• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Samsung Announces 980 NVMe PCIe 3.0 DRAM-less SSD

Joined
Mar 31, 2020
Messages
1,519 (0.88/day)
Samsung Electronics, the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the 980 NVMe SSD, the company's first consumer drive without DRAM. 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.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site
 

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
17,427 (4.68/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
Processor 7800X3D -25 all core
Motherboard B650 Steel Legend
Cooling Frost Commander 140
Video Card(s) Merc 310 7900 XT @3100 core -.75v
Display(s) Agon 27" QD-OLED Glossy 240hz 1440p
Case NZXT H710 (Red/Black)
Audio Device(s) Asgard 2, Modi 3, HD58X
Power Supply Corsair RM850x Gold
Really looking forward to benches on this one, mostly out of curiosity than anything else... just seems like such an odd business move for Samsung. I mean will it beat the 970 Evo Plus? That often goes on sale for $149.99... well worth it for an extra $20 for that dram cache...
 
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
2,012 (0.36/day)
Location
Heart of Eutopia!
System Name ibuytheusedstuff
Processor 5960x
Motherboard x99 sabertooth
Cooling old socket775 cooler
Memory 32 Viper
Video Card(s) 1080ti on morpheus 1
Storage raptors+ssd
Display(s) acer 120hz
Case open bench
Audio Device(s) onb
Power Supply antec 1200 moar power
Mouse mx 518
Keyboard roccat arvo
 

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
17,427 (4.68/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
Processor 7800X3D -25 all core
Motherboard B650 Steel Legend
Cooling Frost Commander 140
Video Card(s) Merc 310 7900 XT @3100 core -.75v
Display(s) Agon 27" QD-OLED Glossy 240hz 1440p
Case NZXT H710 (Red/Black)
Audio Device(s) Asgard 2, Modi 3, HD58X
Power Supply Corsair RM850x Gold


that review answered my question. lol ty. in the conclusion section it stated the 980 SSD does worse than some regular SSD's in write once the SLC cache is full... so yeah... hard pass. lol better off spending $20 more and getting the 970 Evo Plus...
 

INSTG8R

Vanguard Beta Tester
Joined
Nov 26, 2004
Messages
8,081 (1.10/day)
Location
Canuck in Norway
System Name Hellbox 5.1(same case new guts)
Processor Ryzen 7 5800X3D
Motherboard MSI X570S MAG Torpedo Max
Cooling TT Kandalf L.C.S.(Water/Air)EK Velocity CPU Block/Noctua EK Quantum DDC Pump/Res
Memory 2x16GB Gskill Trident Neo Z 3600 CL16
Video Card(s) Powercolor Hellhound 7900XTX
Storage 970 Evo Plus 500GB 2xSamsung 850 Evo 500GB RAID 0 1TB WD Blue Corsair MP600 Core 2TB
Display(s) Alienware QD-OLED 34” 3440x1440 144hz 10Bit VESA HDR 400
Case TT Kandalf L.C.S.
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster ZX/Logitech Z906 5.1
Power Supply Seasonic TX~’850 Platinum
Mouse G502 Hero
Keyboard G19s
VR HMD Oculus Quest 3
Software Win 11 Pro x64
that review answered my question. lol ty. in the conclusion section it stated the 980 SSD does worse than some regular SSD's in write once the SLC cache is full... so yeah... hard pass. lol better off spending $20 more and getting the 970 Evo Plus...
Well really depends on your usage. I mean how often are you transfer large files to hit that limit? I have 970 Evo Plus for my OS I can say it's a great NVME
 
Joined
Mar 28, 2020
Messages
1,761 (1.02/day)
Sometimes I wonder how much money are the SSD makers really saving by cutting out the DRAM on it. Is a 1GB DDR3 DRAM that expensive? They brand DRAMless SSDs as budget offerings, but I actually don't think we save you a lot of money.
 

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
17,427 (4.68/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
Processor 7800X3D -25 all core
Motherboard B650 Steel Legend
Cooling Frost Commander 140
Video Card(s) Merc 310 7900 XT @3100 core -.75v
Display(s) Agon 27" QD-OLED Glossy 240hz 1440p
Case NZXT H710 (Red/Black)
Audio Device(s) Asgard 2, Modi 3, HD58X
Power Supply Corsair RM850x Gold
Well really depends on your usage. I mean how often are you transfer large files to hit that limit? I have 970 Evo Plus for my OS I can say it's a great NVME

this is true. almost never do I need a lot of write. but still I just find it a hard buy, I mean for only $20 more $149.99 the 970 EVO Plus 1tb is always at that price these days. i mean literally only have to eat 19 cent ramen for my dinner for two nights instead of going out to eat, and that extra $20 is paid. weird way to think about it buy yeah, lol
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
17,772 (2.42/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/yfsd9w
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
2,012 (0.36/day)
Location
Heart of Eutopia!
System Name ibuytheusedstuff
Processor 5960x
Motherboard x99 sabertooth
Cooling old socket775 cooler
Memory 32 Viper
Video Card(s) 1080ti on morpheus 1
Storage raptors+ssd
Display(s) acer 120hz
Case open bench
Audio Device(s) onb
Power Supply antec 1200 moar power
Mouse mx 518
Keyboard roccat arvo
from the test:
if it´s filled to over 80% speed goes to 400mb\s slower then some sata ssd.
the datasheet from samsung states after slc mode up to 900mb\s for the 1tb model but this could not be reached even after trying often and samsung confirmed it.
 

TheLostSwede

News Editor
Joined
Nov 11, 2004
Messages
17,772 (2.42/day)
Location
Sweden
System Name Overlord Mk MLI
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
Motherboard Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 SE with offsets
Memory 32GB Team T-Create Expert DDR5 6000 MHz @ CL30-34-34-68
Video Card(s) Gainward GeForce RTX 4080 Phantom GS
Storage 1TB Solidigm P44 Pro, 2 TB Corsair MP600 Pro, 2TB Kingston KC3000
Display(s) Acer XV272K LVbmiipruzx 4K@160Hz
Case Fractal Design Torrent Compact
Audio Device(s) Corsair Virtuoso SE
Power Supply be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850 W
Mouse Logitech G502 Lightspeed
Keyboard Corsair K70 Max
Software Windows 10 Pro
Benchmark Scores https://valid.x86.fr/yfsd9w
from the test:
if it´s filled to over 80% speed goes to 400mb\s slower then some sata ssd.
the datasheet from samsung states after slc mode up to 900mb\s for the 1tb model but this could not be reached even after trying often and samsung confirmed it.
It goes below 100MB/s in some tests...
 
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
92 (0.07/day)
Sometimes I wonder how much money are the SSD makers really saving by cutting out the DRAM on it. Is a 1GB DDR3 DRAM that expensive? They brand DRAMless SSDs as budget offerings, but I actually don't think we save you a lot of money.
a normal product the piece is 1/3 1/3 1/3 margin / cost to do it / TVA

if you earn 5 dollars you have 15 less price : it sold more

when you sold 1 million ssd .. you ear 5 millions dollars ...

from the test:
if it´s filled to over 80% speed goes to 400mb\s slower then some sata ssd.
the datasheet from samsung states after slc mode up to 900mb\s for the 1tb model but this could not be reached even after trying often and samsung confirmed it.
its a test . in real life ou write 40 Gb / 100 GB in one time ?

like HDD , and man forget : nerver go under 10 to 20 % free drive need free to work well and do tehnical operation

this is true. almost never do I need a lot of write. but still I just find it a hard buy, I mean for only $20 more $149.99 the 970 EVO Plus 1tb is always at that price these days. i mean literally only have to eat 19 cent ramen for my dinner for two nights instead of going out to eat, and that extra $20 is paid. weird way to think about it buy yeah, lol
fasle

the evo was 200 $ at first , here ist 130 !!!!! same perf 30 % less price :: a good SSD !!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Space Lynx

Astronaut
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
17,427 (4.68/day)
Location
Kepler-186f
Processor 7800X3D -25 all core
Motherboard B650 Steel Legend
Cooling Frost Commander 140
Video Card(s) Merc 310 7900 XT @3100 core -.75v
Display(s) Agon 27" QD-OLED Glossy 240hz 1440p
Case NZXT H710 (Red/Black)
Audio Device(s) Asgard 2, Modi 3, HD58X
Power Supply Corsair RM850x Gold
the evo was 200 $ at first , here ist 130 !!!!! same perf 30 % less price :: a good SSD !!!!!!!!!!!!!

i mean ok, sure... but it now only costs $149... so... why would I buy this one over that one...

I'm not buying either, just saying if I were in the market for one I would I get the $149 one.
 
Joined
Feb 8, 2021
Messages
92 (0.07/day)
Thankfully it's not QLC - that would be an insult at these prices. It's TLC.
thankfully for what ?

have you 1 exemple of dead of memory because of old ?

my first ssd was X25 intel from today 10 year i think none of 1 sector dead .... 10 ssd TO of read / write

in human life no difference between QLC and TLC

the same think was said about SLC , remumber SLC / TLC War ? datastorage : no difference in life ...
 
Joined
Aug 21, 2013
Messages
1,936 (0.47/day)
Are we sure about that? Because TLC wouldn't be bad. Still a tad pricy but a much better prospect.
Yes: https://www.anandtech.com/show/16504/the-samsung-ssd-980-500gb-1tb-review
thankfully for what ?

have you 1 exemple of dead of memory because of old ?

my first ssd was X25 intel from today 10 year i think none of 1 sector dead .... 10 ssd TO of read / write

in human life no difference between QLC and TLC

the same think was said about SLC , remumber SLC / TLC War ? datastorage : no difference in life ...
Thankfully for this price. QLC is only worth at dirt cheap prices. Not for 130 for 1TB. Lol and your example is bonkers. X25 was SLC. And if i read you correctly 10TB written is nothing. I write that in the first few days benchmarking a new drive. At the time people were correct bashing TLC because it was pretty bad at the beginning. It's solid now but it took years to get here.
And now you come years later with benefit of hindsight and claim there is no difference between the first consumer SLC and mature TLC...
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2013
Messages
549 (0.13/day)
Location
Bulgaria
System Name Black Knight | White Queen
Processor Intel Core i9-10940X (28 cores) | Intel Core i7-5775C (8 cores)
Motherboard ASUS ROG Rampage VI Extreme Encore X299G | ASUS Sabertooth Z97 Mark S (White)
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black | Xigmatek Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk (White)
Memory G.SKILL Trident Z RGB 4x8GB DDR4 3600MHz CL16 | Corsair Vengeance LP 4x4GB DDR3L 1600MHz CL9 (White)
Video Card(s) ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC | KFA2/Galax GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Hall of Fame Edition
Storage Samsung 990 Pro 2TB, 980 Pro 1TB, 850 Pro 256GB, 840 Pro 256GB, WD 10TB+ (incl. VelociRaptors)
Display(s) Dell Alienware AW2721D 240Hz| LG OLED evo C4 48" 144Hz
Case Corsair 7000D AIRFLOW (Black) | NZXT ??? w/ ASUS DRW-24B1ST
Audio Device(s) ASUS Xonar Essence STX | Realtek ALC1150
Power Supply Enermax Revolution 1250W 85+ | Super Flower Leadex Gold 650W (White)
Mouse Razer Basilisk Ultimate, Razer Naga Trinity | Razer Mamba 16000
Keyboard Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2 (Orange switch) | Razer Ornata Chroma
Software Windows 10 Pro 64bit
Is this still using the Elpis controller?
 
Top