Samsung PM9A1 solid state drive introduced – a more affordable analogue of the flagship Samsung 980 Pro
Samsung has unveiled the new PM9A1 PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD for OEMs. However, these types of SSDs trickle into retail over time. So far, the PM9A1 SSD has only been spotted in HP Z series systems, but it will be used more widely in the future.
The product launch is important for DIY PC builders because it will eventually hit retail and have a much better price tag than other SSDs from the manufacturer. The Samsung PM9A1 solid-state drive is based on Samsung’s proprietary Elpis controller and 6th generation V-NAND (3D TLC architecture) – the same combination underpinning the retail Samsung 980 Pro drives.
The controller supports 256-bit AES encryption and TCG / Opal IEEE 1667 encryption, so new drives may appear on PCs used by enterprises and government agencies that deal with sensitive information and require heightened security measures.
The Samsung PM9A1 family will include solutions up to 2TB so that you can count on 250GB, 500GB, and 1TB options. In terms of performance, the PM9A1 is similar to the retail sibling of the 980 Pro. Specifically, Samsung promises up to 7,000 MB / s sequential read and 5,200 MB / s sequential write, up to 1,000,000 random reads I / O (4K, QD32) and up to 850,000 random writes I / O. (4KB, QD32), which is slightly below the 980 Pro.
Samsung cites images of the PM9A1 without any heatsink, although the nickel plating on the controller may partially fulfill this role. This is most likely why the random write rates are lower than those of its retail counterpart with a graphene heatsink. Unfortunately, Samsung does not publish all the specifications for its OEM-oriented drive, so it is impossible to compare the reliability and power consumption with the 980 Pro.
