Customer Ratings & Reviews

Fast and reliable drive. Loads my games and applications very fast

Samsung 980 nvme m.2 ssd is an excellent ssd . I used it as a portable hard drive with an SSK nvme m.2 enclosure for storage. I only trust Samsung brand and so far has never failed in my everyday use of my laptop and as a portable storage device . Did not get to test rated speeds of read/write but I’m sure these are very fast .I bought it on sale which is a bargain at $27.99 that make it best price per GB .

was actually pretty good and fast! perfect for every type of computers

Samsung never disappoints with their storage solutions, bought this bad boy for my last build and I’m loving it. Very quick load times.

One of the most prominent players in the consumer solid state disk (SSD) space has been Samsung. Since 2006, Samsung has regularly offered among the highest-performing SSDs on the market, delivering performance and reliability that other manufacturers have struggled to match. With NVMe disks now the norm in laptops and high performance desktops alike, there are plenty of options available running the price and performance gamut. Samsung’s offerings have traditionally veered toward the performance side of the market and have been priced accordingly. The new SSD 980 line (not to be confused with 980 Pro, their top performers) takes aim at the midrange market, where everyday performance without major compromise is key and prices become eminently more affordable. With an all-new memory controller on tap, Samsung’s SSD 980 delivers great performance even amidst a key cost-cutting decision that would almost always relegate other SSDs to the bargain bin. Note that this drive is sold barebone; that is, the only thing in the box is the drive itself. There are no adapters, cables, or software included to transfer your data from existing disks to the SSD, and thus this product is not intended for novice users. If you are not familiar with moving or reinstalling your operating system (e.g. Windows, MacOS), speak with a Geek Squad associate for recommended services prior to purchasing. - Unboxing & Installation With little more than the disk itself and an installation guide with warranty information booklet in the box, the 980 has more packaging than product. The NVMe M.2 disk is the standard 2280 (22mm x 80mm) size, about as large as a stick of gum, and has a sticker covering the NAND with all the usual branding. A small heat spreader that appears to be copper adorns the underside of the SSD below a branding sticker, which is a nice touch to help keep temperatures down. Installing the 980 is as simple as installing any other M.2 SSD. Once recognized by the system, the disk will need to be initialized then formatted by the operating system prior to use (this typically occurs during an OS installation). Samsung uses the 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes metric to market the drive; thus, formatted capacity is 465.8 GB. There is indeed a full 512GB proper available on the onboard memory, but as with most SSDs, Samsung has over-provisioned the drive so that the remaining space can be used to spread writes - every bit written will ever so slightly wear down a memory cell. A five-year, 300 terabytes written warranty should cover most use cases as only power users will see that much data written within five years, much less ten. - Performance Despite being a more mainstream offering, the SSD 980’s performance competes more in line with the performance NVMe space, handily hitting and at times exceeding its rated sequential read and write speeds in benchmarks as shown in the attached images. Random read and write performance beats other “premium” branded drives by a good margin - even those with dedicated DRAM come up on par with or just behind the SSD 980, which is a seriously impressive showing. The new “Pablo” memory controller performs exceptionally well under stress and is optimized for the new NAND configuration that Samsung is using here. New for Samsung in the [250GB, 500GB, and 1TB] 980, non-PRO models is the removal of a dedicated DRAM cache, replaced with a dynamically resized single-layer cell (SLC) cache. What this means is while the disk is using three-layer cells (TLC) to store data, it will treat free space as SLC when the computer is writing data faster than the memory controller can encode TLC (which is orders of magnitude slower than treating the memory as SLC), then compress what’s been written as SLC into the TLC when the computer stops accessing the disk. This is a common technique that budget SSDs employ to keep costs down and performance reasonable, as DRAM is much more expensive per byte than NAND flash, but usually comes with noticeable performance losses as the drive fills up since less space is available for caching. Regardless, the 980 moves quick enough in real-world use that applications hardly take any time to open, and any further slowdown is minimal and short-lived. Games load much quicker than on more budget-oriented solid state drives, and by the time Windows has calculated how much time is left to copy a few gigabytes of files, there’s seconds left on the timer. The performance will fall off in long, sustained operations as the SLC cache fills up, but this will be a rare occurrence in casual and gaming uses. If you work with large files often (databases, video editing, simulations, etc) you will want to consider a better performing disk, but the 980’s performance should be more than enough for most users. - Bottom Line Samsung’s cut-down SSD 980 line is anything but cut-rate. Its performance impresses at every turn, delivering fantastic day-to-day usability at a more contemporary price versus its ultimate performance models. A solid warranty backs up the new disks, delivering further assurance of Samsung’s confidence in these disks to perform for many years to come. The brand name still commands a premium, but even this midrange offering has earned it. The Samsung SSD 980 comes highly recommended!

Samsung's lineup of SSDs can often be confusing with the various numbers and naming schemes. With this 980 NVMe SSD, Samsung has introduced an SSD that hits a great balance of price and performance - and there are no confusing marketing terms like "EVO" or "QVO" to figure out. PROS: - Speeds are very fast, though not as fast as top-of-the-line NVMe SSDs. On this 500 GB model, sequential read speeds top out at roughly 3,200 MB/s, and sequential write speeds land at about 2,300 MB/s. See the attached benchmark screenshot for more details. Random read/write speeds are slower, but that is simply the nature of this drive since it runs on the PCIe 3.0 interface and does not have DRAM (more on this below). For general day-to-day computing and storage of games or media files, these speeds are great and infinitely better than a standard mechanical drive or even a 2.5-inch SATA-based SSD. - The 980 is offered in sizes up to 1 TB and the price per gigabyte is likely the best Samsung has ever offered in an NVMe SSD. - I installed this in the spare SSD slot of my new ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 gaming laptop. I've loaded several games to it so far including Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil Village. Load times are excellent and indistinguishable from a higher-end Samsung EVO Pro drive I have in my desktop PC. CONS: - This is Samsung's first NVMe drive that does not have on-board DRAM, which causes a hit to performance in some scenarios. Having DRAM basically provides a map of the drive for your computer so it can quickly find the data it needs to access. Without DRAM, this "map" is stored on the SSD's flash storage itself, which is slower than DRAM. In real-world usage, this slowdown should only be noticeable in the largest of workflows (like 4K video editing). - The DRAM-less nature of the drive will mean that things like large anti-virus scans or performing a text search through multiple documents may take longer compared to more expensive consumer drives. OVERALL: For the average home user, there are practically no downsides to this drive. It is perfect to use as a boot drive for Windows or to store games and other media. For those who frequently work with very large files and transfer a ton of data every day, then the performance hit caused by the lack of DRAM is definitely something to keep in mind. But for everyone else, that should be a non-issue and this drive will last a very long time and provide plenty of speed. Recommended!

Samsung SSDs have always been in the upper tier of performance and reliability -- as well as how much they cost. The biggest difference with the new Samsung 980 vs the older Samsung 970 Evo is that it costs less -- currently around $30 less than the equivalent 970 Evo. The way they achieve this is the 980 contains no DRAM, lowering the manufacturing cost. Instead of DRAM, the 980 uses what Samsung calls "Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology. It essentially links directly to the CPU to overcome typical drawbacks of DRAMless SSDs. Using the latest sixth-generation VNAND, a better-optimized controller and firmware, and an upgraded Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0, the 980 uses the combo of technologies to achieve faster performance at a lower cost -- especially in the top-tier 1TB version. The 980 also offers over 50% better power efficiency than the 970 Evo, making this a great replacement SSD for laptops While benchmark tests may show it doesn't quite achieve the performance peaks as the earlier version, the variance is simply not enough for a user to notice this in day-to-day use. With a lower price and 5 year warranty, the 980 is an excellent value.

To date I have six Samsung SSD and NVMe m.2 drives in my computers at home and pleased to be reviewing the Samsung 980 NVMe M.2 Internal Gaming SSD M.2. To begin my review, I decided to replace my Samsung 960 Pro Boot drive in my desktop with the new 980 drive. Installation involved migrating my Samsung 960 Pro Boot drive Windows 10 OS and data to the new Samsung 980. Migration was achieved with Samsung Data Migration software which is an excellent migration Tool. Have utilized the Samsung Data Migration tool many times over the years and my experience is that the migration tool is rock solid, never any issues, always successful migrations. When transferring my data from one Samsung NVMe drive to another my transfer rate was at 260MB/s. Wow – makes for a short wait time to get your system back on-line. The second brilliant item in the Samsung Toolbox is Samsung Magician Which will “Make Your Drive Work Like Magic.” The latest version of Magician 6.3 Samsung introduces "Full power mode” that can increase performance by 5-10%. “Full Power Mode allows the SSD to run at peak level (PSO) for nonstop consistent high performance.” Magician is the complete SSD Toolbox: - Optimization Tools - Diagnostics - Drive Encryption - Health Monitoring - Benchmarking - Over Provisioning (one of my favorites) - Complete Drive Information and Details - Secure Erase Samsung’s Tools are invaluable and set the standard for SSD management, optimization, and Health. Samsung SSD’s and NVMe M,2 drives have been providing my system's data storage and management for many years without fail and never an issue from installation to full on management. Never a failure and my very first Samsung SSDs are still running strong in my computer desktops and laptops alike on my network. Samsung SSDs are rock-solid, dependable, fast, and come with excellent warranties. Did I mention the 980 is Fast, if not, it is insanely fast and an industry leader. What do I appreciate about the Samsung 980 NVMe Gaming SSD M.2 drive, everything, the blazing speed, management tools, great warranty, data safety and their reliability. Samsung SSDs are winners.

When it comes to SSDs Samsung is known to have some of the most reliable Solid State Drives in the market. There is not much to say about this SSDs mostly everything is said through the read and write speeds. I mostly use this for my OS and compared to my EVO 860 that i bought 3 years ago, and it definetly boots up faster (from ~11 secs to ~6-4 secs. I Highly recommend getting a M.2 SSD for windows and the 980 is a good entry one. If you want to go crazy with it, go with a 980 PRO. A little disclaimer Maker sure your motherboard is compatible with GEN3 m.2 SSDs. Some motherboards are different so make sure you have the required hard ware if needed. Also make sure you prep and have the right tools to install the M.2 if needed, a youtube video or a quick google search helps a lot.

This drive was super easy to install. It took more time removing cords from the back of my PC than it did to install the actual drive. Coming from a 970 EVO, I really didn't notice much of a difference in how windows loads. Both drives boot into Windows almost instantly from the time you press power and my PC goes through the initial bois boot up cycle. Benchmarks show that is is much faster at randow reads/writes than the 970. I loaded some games on this drive as well, and they boot very fast. There's enough room on this driver for Call of Duty Warzone, with a 175GB recommended requirement, and maybe two more games. LOL, just kidding. There is plenty of room for Windows and a few games without having to worry. I'd recommend this drive just for the near instant boot of Windows alone. My games loading faster is just the icing on the cake.

This Samsung NVMe SSD is perfect for gaming and as a daily driver SSD for laptops and desktops. I installed this as a games drive and have noticed substantially shortened load times to start games and significantly reduced load screens while in-game! Samsung offers their Magician software to monitor performance of your Samsung SSD and other storage drives connected to your computer, offer benchmarking, storage use, and temperature data. Setup is incredibly easy, but the drive itself does not come with mounting hardware, which is usually either provided by your motherboard/laptop or can be purchased separately. The performance and value of this drive are truly impressive and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for more storage or building a new gaming rig!

The NVMe market seems to be exploding. These drives are incredibly fast, the choices are getting more numerous, and prices are dropping. Most newer laptops use NVMe drives, and many desktop motherboards made in the last couple of years have an M2 slot. There are also very reasonably priced PCI adapter cards for M2 devices. If you want to upgrade your computer, using an NVMe is now the obvious choice. There are SATA drives that use an M2 slot, so make sure you get an NVMe drive. The speed difference is major, and the cost difference is minor. Also, there are PCI adapter cards that let you use an NVMe drive and connect it to a SATA interface, but you will be limited to the SATA speed which negates the speed advantage. The new Samsung 980 drives are mid-level products with a high-level value. They are equivalent in most speed tests with the older 970 EVO Pro, but they are priced lower. In some uses, they outperform the EVO buy using dynamic caching. They use your computer’s RAM for buffering rather than a smaller amount of fixed dram. The durability ratings appear around the same, and they come with a 5-year warranty. The 980 is a PCI 3 device, so if plan to get or build a system with the latest PCI 4 bus, this drive can’t take advantage of that blazing speed. I tested the drive in two ways. I installed it in the M2 slot on my desktop’s motherboard, and I also used it with an external M2 enclosure using a USB 3.1 (now renamed USB 3.2 Gen 2) connection. As expected, the internal M2 was by far the fastest. Somewhat surprising was that the external connection was still twice as fast as my existing SSD which is a Samsung 860 EVO using a SATA connection. When installed internally, this drive proved to be 3-4 times faster than the existing SSD SATA drive. These tests were without Samsung Rapid Mode enabled. Rapid Mode can get some super-fast ratings, but there’s a debate over how much real use improvement you realize. The bottom line is that this drive is amazingly fast and aggressively priced. It uses the latest dynamic cashing and Samsung’s newest controller chip. Its best performance is with very large files like games. Whether you want to speed up your existing computer or have a crazy fast external drive, this is a winner from one of the big names in memory. Highly recommended.

The Samsung 980 NVME M.2 SSD offers ridiculous speed at a good value. It’s an amazing tech time we live in where you can get up to 3.5GB per second transfer speeds, in a little chip, for the price of a nice steak dinner. I have the 500GB installed with a PCIe 4X adapter card (super cheap) in an Alienware Aurora R9. Running Crystal I’m getting 3,188 mb/s read, and 2,492 mb/s write speeds. That’s pretty close to the limit of what my PCIe 3.0 motherboard is capable of, and about 6x faster than what SATA SSDs are capable of. Incredible. And the best thing is that there’s tons of adapters for it. Install it straight into an M.2 slot for the fastest speeds, a PCIe adapter if you’re out of M.2 slots, or check out the plethora of external cases, which are all about the size of a pack of gum. So what does all this mean??? Loading time becomes a blip. Moving your entire music collection takes seconds. Less downtime working with 4K video. Your immune system gets stronger, because you’re happier that you’re waiting less. Just better everything in general. If you don’t have an NVME hard drive, this is likely a significant upgrade, even over a SATA SSD. Great for everything, but especially gaming and media. If you’re looking for a memory upgrade, you really can’t go wrong with the Samsung 980. It’s ridiculously fast, affordable, and made by the top company in the memory industry. NVME M.2 PCIe 3.0 - 3500/3000 MB read/write speed - Over 6x faster than SATA SSD - 5 year limited warranty

Fast, stable, and an unbeatable warranty - this is the disk to get ! With this year's models prices are within reach even for the most budget-minded - everyone needs a SSD to come up to modern speeds. I give this drive 5 stars - I look forward to picking a few more of these up, none of my PCs will be running old-school spinning drives , I'll be replacing them all with this series drive!

I needed a new SSD and decided to check this one from Samsung, the 980 500GB PCIe 3.0 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD. It came in a simple no fuss box with only the 980 itself and the instructions/warranty booklet. I’d like to say I installed it and it worked right away on my laptop ( Alienware 15 R3) but unfortunately I can’t. For anyone who runs into this issue, where disk management doesn’t see the drive, ensure your bios sees the drive and then log back into windows and do a hardware scan, if that doesn’t work open the troubleshoot for “Hardware and Devices” and run that. After this 15 mins of inconvenience (searching for and finding a solution) the drive was good to go. When it comes to booting and loading games I must note that it was slightly faster than the standard SSD that came with my computer. I can't say it was blazing fast or anything like that but definitely I noticed a difference. If you are coming from an HDD then any SSD you use as a replacement will give you much higher speeds but this one will be a great entrypoint if that is your situation. The 980 should definitely be considered for both casual users and gamers. I’m not sure I would use it for my main OS drive as it is missing a dedicated DRAM but it is still a good option for extra storage of your games, pictures and files. Also it comes with a 5 year warranty and it is compatible with the Samsung Magicians software.

I installed this in my Alienware gaming pc for games and storage. My laptop already has a Samsung nvme drive for the OS identical size so this was a no brainer to use a 2nd for storage. This loads everything fast, and so for no hiccups to mention. These are small as a stick of gum. Thankfully my new laptop has dual nvme slots.

This latest Samsung SSD doesn't dissapoint. I also own the 980 Pro and the 860 QVO SSD's. I've added this to an Nvidia Shield as an external network storage. Compared to an SD that I had with a USB adapter, it's a game changer! I can't ever see myself going back to HDD or SD cards. Everything loads faster! This is the way to do storage now. Even if you don't have a device that can support it, you can always buy an external adapter and use it that way. I love it!

I installed this about 10 months ago. I trust this device for now to write this review. It is fast and reliable. For 10 months, it gives me good performance on my laptop. Just a note, there is some heat generated. You would notice that during the hot summer day.

Definitely could feel how much fastsr it is to a 5400rpm HDD... one caveat to this SSD though is its DRAM less so its not significantly faster than a SATA 3, still better, smaller and easier to install. Paid 65$, pretty ok deal.

The 980 is another great consumer grade NVMe SSD from Samsung. I've used a ton of these and previous generations of Samsung SSD's in client builds and haven't had a failure yet. Fast, Affordable and Reliable.