TEST
YOUR SSD
ADD TO PC
BUILD

Pm981

NVMe Samsung 256GB

▲ 500 ▼

Release date ≈ Q2 2018.

Average Bench: 195% (81st of 1040)

Based on 3,333 user benchmarks.  Model: PM981 NVMe Samsung 256GB
Poor: 125%Average: 195% Great: 249%

Popular builds with this SSD

Outstanding average bench

The Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB averaged 94.7% higher than the peak scores attained by the group leaders. This is an excellent result which ranks the Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB near the top of the comparison list.

Strengths

Avg. 4K-64Thread Mixed IO Speed 773MB/s
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 1,784MB/s

Terrible consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB is 123%. This is a particularly wide range which indicates that the Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB performs inconsistently under varying real world conditions.

Weaknesses

Avg. Sustained Write Speed 315MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 111MB/s
ADVERTISEMENT

Average Bench

(Based on 3,333 samples)
Rank 81195%
Min Avg Max
786 Read 1,784 2,238
535 Write 1,183 1,486
523 Mixed 984 1,226
153 SusWrite 315 452
236% 1,066 MB/s
Min Avg Max
36.9 4K Read 52.6 63.6
55 4K Write 111 165
37.5 4K Mixed 65.4 84.6
223% 76.5 MB/s
Min Avg Max
341 DQ Read 823 979
215 DQ Write 762 1,260
313 DQ Mixed 773 1,009
586% 786 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
187GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 451 334 335 334 334 331 MB/s
215% Outstanding
Read 2,205
Write 1,464
Mixed 1,210
SusWrite 353
290% 1,308 MB/s
4K Read 53.3
4K Write 128
4K Mixed 70.2
238% 83.8 MB/s
DQ Read 722
DQ Write 666
DQ Mixed 698
523% 695 MB/s
64GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 338 308 311 309 312 308 MB/s
208% Outstanding
Read 2,134
Write 1,389
Mixed 1,215
SusWrite 314
280% 1,263 MB/s
4K Read 57
4K Write 97.6
4K Mixed 71.3
229% 75.3 MB/s
DQ Read 924
DQ Write 518
DQ Mixed 744
547% 729 MB/s
114GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD71D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 504 304 309 312 305 297 MB/s
156% Outstanding
Read 1,026
Write 1,341
Mixed 670
SusWrite 338
189% 844 MB/s
4K Read 49.8
4K Write 98.2
4K Mixed 63.6
209% 70.5 MB/s
DQ Read 838
DQ Write 458
DQ Mixed 753
532% 683 MB/s
121GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 390 322 318 318 320 319 MB/s
151% Outstanding
Read 1,106
Write 1,266
Mixed 739
SusWrite 331
193% 861 MB/s
4K Read 50.5
4K Write 95.2
4K Mixed 59.9
204% 68.5 MB/s
DQ Read 783
DQ Write 283
DQ Mixed 717
481% 594 MB/s
3,333 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 34,680,189 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 NVMe Samsung 256GB Builds (Compare 2,100 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 105%
UFO
Desktop
Desktop 99%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 99%
Nuclear submarine

System: Alienware Aurora R8

CPU
Core i7-9700KIntel  $260Bench 98%, 288,144 samples447x
Core i7-9700Intel  $254Bench 94%, 38,717 samples423x
Core i5-9600KIntel  $190Bench 95%, 201,126 samples331x
GPU
RTX 2070Nvidia  $450Bench 105%, 285,083 samples495x
RTX 2060Nvidia  $338Bench 93%, 287,987 samples232x
RTX 2080Nvidia  $698Bench 134%, 199,557 samples224x
SSD
NVMe Samsung 256GBPm981Bench 195%, 3,333 samples139x
RAM
XJ69DF-MIE 2x8GBUnknownBench 82%, 1,699 samples275x
HMA81GU6JJR8N-VK 2x8GBUnknownBench 81%, 3,257 samples223x
8ATF1G64AZ-2G6E1 2x8GBUnknownBench 79%, 5,375 samples210x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 72% - Very good Total price: $710

Popular NVMe Samsung 256GB systems:

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

Gaming Desktop ProGaming

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.
  • - 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.
  • - Share your opinion by voting.
Solid State Drive Rankings (Price vs Performance) November 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]

ADVERTISEMENT

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.
Your
opinion?
▲Like ▼Dislike
Over the hill
Age: 2 years

Speed Comparisons

vs Crucial MX500 250GB
vs Samsung 850 Evo 120GB
vs Samsung 860 Evo 250GB
vs Samsung 850 Pro 512GB
vs Samsung 850 Evo 250GB
vs HyperX Savage 240GB
vs Crucial MX300 275GB
vs Samsung 850 Evo 1TB
vs Crucial MX200 250GB

1040 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 $190Nvidia GTX 1660S (Super) $240Crucial MX500 250GB $34
Intel Core i5-9400F $148Nvidia RTX 3070 $500Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $78
Intel Core i5-10600K $260Nvidia GTX 1650S (Super) $190Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $44
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $43Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $64SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $40Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $69SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016) $85G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $649SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
Today's hottest
Amazon Ebay
deals
CPU GPU SSD HDD USB RAM MBD
Build Test EFps
Can You Run It?
►
YouTube
*NEW*
About  •  User Guide  •  FAQs  •  Email  •  Privacy  •  Developer  •  YouTube Feedback