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Pm981

NVMe Samsung 256GB

▲ 500 ▼

Release date ≈ Q2 2018.

Average Bench: 195% (91st of 1058)

Based on 3,686 user benchmarks.  Model: PM981 NVMe Samsung 256GB
Poor: 118%Average: 195% Great: 251%

Popular builds with this SSD

Outstanding average bench

The Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB averaged 94.9% 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 722MB/s
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 1,825MB/s

Terrible consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB is 133%. 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 321MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 110MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 3,686 samples)
Rank 91195%
Min Avg Max
954 Read 1,825 2,241
493 Write 1,187 1,512
464 Mixed 976 1,233
156 SusWrite 321 452
239% 1,077 MB/s
Min Avg Max
31 4K Read 56 65
42.9 4K Write 110 163
29 4K Mixed 64.7 83.5
226% 77 MB/s
Min Avg Max
158 DQ Read 784 979
136 DQ Write 685 1,258
146 DQ Mixed 722 1,013
545% 730 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
85GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD71D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 473 307 304 304 304 301 MB/s
237% Outstanding
Read 2,244
Write 1,338
Mixed 1,206
SusWrite 332
283% 1,280 MB/s
4K Read 65.4
4K Write 133
4K Mixed 80.6
273% 92.9 MB/s
DQ Read 972
DQ Write 928
DQ Mixed 985
730% 961 MB/s
205GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 1037 341 308 306 305 306 MB/s
186% Outstanding
Read 1,045
Write 1193
Mixed 824
SusWrite 434
196% 874 MB/s
4K Read 58.9
4K Write 118
4K Mixed 72.6
245% 83.3 MB/s
DQ Read 979
DQ Write 886
DQ Mixed 974
720% 946 MB/s
109GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 313 218 214 215 213 212 MB/s
180% Outstanding
Read 1,486
Write 1,077
Mixed 1,017
SusWrite 231
212% 953 MB/s
4K Read 51.4
4K Write 97.9
4K Mixed 64.3
212% 71.2 MB/s
DQ Read 980
DQ Write 834
DQ Mixed 937
694% 917 MB/s
3,686 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 41,896,930 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 2,389 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  $250Bench 97%, 356,838 samples496x
Core i7-9700Intel  $264Bench 93%, 52,385 samples469x
Core i5-9600KIntel  $219Bench 94%, 244,222 samples381x
GPU
RTX 2070Nvidia  $450Bench 106%, 345,122 samples556x
RTX 2060Nvidia  $338Bench 89%, 366,438 samples263x
RTX 2080Nvidia  $698Bench 129%, 235,701 samples261x
SSD
NVMe Samsung 256GBPm981Bench 195%, 3,686 samples148x
RAM
XJ69DF-MIE 2x8GBUnknownBench 80%, 1,967 samples302x
HMA81GU6JJR8N-VK 2x8GBUnknownBench 81%, 3,611 samples243x
8ATF1G64AZ-2G6E1 2x8GBUnknownBench 78%, 6,661 samples230x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 72% - Very good Total price: $700

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.

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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) April 2021 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.

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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 Samsung 870 Evo 250GB
vs HyperX Savage 240GB
vs Crucial MX300 275GB
vs Samsung 850 Evo 1TB

1058 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 i5-11400F $180Nvidia RTX 3070 $500Crucial MX500 250GB $49
Intel Core i5-11600K $265Nvidia RTX 3060-Ti $400Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $78
Intel Core i5-10600K $215Nvidia GTX 1660S (Super) $240Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $50
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $38Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $79SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $34Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $73SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 3TB (2016) $85G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $649SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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