Samsung 980 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD: specs, thermal design and who it suits

The Samsung 980 PRO 2TB is an internal NVMe solid state drive in the M.2 2280 format, built around a PCIe 4.0 interface. Samsung rates its reads at up to 7,000 MB/s and aims it at gamers and technically minded users who want fast loading, plus 2TB of room for games, creative projects and data work.

PCIe 4.0 and what "2x" means

PCIe is the link between the drive and the processor. Samsung says PCIe 4.0 offers twice the data transfer rate of PCIe 3.0, and that the 980 PRO's interface is 12 times faster than Samsung SATA SSDs. The company also says the drive stays compatible with PCIe 3.0, which in general means it can be used in an older slot, though the speeds then drop to what that slot allows.

To get the most out of it, Samsung advises checking whether your system supports PCIe 4.0 on the Intel or AMD website. Samsung's performance measurements are made with IOmeter 1.1.0 on an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X test system, with write speeds measured while Intelligent TurboWrite is active, and results vary on other setups.

The in-house controller

The drive uses a controller designed by Samsung to coordinate the flash memory and the PCIe interface. Samsung says every component of the drive is made by the company, which it connects to long-lasting performance. A controller of this sort manages how data is written and spread across the memory chips, which affects both speed and consistency.

Thermal control

Fast SSDs generate heat, and many throttle when they overheat. Samsung says the 980 PRO uses nickel coating to help manage the controller's heat, along with a heat spreader label to help control NAND temperature. The aim is stable performance over long transfers. There's no dedicated heatsink in this listing, so if your motherboard provides an M.2 cover, it's worth using.

M.2 2280 form factor

The 980 PRO is a compact M.2 2280 stick, 22 mm wide and 80 mm long. Samsung says it plugs into desktops and laptops and is suited to high-performance systems. The listing gives dimensions of about 3.1 x 0.9 x 0.1 inches.

Who it suits

Samsung describes the drive as designed for hardcore gamers and tech-savvy users, with bandwidth for gaming, graphics and data analytics. Quicker game loading is the headline benefit. In general, anyone working with large files, such as video editors, benefits from the combination of speed and a 2TB capacity.

What to check before you buy

• That your computer has an M.2 slot supporting NVMe and 2280 length. Some M.2 slots are SATA only.
• Which PCIe generation the slot supports, since a PCIe 4.0 slot is needed for the top speeds.
• Whether your motherboard or laptop offers a heatsink, and that there is physical clearance.
• Whether your games console or other device accepts this drive. Check the maker's requirements.
• How you will copy your existing data across.
• The warranty terms on the model.

The short version

• The Samsung 980 PRO 2TB is an M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD.
• Samsung rates reads at up to 7,000 MB/s.
• It is compatible with PCIe 3.0 slots, at lower speeds.
• A nickel-coated controller and a heat spreader label handle heat.
• Confirm your slot type and PCIe support before installing.

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