 GB. And in this test, the MP600 beats the 980 Pro by a second. The 980 Pro starts out fast with an average data transfer of 1.9 GB/s. After about 50 GB data has been transferred, the speed takes a hit and continues at barely 1 GB/s for the remaining 20 GB. Compare this to the MP600, where data transfer remains more or less stable at about 1.4 GB/s throughout the entire duration.
Verdict: seems great in artificial settings, but in reality, it's no better than the competition
The Samsung 980 Pro hurtles through the artificial benchmarks and leaves its Corsair competition behind. But in real-life situations like the PCMark 8, game loading and installation times along with copying, a more balanced picture emerges. It's a tight race between these two SSDs. Sometimes the 980 Pro is in the lead; other times, it's the MP600.
At around 220 francs, the 1 TB version of the 980 Pro costs 10% more than the MP600 (as of 22 September 2020). The difference would be justified if I was only going on the basis of the artificial benchmarks. After all, they show a 10% to 35% increase in performance compared with the competition. But when I tested them out in real-life scenarios, there's hardly any discernible difference. That's why I don't think the difference in performance justifies the difference in price.
The Samsung 980 Pro is undeniably an excellent SSD. But it's only worth it if you copy a lot of 0
data from one place to another, because that's when it comes into its own. On a day-to-day basis, you're unlikely to notice much difference in terms of speed when you compare it to the MP600.
Kevin Hofer
Senior Editor
kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.chFrom big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
