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Pm981

NVMe Samsung 256GB

▲ 500 ▼

Release date ≈ Q2 2018.

Average Bench: 194% (92nd of 1058)

Based on 3,990 user benchmarks.  Model: PM981 NVMe Samsung 256GB
Poor: 125%Average: 194% Great: 254%

Popular builds with this SSD

Outstanding average bench

The Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB averaged 93.8% 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 758MB/s
Avg. Sequential Read Speed 1,740MB/s

Terrible consistency

The range of scores (95th - 5th percentile) for the Pm981 NVMe Samsung 256GB is 129%. 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 329MB/s
Avg. 4K Random Write Speed 111MB/s
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Average Bench

(Based on 3,990 samples)
Rank 92194%
Min Avg Max
761 Read 1,740 2,238
295 Write 1,164 1,497
492 Mixed 946 1,229
143 SusWrite 329 450
232% 1,045 MB/s
Min Avg Max
34.9 4K Read 57.3 65.4
55.2 4K Write 111 179
32.3 4K Mixed 65.3 84.3
230% 78 MB/s
Min Avg Max
302 DQ Read 807 979
183 DQ Write 712 1,263
269 DQ Mixed 758 1,012
569% 759 MB/s
User Benchmarks Bench Sequential Random 4k Deep queue 4k
The fastest SSD (mainstream) averages a speed of 100%
101GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 367 281 275 268 260 255 MB/s
241% Outstanding
Read 2,228
Write 1,377
Mixed 1,215
SusWrite 284
282% 1,276 MB/s
4K Read 62.9
4K Write 145
4K Mixed 82.4
278% 96.7 MB/s
DQ Read 975
DQ Write 1,194
DQ Mixed 1,015
785% 1,062 MB/s
116GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 352 307 246 244 241 240 MB/s
240% Outstanding
Read 2244
Write 1,525
Mixed 1,198
SusWrite 272
290% 1,310 MB/s
4K Read 62.2
4K Write 142
4K Mixed 81.9
274% 95.4 MB/s
DQ Read 984
DQ Write 1177
DQ Mixed 1026
788% 1,062 MB/s
109GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD71D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 299 225 256 235 257 247 MB/s
129% Outstanding
Read 951
Write 779
Mixed 735
SusWrite 253
152% 679 MB/s
4K Read 48.8
4K Write 98.4
4K Mixed 62.7
206% 70 MB/s
DQ Read 303
DQ Write 200
DQ Mixed 313
217% 272 MB/s
71GB free (System drive)
Firmware: EXD72D1Q Max speed: PCIe 5,000 MB/s
SusWrite @10s intervals: 684 509 305 304 302 307 MB/s
126% Outstanding
Read 618
Write 656
Mixed 634
SusWrite 402
130% 577 MB/s
4K Read 13.7
4K Write 127
4K Mixed 26
121% 55.5 MB/s
DQ Read 964
DQ Write 864
DQ Mixed 951
703% 927 MB/s
3,990 MORE »

 Market Share (See Leaders)

The number of benchmark samples for this model as a percentage of all 45,552,122 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 2,608 builds) See popular component choices, score breakdowns and rankings.
Gaming
Gaming 103%
UFO
Desktop
Desktop 98%
Nuclear submarine
Workstation
Workstation 98%
Nuclear submarine

System: Alienware Aurora R8

CPU
Core i7-9700KIntel  $280Bench 97%, 436,795 samples539x
Core i7-9700Intel  $281Bench 93%, 58,923 samples522x
Core i5-9600KIntel  $202Bench 94%, 282,385 samples413x
GPU
RTX 2070Nvidia  $450Bench 105%, 389,432 samples587x
RTX 2060Nvidia  $390Bench 88%, 438,836 samples292x
RTX 2080Nvidia  $790Bench 129%, 265,767 samples277x
SSD
NVMe Samsung 256GBPm981Bench 194%, 3,990 samples155x
RAM
XJ69DF-MIE 2x8GBUnknownBench 80%, 2,255 samples314x
HMA81GU6JJR8N-VK 2x8GBUnknownBench 81%, 3,640 samples279x
8ATF1G64AZ-2G6E1 2x8GBUnknownBench 79%, 7,523 samples252x
EDIT WITH CUSTOM PC BUILDER Value: 71% - Very good Total price: $730

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.
  • - 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) August 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
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vs Samsung 850 Pro 512GB
vs Samsung 870 Evo 250GB
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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 i5-11600K $270Nvidia RTX 3070 $500Crucial MX500 250GB $45
Intel Core i5-11400F $260Nvidia RTX 3060-Ti $400Samsung 860 Evo 250GB $52
Intel Core i7-11700K $380Nvidia GTX 1660S (Super) $240Samsung 850 Evo 120GB $183
HDDRAMUSB
Seagate Barracuda 1TB (2016) $39Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 C16 2x8GB $79SanDisk Extreme 64GB $72
WD Blue 1TB (2012) $31Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000 C15 2x8GB $80SanDisk Extreme 32GB $28
Seagate Barracuda 2TB (2016) $80G.SKILL Trident Z DDR4 3200 C14 4x16GB $649SanDisk Ultra Fit 32GB $16
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