Average Bench: 266% (48th of 1071)

Based on 63,520 user benchmarks.  Models: Samsung SSD 960 PRO 512GB, NVMe Samsung SSD 960, Samsung SSD 960 PRO 512GB

Samsung’s NVMe SSD flagship, the 960 Pro, is one of the fastest consumer SSDs on the market, currently second only to Intel’s 900P Optane SSDs. This PCIe SSD offers high-end performance at a premium price and therefore, as the name suggests, is may be more suited towards professional users. Our real world benchmarks show that the 960 Pro has read/write speeds in excess of 4 times faster than the Samsung 850 Pro which is the next best SATA SSD. Compared to the now two year old NVMe 950 Pro the 960 Pro offers significantly higher write throughput and is less susceptible to thermal throttling. The 960 Pro is based on a denser version of Samsung’s V-NAND (3D) technology, featuring more layers of memory cells. The 960 Pro also features an upgraded and faster 5 ARM Polaris controller, compared to the 950 Pro’s 3 ARM UBX controller. The smallest capacity for the 960 Pro is 512 GB, which may make it prohibitively expensive for some. Fortunately, for those that still want the superb NVMe performance, the 250 GB Samsung 960 Evo offers a more affordable choice, albeit with lower sustained write speeds when compared to the 512 GB 960 Pro. The 960 Pro is based on MLC (2-bit) V-NAND whilst the 960 Evo is based on the slightly lower enduring TLC (3-bit) V-NAND, and this accounts for Samsung’s reduced warranty for the 960 Evo (3 years/200 TBW versus 5 years/400 TBW for the 512 GB versions of the 960 Evo and 960 Pro respectively). Unlike the 960 Evo, the 960 Pro doesn’t have an SLC cache which results in more consistent sustained write speeds. [Nov '17 SSDrivePro]

Outstanding average bench

The Samsung 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB averaged 166.3% higher than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This is an excellent result which ranks the Samsung 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB near the top of the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 881MB/s
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 2,013MB/s

Terrible consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Samsung 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB is 194%. This is a particularly wide range which indicates that the Samsung 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sequential Mixed IO Speed 799MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 132MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 63,520 samples)
Min Avg Max
1,035 Read 2,013 2,601
388 Write 1,359 1,921
507 Mixed 799 995
345 SusWrite 1,222 1,915
300% 1,348 MB/s
Min Avg Max
32.3 4K Read 46.7 55.5
47.1 4K Write 132 208
37.3 4K Mixed 62.3 80.1
220% 80.4 MB/s
Min Avg Max
642 DQ Read 1,107 1,318
225 DQ Write 852 1,327
282 DQ Mixed 881 1,142
686% 947 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
125GB free
Firmware: 4B6Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1691 1700 1694 1703 1699 1692 MB/s
Read 2,466
Write 1,848
Mixed 1,066
SusWrite 1,696
395% 1,769 MB/s
4K Read 47.3
4K Write 129
4K Mixed 67.2
226% 81.2 MB/s
DQ Read 1,016
DQ Write 870
DQ Mixed 894
683% 927 MB/s
125GB free
Firmware: 4B6Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1656 1665 1632 1651 1682 1694 MB/s
Read 2,336
Write 1,766
Mixed 1,023
SusWrite 1,663
379% 1,697 MB/s
4K Read 47
4K Write 131
4K Mixed 63.3
222% 80.4 MB/s
DQ Read 1,003
DQ Write 841
DQ Mixed 870
666% 905 MB/s
432GB free (System drive)
Firmware: 4B6QCXP7 Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 431 1034 1193 1265 1260 1251 MB/s
Read 1,804
Write 1216
Mixed 815
SusWrite 1,072
273% 1,227 MB/s
4K Read 14.4
4K Write 28.8
4K Mixed 20.5
63% 21.2 MB/s
DQ Read 626
DQ Write 439
DQ Mixed 568
415% 545 MB/s
63,520 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 71,122,586 SSDs tested.

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Typical 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB Builds (Compare 3,539 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 112%
UFO
Desktop
Desktop 95%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 102%
UFO

Motherboard: Asus ROG MAXIMUS X HERO (WI-FI AC) - $320

EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 90% - Excellent Total price: $1,133

Popular 960 Pro NVMe PCIe M.2 512GB compatible motherboards:

How Fast Is Your SSD? (Bench your build) Size up your PC in less than a minute.

Welcome to our freeware PC speed test tool. UserBenchmark will test your PC and compare the results to other users with the same components. You can quickly size up your PC, identify hardware problems and explore the best upgrades.

UserBenchmark of the month

How it works

  • - Download and run UserBenchmark.
  • - CPU tests include: integer, floating and string.
  • - GPU tests include: six 3D game simulations.
  • - Drive tests include: read, write, sustained write and mixed IO.
  • - RAM tests include: single/multi core bandwidth and latency.
  • - SkillBench (space shooter) tests user input accuracy.
  • - Reports are generated and presented on userbenchmark.com.
  • - Identify the strongest components in your PC.
  • - See speed test results from other users.
  • - Compare your components to the current market leaders.
  • - Explore your best upgrade options with a virtual PC build.
  • - Compare your in-game FPS to other users with your hardware.
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) September 2023 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.

Good

5 years ago.


Excellent

6 years ago.

If you get this, you'll soon know why it's called "N.V. Me"


Excellent

4 years ago.

Insanely fast.


Good

3 years ago.

great runs smooth


Excellent

2 years ago.

Super fast. In CristallDiskMark 4K read Q=1 62 Mb/s. My record here 389 scores (no cache, no raid etc.).


Your
opinion?
1071 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

 Best User Rated

The Best.
CPUGPUSSD
Intel Core i5-13600K $310Nvidia RTX 4060 $290Crucial MX500 250GB $28
Intel Core i5-12400F $150Nvidia RTX 4060-Ti $397Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $60
Intel Core i5-12600K $205Nvidia RTX 3060-Ti $260Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $50
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $36Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $40SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $30Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $43SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $50G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $381SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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