Samsung 980 500GB

The Samsung 980 is Samsung’s first retail consumer NVMe SSD to use a DRAM-less design. It is built around the proprietary Samsung Pablo controller (S4LR033), a simplified 4-channel design that omits a dedicated DRAM cache in favor of Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, which leverages system RAM for address mapping. The controller is paired with Samsung’s 6th Generation 128-layer TLC V-NAND, enabling the drive to saturate the PCIe 3.0 interface despite the lack of onboard DRAM. Thermal management is improved over the preceding model due to the lower power draw of the Pablo controller and the physical absence of DRAM modules. Samsung Magician software offers a "Full Power Mode" setting to prevent low-power idle states and reduce latency spikes during intermittent workloads. Heavy, sustained writes can exhaust the Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 pseudo-SLC cache and cause write speeds to fall to native TLC speeds once the buffer is depleted.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.4
• Controller: Samsung Pablo (S4LR033)
• NAND Flash: Samsung V6 128-Layer TLC V-NAND
• Sequential Read/Write: 3,100 MB/s / 2,600 MB/s
• DRAM Cache: None (Utilizes Host Memory Buffer >64MB)
• Endurance: 300 TBW
• Encryption: AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0
• PCB: Single-sided M.2 2280

Hardware Alternatives

• WD Blue SN570: The primary direct competitor in the DRAM-less TLC segment, using a similar SanDisk controller architecture and HMB technology; competes with the 980 in sequential throughput and random IOPS.
• Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB: The 980’s immediate predecessor, using a DRAM-equipped Phoenix controller and offering higher sustained write performance in heavy workload scenarios compared to the DRAM-less 980.
• Crucial P3 500GB: A DRAM-less alternative often cross-shopped in this tier; it uses QLC NAND rather than the TLC NAND found in the Samsung 980, resulting in lower endurance ratings and different sustained performance behavior.