Samsung 9100 PRO Gen5 NVMe SSD with Heatsink Assessment

Samsung’s newest flagship SSD, the 9100 PRO sequence, marking a big leap into the PCIe 5.0 period. As somebody who’s examined quite a few storage options over time, I used to be desirous to see if this new drive may reside as much as Samsung’s daring claims of delivering twice the efficiency of their acclaimed 990 PRO.

Unboxing and First Impressions

The Samsung 9100 PRO (with Heatsink) arrives in minimalist packaging. Inside, you’ll discover the SSD with the heatsink glued straight out of the field. The drive feels reassuringly strong regardless of its light-weight 30g development, and the construct high quality conveys premium engineering.

What struck me first was simply how compact this drive stays regardless of packing cutting-edge PCIe 5.0 expertise. At most dimensions of 80.15 x 22.15 x 8.88mm, it maintains the usual M.2 2280 kind issue that matches nearly any trendy system together with laptops.

System Specs

Listed below are my system specs that I’m utilizing to check and assessment the drive:

PCIe 5.0 Efficiency That Really Issues

On paper, the numbers are fairly spectacular – as much as 14,700MB/s sequential learn and 13,400MB/s sequential write speeds for the 2TB storage capability that I’ve right here. That’s roughly twice as quick because the 990 PRO however how does that translate to actual life?

In real-world testing, massive file transfers that used to take minutes could be accomplished in seconds. I examined transferring a 500GB of my entire Video games assortment (round 17,000 information) and the distinction in comparison with my earlier PCIe 4.0 drive was instantly noticeable. This drive simply has superb pace and the CrystalDiskMark performs nicely on each Sequential and Random information.

Gaming efficiency is the place the random learn/write speeds of as much as 2,200K/2,600K IOPS actually shine. Sport loading instances are noticeably quicker in comparison with older technology of SSDs, significantly in titles with massive open worlds or frequent loading screens.

Notice nevertheless that in all honesty, gaming efficiency just isn’t considerably quicker in comparison with a very good Gen4 PCIe SSDs however if you’re additionally engaged on massive information and heavy content material enhancing, you’re going to get the whole lot squeezed out of Gen5 NVMe just like the Samsung 9100 PRO.

DirectStorage-enabled video games will profit much more considerably although not all video games assist this in the mean time – but it surely’s undoubtedly the longer term.

Once more, content material creators will recognize extra on how the drive handles demanding workflows. Video enhancing with 4K and 8K footage turns into smoother, with much less stuttering throughout scrubbing and quicker render instances.

Energy Effectivity and Thermal Administration

One space the place Samsung has made important enhancements is energy effectivity. The superior 5nm controller delivers as much as 49% higher energy effectivity in comparison with the 990 PRO. In observe, this implies much less warmth technology and higher battery life in laptops.

Throughout intensive workloads, I monitored temperatures carefully with HWMonitor. The usual 9100 PRO remained nicely inside acceptable limits, and although it did get heat below sustained masses, the heatsink actually carried out nicely in protecting the temperature in a great place (and I’ve by no means seen thermal throttling to this point). For customers planning on doing heavy workloads, the heatsink model is a should because it supplies further thermal headroom and maintains peak efficiency for longer intervals. Plus, it’s solely A$20 further to seize.

The drive was principally idling at 45-48 levels of Celsius. When writing round 500 GB of knowledge consisting of 17,000 information, the drive temperature went up and stayed in round 55-60 levels. Throughout steady heavy load akin to working the CrystalDiskMark benchmarking app a number of instances, the motive force temperature by no means received over 70 levels – and that was really fairly superb. The newer Gen5 NVMe SSD I reviewed from Kingston (the Kingston Renegade G5) went to 80 levels of Celsius – although it doesn’t have a heatsink like Samsung does.

Whereas taking part in Stellar Blade for a few hours, the temperature by no means went past 52 levels with all graphics maxed out so I’m tremendous impressed with the thermal administration on this drive.

The heatsink mannequin’s slim profile maintains compatibility with most laptops and in addition the PlayStation 5 whereas offering significant thermal advantages. This consideration to kind issue reveals Samsung understands that high-performance storage isn’t only for hardcore desktop avid gamers anymore. Those that are on gaming laptops and consoles will profit from the heatsink as nicely.

Capability Choices and Future-Proofing

Samsung is providing the 9100 PRO with Heatsink in 1TB (A$279), 2TB (A$439), and 4TB (A$819) capacities at launch, with an 8TB mannequin deliberate for the second half of 2025. The pricing positions these drives as premium choices, however the price-per-gigabyte turns into extra cheap at larger capacities. If you wish to save A$20, you’ll be able to seize the mannequin with out the heatsink however I wouldn’t advocate. It’s solely A$20 distinction and also you’ll get cooler drive so it’s a no brainer.

The 4TB mannequin is especially compelling for content material creators and professionals who want substantial native storage. Having 4TB of blazing-fast storage eliminates the fixed juggling of information that many creators face with smaller drives.

However the upcoming 8TB mannequin shall be groundbreaking – no different NVMe SSD at present presents this capability so far as I’m conscious. For video professionals and data-intensive functions, this might eradicate the necessity for a number of drives or exterior storage options.

Samsung Magician Software program Integration

Samsung Magician software program supplies complete monitoring of drive well being, temperature, and efficiency metrics. The optimisation instruments genuinely assist preserve peak efficiency over time, and the migration utility makes upgrading from older drives simple. The software program additionally allows firmware updates and supplies early warning of potential points. Notice that you just don’t want to put in it in case you don’t need to.

PlayStation 5 and Gaming Console Compatibility

As I discussed, Samsung has confirmed that the 9100 PRO sequence is appropriate with PlayStation 5 consoles. The usual fashions match inside Sony’s top necessities, while the heatsink variations present extra thermal administration for sustained gaming periods.

Minor Concerns

For PC customers, the principle limitation is that you just’ll want a PCIe 5.0-compatible motherboard to grasp the complete efficiency advantages. Whereas the drive works completely in PCIe 4.0 slots, you’re paying a premium for speeds you’ll be able to’t totally utilise. So don’t get this except you have got a supported motherboard like my GIGABYTE Z790 AERO G or planning to improve to a more moderen motherboard sooner or later.

Samsung 9100 PRO (with Heatsink) Assessment Conclusion

The Samsung 9100 PRO represents a real leap ahead in SSD expertise. The PCIe 5.0 efficiency isn’t only a numbers recreation – it delivers real-world advantages that customers can really feel. Whether or not you’re a content material creator coping with huge information, a gamer wanting the quickest attainable loading instances, or knowledgeable working AI workloads, the drive delivers.

The mixture of blistering efficiency, improved energy effectivity, glorious thermal administration, and Samsung’s confirmed reliability makes the 9100 PRO a compelling improve for anybody with a appropriate system.

The upcoming 8TB mannequin might be significantly helpful in case you want as a lot storage as you will get in an NVMe kind issue. It is going to be helpful for many who prefer to edit 4K or 8K video information, or avid gamers who don’t like having to uninstall older video games as new video games come alongside.

If in case you have a PCIe 5.0-compatible system and wish the perfect in storage efficiency, the Samsung 9100 PRO deserves severe consideration. Additionally it is cheaper than the Kingston Fury Renegade G5 I’ve simply reviewed and runs cooler.

Disclosure: Samsung 9100 PRO with Heatsink assessment pattern was equipped for reviewing