Eighth generation V-NAND memory has heatsink and “blazing-fast speeds”
Samsung Electronics has released a new 4Tbyte memory in its SSD 990 PRO series. It has a heatsink and is claimed to have best in class random read speeds of up to 1600k IOPS. It is the latest in the 990 PRO series of PCIe 4.0 SSDs powered by Samsung’s eighth-generation V-NAND (V8) technology and enhanced proprietary controller.
In addition to fast speeds and power efficiency, the 990 PRO series is optimised for massive data volumes, such as 3D/4K graphics work, data analytics and high quality games, said Samsung, for use in PCs, laptops, game consoles and computing systems. They are also claimed to have improved total bytes written (TBW) ratings of up to 2,400Tbyte with increased SSD reliability and longevity for demanding workloads and large storage capacity needs.
Hangu Sohn, corporate vice president of the memory brand product team at Samsung Electronics, said: “As the demand for high-resolution content and ultra-fast data-processing speeds continues to grow, high-performance NVMe storage has become a core requirement.”
The 4TB 990 PRO offers near-max performance in a PCIe 4.0 interface, with sequential read speeds of up to 7,450Mbytes per second and write speeds of up to 6,900Mbytes per second. The newly expanded capacity of 4Tbyte delivers boosted random read and write speeds of up to 1,600k and 1,550k IOPS respectively.
With the fastest random read performance among PCIe 4.0 interface consumer SSDs on the market, the 4TB 990 PRO significantly reduces mid-game stalls and accelerates the loading of high quality videos, increasing gamers’ enjoyment and immersion, said Samsung. The 990 PRO series can also help reduce lag, with consistently high frames per second.
The 990 PRO series achieves breakthrough power efficiency, with an up to 50 per cent performance improvement in comparison to the previous 980 PRO series. It also incorporates a nickel coating on the controller and features a heat spreader label on the back side of the SSD, ensuring optimal temperature level maintenance and minimal performance fluctuations over time. The 990 PRO with heatsink version is equipped with a slim heatsink for sustained high performance computing and gaming capabilities. The drive is compatible with the latest game consoles, so it can speed up game installation and loading times, while also preventing performance drops that can result from overheating.
The V8 1Tb high-density NAND and Samsung’s memory stacking technology, means the 4TB 990 PRO was designed with a single-sided M.2 form factor, which makes it slimmer than other double-sided M.2 SSDs5. This frees users from the concerns that double-sided M.2 SSDs can cause when installed into ultra-thin laptops, such as an inability to install the SSD or the risk of damaging other components. With a single-sided M.2 form factor, the streamlined design provides abundant storage capacity and sustainable performance.
The Samsung Magician software ensures optimal performance in SSDs by keeping firmware, drivers and other settings up to date, while also offering the flexibility to customise power and performance optimisation, according to user preferences. The software supports RGB functionality for the 990 PRO with heatsink, so gamers have the option to customise colour and LED effects. The new version of Magician 8.0 is to be released in September 2023 for integration into SSDs, portable SSDs, memory cards and USB flash drives.
The 4TB capacity models of the 990 PRO and 990 PRO with heatsink will be available in early October 2023.
