Samsung SSD 970 Pro and EVO start shipping in two weeks

Samsung raises the bar with its new SSD 970 Pro and SSD 970 EVO NVMe SSDs. The new M.2 form factor models are faster than the 960 series and offer higher endurance. Both feature Samsung's 64-layer V-NAND flash, the Pro uses MLC memory while the EVO uses TLC, in combination with the Samsung Phoenix SSD controller.

The 970 Pro is offered in 512GB and 1TB capacities. It offers up to 3500MB/s read speeds, up to 2700MB/s write speeds, and up to 500k random read/write IOPS. The 970 EVO ships in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities. It has up to 3500MB/s reads, 2500MB/s writes, up to 500k random read IOPS, and up to 480k random write IOPS. All models feature a five-year warranty.

Availability is expected on May 7. Samsung didn't share exact pricing of all models but mentions the 970 Pro starts at $329.99, while the 970 EVO starts at $119.99.

-Samsung Electronics America, Inc., today introduced the Samsung 970 PRO and EVO, the third generation of its industry-leading consumer solid state drive (SSD) lineup. Having led the market with the first consumer-focused NVMe SSD in 2015, Samsung continues to push the performance barriers with this latest generation of SSDs that are built for tech enthusiasts and professionals so that they can enjoy higher bandwidth for intensive workloads on PCs and workstations.

“Samsung has led the NVMe SSD industry since its inception, and the company continues to define the latest standards of consumer storage with unprecedented performance of the 970 PRO and EVO SSDs,” said Un-Soo Kim, senior vice president of Brand Product Marketing, Memory Business at Samsung Electronics. “The 970 series sets a new bar in all aspects for the NVMe SSD market with groundbreaking performance, superior reliability and best-in-class capacity.”

The Samsung 970 PRO and EVO are designed based on the M.2 form factor standard and with the latest PCIe Gen 3x4 lane interface. The 970 series maximizes the potential of NVMe bandwidth, delivering unparalleled performance for processing large volumes of data, including 3D, 4K graphics work, high-end games and data analytics.

The 970 PRO enables sequential read speed of up to 3,500 MB/s and sequential write speed of up to 2,700 MB/s, while the EVO features sequential read speed of up to 3,500 MB/s and sequential write speed of up to 2,500 MB/s. The sequential write speeds represent an enhancement of up to 30 percent over the previous generation, thanks to Samsung’s latest V-NAND technology and the newly designed Phoenix controller. The 970 EVO, in particular, utilizes the Intelligent TurboWrite technology, which uses a large buffer size of up to 78GB to enable faster write speeds.

In addition to the advancements in performance levels, the 970 PRO and EVO deliver exceptional endurance and reliability. Featuring a five-year warranty, or up to 1,200 terabytes written – 50 percent higher than those provided for the previous generation – the 970 PRO and EVO are built to last. The Dynamic Thermal Guard technology safeguards against overheating by automatically monitoring and maintaining optimal operating temperatures, while a heat spreader and new nickel-coated controller further lower the SSD temperatures.

The 970 PRO and EVO also provide greater system design flexibility for the high-performance computing systems. Offering a variety of high capacity options in a compact M.2 form factor – including the single-sided 2TB EVO model – the 970 series enables convenient storage expansion across a wide range of computing devices.

The 970 EVO will be offered in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB8 capacities, and the 970 PRO in 512GB and 1TB capacities. The 970 PRO and EVO will be available for purchase worldwide starting May 7, 2018, with manufacturer’s suggested retail prices starting at $329.99 and $119.99 USD, respectively.