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Samsung

SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB

▲ 5314 ▼

Release date ≈ Q2 2016.

Average Bench: 228% (53rd of 1016)

more Based on 12,258 user benchmarks.  Models: SAMSUNG MZVPW256HEGL-00000, SAMSUNG MZVPW256HEGL-000L7, SM961 NVMe SAMSUNG 256GB, SAMSUNG MZVPW256HEGL-000H7, NVMe SM961 NVMe SAMSU, SAMSUNG MZVPW256HEGL-000L2, NVMe SAMSUNG MZVPW256, SAMSUNG MZVPW256HEGL-000H1
Poor: 146%Average: 228% Great: 305%

Popular builds with this SSD

Outstanding average bench

The Samsung SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB averaged 128.0% higher than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This is an excellent result which ranks the Samsung SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB near the top of the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 790MB/s
Avg. 4K-64Thread Read Speed 1,030MB/s

Terrible consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Samsung SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB is 159%. This is a particularly wide range which indicates that the Samsung SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 547MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 124MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 12,258 samples)
Rank 53228%
Min Avg Max
807 Read 1,582 2,299
355 Write 1,026 1,378
317 Mixed 547 797
242 SusWrite 946 1,439
228% 1,025 MB/s
Min Avg Max
32.9 4K Read 51.3 58.3
69.8 4K Write 124 182
39 4K Mixed 59.7 75.3
220% 78.3 MB/s
Min Avg Max
386 DQ Read 1,030 1,536
266 DQ Write 765 1,106
288 DQ Mixed 790 991
620% 862 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
166GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ7 Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1461 1348 1405 1318 1313 1339 MB/s
308% Outstanding
Read 1,816
Write 1,361
Mixed 605
SusWrite 1,364
287% 1,287 MB/s
4K Read 59.5
4K Write 205
4K Mixed 78.9
300% 114 MB/s
DQ Read 1,642
DQ Write 1,087
DQ Mixed 977
833% 1,235 MB/s
151GB free
Firmware: CXZ74H6Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1433 1435 1439 1428 1433 1436 MB/s
294% Outstanding
Read 1,891
Write 1,311
Mixed 658
SusWrite 1,434
295% 1,324 MB/s
4K Read 53
4K Write 158
4K Mixed 67.6
251% 92.9 MB/s
DQ Read 1,324
DQ Write 1,108
DQ Mixed 994
805% 1,142 MB/s
134GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ74H0Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1427 1458 1466 1466 1417 1321 MB/s
286% Outstanding
Read 1,747
Write 1,311
Mixed 583
SusWrite 1,426
283% 1,267 MB/s
4K Read 52.4
4K Write 129
4K Mixed 66.9
234% 82.9 MB/s
DQ Read 1,471
DQ Write 1,096
DQ Mixed 995
822% 1,187 MB/s
130GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ74H0Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1240 1270 1245 1213 1162 1066 MB/s
272% Outstanding
Read 1,855
Write 1,208
Mixed 583
SusWrite 1,199
270% 1,211 MB/s
4K Read 52.2
4K Write 149
4K Mixed 67.9
245% 89.6 MB/s
DQ Read 1,238
DQ Write 982
DQ Mixed 957
758% 1,059 MB/s
91GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ7 Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1153 1062 848 614 551 552 MB/s
250% Outstanding
Read 1,950
Write 1238
Mixed 566
SusWrite 797
252% 1,138 MB/s
4K Read 49.5
4K Write 148
4K Mixed 68.4
241% 88.7 MB/s
DQ Read 1,308
DQ Write 900
DQ Mixed 939
746% 1,049 MB/s
97GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ7 Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 973 950 917 889 859 824 MB/s
233% Outstanding
Read 1,769
Write 968
Mixed 564
SusWrite 902
233% 1,051 MB/s
4K Read 46.1
4K Write 153
4K Mixed 58.2
225% 85.7 MB/s
DQ Read 1,075
DQ Write 669
DQ Mixed 834
632% 860 MB/s
162GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ7500Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1280 1284 1257 1201 1093 1042 MB/s
222% Outstanding
Read 956
Write 1,213
Mixed 487
SusWrite 1,193
217% 962 MB/s
4K Read 47.4
4K Write 106
4K Mixed 58.8
203% 70.7 MB/s
DQ Read 1,227
DQ Write 954
DQ Mixed 942
745% 1,041 MB/s
91GB free (System drive)
Firmware: CXZ7500Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 796 834 795 780 708 637 MB/s
206% Outstanding
Read 1,789
Write 927
Mixed 546
SusWrite 758
222% 1,005 MB/s
4K Read 43.8
4K Write 96.4
4K Mixed 53.5
186% 64.6 MB/s
DQ Read 750
DQ Write 610
DQ Mixed 704
520% 688 MB/s
12,258 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 21,681,597 SSDs tested.

Custom PC Builder (Start a new build) Build your perfect PC: compare component prices, popularity, speed and value for money.

CHOOSE A COMPONENT:

CPU GPU SSD HDD RAM MBD
Typical SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB Builds (Compare 897 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 68%
Battle cruiser
Desktop
Desktop 93%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 65%
Battle cruiser

System: Asus Zephyrus M GM501GS

CPU
Core i7-8750HIntelBench 73%, 206,053 samples897x
GPU
GTX 1070 (Mobile)NvidiaBench 68%, 52,782 samples632x
UHD Graphics 630IntelBench 6%, 147,791 samples262x
RTX 2080-TiNvidia  $1,100Bench 170%, 105,547 samples2x
SSD
SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GBSamsungBench 228%, 12,258 samples561x
RAM
HMA82GS6CJR8N-VK 1x16GBHynixBench 45%, 17,057 samples587x
M471A2K43CB1-CTD 1x16GBSamsungBench 45%, 17,427 samples67x
HyperX DDR4 2666 C15 2x16GBKingstonBench 87%, 2,020 samples29x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER

Popular SM961 NVMe PCIe M.2 256GB systems:

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  • - Download and run UserBenchMark.
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string.
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations.
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Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) January 2020 SSD Rankings.

Welcome to our 2.5" and M.2 SSD comparison. We calculate effective speed for both SATA and NVMe drives based on real world performance then adjust by current prices per GB to yield a value for money rating. Our calculated values are checked against thousands of individual user ratings. The customizable table below combines these factors to bring you the definitive list of top SSDs. [SSDrivePro]

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Group Test Results

  • Best user rated - User sentiment trumps benchmarks for this comparison.
  • Best value for money - Value for money is based on real world performance.
  • Fastest real world speed - Real World Speed measures performance for typical consumers.

 Comments

Added n/a ago.
USA-User
Avatar level
6,132

Liked (edit your comment) Add link

13 months ago.

COL-User
Avatar level
1,948

Excellent

3 months ago.

Very good Read/Write Performance for a low cost price

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Speed Comparisons

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1016 Drives (Compared) Thousands of user benchmarks compiled into one comparison list.

See how consistently different SSDs perform with varying real world conditions. The charts also illustrate overall performance, popularity and rank.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Devices FAQ
What is sustained sequential write speed?
What’s the difference between SLC, MLC and TLC?
What is 3D XPoint and how fast is it?
What’s the difference between SATA, PCIe and NVMe?
What’s the difference between NAND and V-NAND?
What is sequential write speed?
What is sequential read speed?
What is incompressible data?
What is queue depth?
Solid State Drives
What is the SSD value for money rating?
What is 4K 64 thread write speed?
Can CPU power saving states (C1,C2,C3) impact SSD speed?
What is the effective SSD speed index?
How is the AS SSD write score calculated?
How is the AS SSD read score calculated?
How is the AS SSD total score calculated?
ALL FAQs »

 Best User Rated
The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-9600K $218Nvidia GTX 1660S (Super) $240Crucial MX500 250GB $43
Intel Core i5-9400F $155Nvidia GTX 1650S (Super) $170Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $78
Intel Core i7-9700K $370Nvidia RTX 2060 $340Samsung 850 Pro 512GB $204
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $37Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $73SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $40Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $63SanDisk Extreme 32GB $46
Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016) $85G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $643SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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