Samsung’s first DRAM-less SSD is a blend of speed, power efficiency and affordability

According to Samsung, the new 980 NVMe SSD can deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 3,500 and 3,000 MB/s, respectively whereas random read and write performances are rated as high as 500K IOPS and 480K IOPS, respectively.

Samsung on Tuesday announced 980 NVMe SSD, its first-ever DRAM-less consumer drive which is claimed to deliver the highest performance among DRAM-less SSDs at affordable price points.

While previous DRAM-less designs have presented a disadvantage in speed, Samsung's new 980 utilizes Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which links the drive directly to the host processor’s DRAM to overcome any performance drawbacks. When combined with Samsung's latest sixth-generation V-NAND as well as optimized controller and firmware, the HMB technology enables the 980 to provide NVMe performance with six times the speed of SATA SSDs.

According to Samsung, the new 980 NVMe SSD can deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 3,500 and 3,000 MB/s, respectively whereas random read and write performances are rated as high as 500K IOPS and 480K IOPS, respectively.

Further, Samsung's new Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 offers significantly enhanced sustained performance over the previous iteration by allocating a much larger buffer storage area inside the drive - from up to 42GB in the 970 EVO to up to 160GB in the NVMe SSD 980.

When working with extremely large files or running graphics-heavy games, Samsung's Magician 6.3 management software features a new 'Full Power Mode' that allows the drive to continuously run at peak performance for uninterrupted work and play.

Samsung's 980 NVMe SSD series features Dynamic Thermal Guard technology, nickel-coated controller and heat spreader label solutions to prevent the drive overheating and deliver reliable performance even during prolonged use. The 980 SSD is claimed to deliver an improved power efficiency of up to 56% as compared to the previous generation 970 EVO.

The 980 NVMe SSD is offered in three capacities:

• 250GB - USD49.99
• 500GB - USD69.99
• 1TB - USD129.99

"Through both hardware and software innovations, our new 980 SSD brings greater value without compromising the high-end NVMe performance. The 980 offers an excellent blend of speed, power efficiency and reliability, making it suitable for everyday PC users and gamers as well as content creators,” said KyuYoung Lee, vice president of Memory Brand Product Biz team at Samsung Electronics.