Some owners of a Samsung 980 Pro SSD report that the sequential write rate only lingers at a low level after a while. The SLC mode (TurboWrite) apparently no longer fires for higher write rates even after periods of rest. A connection with the power saving modes is assumed.
Users complain about low write rate
The editors became aware of the problem through the problem report from the community of user “Slashchat”, whose Samsung 980 Pro has only achieved a low writing performance “for a few days”. Since the SSD is only 30 percent full, it cannot be due to insufficient storage space for the SLC mode. A screenshot shows that the 980 Pro with 500 GB only manages around 1,100 MB/s in the benchmark, although according to the manufacturer it should achieve 5,000 MB/s when writing with SLC Turbo.
After a quick search, other owners of the Samsung 980 Pro quickly found similar problem descriptions. There, for example, the 1 TB model only manages around 2,000 MB/s (instead of 5,000 MB/s) and the model with 250 GB also allegedly loses performance – the problem therefore does not only affect a single model in the series.
Samsung is investigating problem with exhausted SLC cache
Samsung responded to the reports two weeks ago in its own support forum and announced investigations. As the user benchmarks suggest, Samsung confirms that in these cases the SLC mode (TurboWrite) no longer works or is “exhausted” and the SSDs therefore write in the slower TLC mode. Normally, the SLC cache should empty itself in short idle phases so that it is available again quickly, which apparently does not work properly.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the symptoms of not recovering write performance, since the turbo write area of 980 PRO is being exhausted.
Samsung is investigating these symptoms and will keep you posted on our progress. We appreciate your patience while we work on resolving the issue.
Thank you for contacting Samsung Community Support and we value your feedback.
Samsung
< h2 class = "text-width text-h2" id = "section_problem_mit_stromsparmodus_wird_ presumed"> Problem with energy-saving mode is suspected
There is still speculation about the cause, but there are indications that it could be related to certain power-saving modes. One user writes that he has made certain settings in the Windows power plan for the Samsung PM9A1, the OEM counterpart to the 980 Pro, and has not noticed any more break-ins since then. It is assumed that the Samsung 980 Pro in a certain constellation cannot empty the SLC cache and can therefore no longer work in SLC mode.
The reports also have one thing in common: they are always a system with a Ryzen processor and 500 chipset from AMD. It therefore stands to reason that there is a problem somewhere in the interaction between platform, operating system and SSD. In order to access the full performance of the Samsung 980 Pro via PCIe 4.0 x4, there is currently no Intel alternative with PCIe 4.0 support (Rocket Lake-S is just around the corner). Nevertheless, it is possible to run the Samsung 980 Pro on an Intel system with PCIe 3.0 x4, which still allows around 3,500 MB/s.
Samsung has introduced a new “Full Power Mode” for the new Samsung 980 (test) and Samsung 980 Pro (test) in version 6.3.0 of the SSD Toolbox Magician. If the mode is activated, the Samsung 980 should always operate at full power by deactivating otherwise active energy-saving modes. If the problem with the full power mode no longer exists, this would be a further indication of a conflict with a power saving mode. As soon as new findings are available, this article will be updated.
Update 04/04/2021 4:02 pm
Samsung has again commented on the topic in its own forum. Accordingly, a firmware update is being prepared for the Samsung 980 Pro, which is expected to fix the problem at the end of April.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the symptoms of the 980 Pro not recovering write performance, this is due to the turbo write area being exhausted.
Samsung is preparing a new version of the 980 Pro firmware so that it can be updated at the end of April to resolve the problem.
Samsung
The editorial team thanks “NordiXXL” for pointing this out to the update.
Update 04/30/2021 7:08 pm
The ComputerBase community reported that Samsung is now distributing the announced firmware update for the Samsung 980 Pro via the Samsung Magician SSD tool (download link under the message). According to the screenshot, the new firmware has the identifier 3B2QGXA7.
In the comment thread on this news, several users reported that the firmware update proved to be effective at least immediately after the update and that the promised write rates were achieved again. It remains to be seen whether a permanent solution to the problem has been found.
The editorial team thanks “eratte” for the reference to the update.
Update 09.10.2021 14 : 2 p.m.
From the community comes the hint that after a long wait Samsung has released a firmware update for the OEM variant PM9A1, which is supposed to fix the same problem. In the case of the PM9A1 with 2 TB, the new firmware has the identifier GXB7401Q.
The editorial team thanks “eav86” and “FeedMeMeow” for the information about the update.
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