Samsung is a top brand when it comes to SSDs. Most of their models deliver the best of class performance.
That said, if you are looking for a top-end SSD, both the Samsung 980 Pro and Samsung 980 can be serious contenders.
But which one can be the best possible choice for you?
Don’t worry. I have done my rigorous research to provide you with the solution. All you need to do is to read on and figure out the differences between both these SSDs.
Is Samsung 980 Pro Better Than Samsung 980?
Here are the five factors you need to consider while buying Samsung SSD 980 Pro and 980:
1. Read and Write Speeds
The read and write speeds are one of the most critical parameters for determining the performance of SSDs.
You might question what these speeds mean?
Fair enough.
The read speed signifies the duration required for opening a particular file. While the write speed is concerned with the time that is taken to save something on the SSD.
For an SSD, a decent sequential read speed is about 550 MB/s, and the sequential write speed is about 520 MB/s
Now, since we are talking about Samsung 980 Pro and Samsung 980, you can easily differentiate between them using this parameter.
Also, Check out the battle-tested comparisons between Corsair Dominator and Corsair Vengeance RAM.
The Samsung 980 Pro has an average sequential read speed of 3300 MB/s.It almost doubles in case of the peak read speed, which is around 7200 MB/s.
The average sequential write speed is generally around 1200 MB/s. Where the maximum range of write speed is 5200 MB/s.
For the Samsung 980, the max read speed is a tad above 3500 MB/s. It goes the same for the max write speed, which is around 2800 MB/s.
As you can already see, both the read and write speeds of the Samsung 980 Pro is way ahead of the Samsung 980. That’s why it is no doubt that the 980 Pro will be a more viable option.
The reason is that better read and writes speeds will ensure better load times in terms of games. Moreover, it will ensure faster operations to some extent.
2. Endurance
The endurance of an SSD mainly refers to the life of the SSD. It is the amount of data that can be written in an SSD before it wears out.
Here, we discuss the 2 TB version of the Samsung 980 Pro and the 1 TB version of the Samsung 980. The 2 TB version sports an endurance of 1200 TBW, whereas the 1 TB version has 600 TBW.
The difference here is twice the other, which is understandable due to varying capacities.
However, if you have to choose a clear winner, you must go with the model with a higher TBW, the Samsung 980 Pro.
3. Interface
Both the Samsung 980 Pro and the Samsung 980 come with a PCIe interface. But there is a difference.
The Samsung 980 uses the PCIe 3.0 x4, whereas the Samsung 980 Pro uses the PCIe 4.0 x4. In this case, the Samsung 980 Pro has the edge of using the latest version.
But if you consider the current situation, it doesn’t have that much in-game performance value compared to the SSDs using PCIe 3.0.
To date, not all the motherboards are equipped with slots compatible with PCIe 4.0. So, when you use the Samsung 980 Pro on a PCIe 3.0 slot, it will run at the speeds of PCIe 3.0.
Check out the comparison between NZXT Kraken Z63 & Corsair iCUE H115i Elite Capellix.
The same goes for the Samsung 980. If you run it in a PCIe 4.0 slot, it will run according to its capabilities rather than having a boost.
4. Power Consumption
The Samsung 980 Pro has an advantage over the Samsung 980 when it asks about power efficiency.
Despite sporting higher read and write speeds, in my testing, the Samsung 980 Pro consumed 3.70 watts compared to 3.45 watts of the Samsung 980.
That means the Samsung 980 Pro just consumes 7-8 % more energy than Samsung 980.
This trait eventually makes them more power efficient over the Samsung 980.
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5. Reasonability
SSDs are usually pricier than HDDs. That eventually means, both the Samsung 980 Pro and the Samsung 980 would cost some money.
But the money you would be spending should be reasonable. Isn’t it?
That said, the Samsung 980 Pro doesn’t justify its price tag by any means. You can find many other brands offering the same features or almost similar features at a lower price.
Whereas the Samsung 980 is priced in such a way that you will feel like you are getting an excellent value.
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FAQ
Question: Is Samsung 980 Pro good for gaming?
Answer: The high read and write speeds of the Samsung 980 Pro make it easy to load games in no time. That said, with no lag, this SSD delivers all the goodies that gamers require.
Question: Is Samsung 980 Pro worth it?
Answer: The Samsung 980 Pro delivers one of the fastest performances among all other SSDs available out there in the market. It might seem costly, but if you prefer high-end performance, it is absolutely worth it.
Final Thoughts
I hope by now you are all clear about which SSD to buy between the Samsung 980 Pro and the Samsung 980.
This post tried to draw an exact comparison so that it gets easy for you to choose. Ending up, if anything that seems unclear, the comment section is open for you.
