Samsung unveils its first PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD - the Samsung 980 Pro

Samsung has unveiled its first PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD - the Samsung 980 Pro - aimed at gaming and high-end PC applications.

The NVMe SSD promises to deliver sequential read and write speeds of up to 7,000MB/s and 5,000MB/s respectively. Samsung reckons through intensive testing that it's up to 12.7 times faster than standard SATA SSDs. It also promises random read and write speeds of up to 1,000K IOPS, making it up to two times faster than PCIe 3.0 SSDs.

In an accompanying statement, Dr Mike Mang, vice president of memory Brand Product Biz at Samsung Electronics explained, "the new 980 PRO SSD reflects our continuing commitment to delivering exceptional products consumers have come to expect from Samsung." Available in capacities ranging from 250GB to 1TB, it might not have the size that high-end users want but on paper, the speeds certainly sound impressive.

Samsung went on to explain that the 980 Pro is pivoted ideally for consumers and professionals who work with 4K and 8K content, as well as play graphics-heavy games. All of the SSD's key components including the custom Elpis controller, V-NAND and DRAM, are designed in-house, reflecting Samsung's determination to get things right. 

With such enhanced performance, it should make sense then that the 980 Pro employs a nickel coating on its controller as well as a heat spreader label on the back side of the SSD to ensure efficient thermal management. Samsung believes it's an innovative design that will mean temperatures are kept low and optimal, without any detriment to the slim and compact design of the SSD.

As mentioned, the Samsung SSD 980 Pro currently only comes in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB variants but a 2TB model is in the works for availability by the end of the year. The price? Scan has the 250GB variant for £86.99 with the 500GB available for £143.99 and the 1TB for £221.99. Looks like the 2TB model will cost a hefty £443.99 and is due in December.