Samsung 980 Pro NVMe PCIe 4.0 SSD

The sprint performance of the 980 Pro is fantastic, but current NAND technology has its limits for extended operations. With the need for specific PC hardware and the high cost per GB, this solution is only for those who aren’t budget constrained.

It’s been a long old while since we’ve seen a high-end Samsung NVMe SSD and it has certainly been worth the wait as the SSD980 PRO has put the company firmly back in the spotlight in the high performance consumer market space.

The Samsung 980 Pro is the NVMe SSD you want--if you're rocking PCIe 4 (Ryzen-exclusive as of this writing). For more common PCIe 3-equipped systems, it's still a great drive, but not significantly better than the lower-priced competition.

This is an impressive entry into the PCI-E 4.0 realm for Samsung, with the move to 3-bit NAND, however logical, a little disappointing for a product with the PRO name. We’re living in a TLC/QLC world now, and Samsung’s adoption of 3-bit NAND for their flagship likely signals the end of 2-bit MLC in consumer drives.

If you want a drive which is the fastest consumer drive on the planet, and comes with the reassurance that you get from a Samsung product, then the 980 Pro is unquestionably the drive for you. Indeed the only question is whether you have a PCI Express 4.0 motherboard capable of making the most of it. If you haven't, and won't for a while, then stick with the 970 Pro.

Are you looking for the best? Look no further. With the fastest performance we have seen from a NAND SSD yet, Samsung’s 980 Pro makes other NVMe SSDs look slow.

Those headline grabbing sequential figures are impressive, but the day-to-day performance isn't quite the leap that many were hoping for. It's also a bit too pricey.

The best performing flash-based consumer SSD we've tested to date. Get one!