Samsung intros super-speedy consumer SSDs, 'fastest M.2s ever'

Flashy NVMe pair up to 1TB – for now....

Samsung has introduced 960 EVO and 960 PRO M.2-format consumer SSDs with an NVMe interface and a promised 2TB capacity.

Sammy says these are the fastest M.2 flash drives ever. They come with up to 1TB capacity, for now, and are built with its 48-layer, 256Gbit, 21nm V-NAND technology. We expect that 64-layer V-NAND will be needed to reach the coming 2TB capacity.

The M.2 format makes them suitable for thin notebooks and all-in-one desktop systems – like iMacs. Both models are operated by a 5-core Samsung Polaris controller, and they have a PCIe gen 3 4-lane connection.

The 960 EVO has 256GB, 512GB and 1TB capacity levels with its TLC NAND. It operates up to 380,000/360,000 random read/write IOPS and 3.2/1.9GB/sec sequential reads and writes; plenty fast. The device supports up to 400TB written and has a 3-year warranty, whichever comes first. Sammy says it uses the first instance of its TurboWrite sequential writing technology.

The costlier, MLC flash-based 960 PRO has 512GB and 1TB capacity points, with 2TB promised, and is faster – operating at up to 440,000/360,000 random read/write IOPS and 3.5/2.1GB/sec sequential reads and writes. It has a longer working life with a five-year warranty and, for the promised 2TB capacity, up to 1.2PB written. The 2TB product would be the highest-capacity M.2 drive available.

There is a Dynamic Thermal Guard performance throttling facility on both products to prevent over-heating, and Magician software for drive management by users.

Get 960 PRO info here and 960 EVFO info here. The 960 EVO and PRO should be generally available in October, with prices starting at $129.99 and $329.99 respectively. ®