Testing hard drives is a bit of a tedious process. The toughest part about writing and perhaps reading a review on an SSD test is that no configuration is quite the same. Therefore, benchmarking becomes a bit of a trust factor. I recently tested the Samsung 9100 Pro (2TB) which releases for purchase today. While my tested speeds may vary from yours and certainly the manufacturers, the overall result should tell you one thing – this sucker is ridiculously fast.
Gen 5 dropped awhile back, and Samsung remained strangely absent from the scene. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for their true PCIe 5.0 drive. Worth the wait? I think so. After all, PCIe 5.0 x 4 delivers twice the speeds of PCIe 4.0. Why wouldn’t I be excited? Samsung makes some bold claims in this drive, including speeds that seem – crazy? insane? You pick. Nonetheless, the claims are up to 14,800MB/s read and 13,400MB/s write for the 4TB model. The drive has all kinds of tech built in, and if you are super into tech jargon, you can find plenty of it with Google.
For those of us into speed and overall use cases for such a drive, let’s dive into it.
Starting off with installation, just know this is an M.2 Drive. This means installation is ridiculously simple. For most users it will be as simple as getting the drive into place and using the mobo screw to hold it down. As always, be sure to check out your motherboard’s specific installation instructions as this can vary.
Testing Testing 1,2,3
Again, testing results can vary, and it’s worth noting that each drive size comes with different capabilities. Our 2 TB model claims to reach speeds of 14,700 MB/s read and still 13,400 MB/s write. Considering the power consumption is a measly 8.1W I’m pretty excited. To clarify, the 4TB model boasts potential read speeds of 14,800 MB/s. If these speeds are achieved, it makes this the fastest drive out there for consumers.
In my tests I use some free benchmarking software from Crystaldiskmark which you can find here if interested. Samsung offers its own benchmarking tools, but I choose the former in order to appear unbiased. My testing happened with a ROG Strix X870-F Mobo from Asus. My results, while not quite up to snuff with Samsung’s claims are still wicked fast showing 14,240 MB/s read speeds and 13,120 MB/s read speeds. Boom. I can’t even begin telling you how amazing this feels in real time use.
For the gamers
SSDs are already a night and day difference with speed, however now I feel like I don’t wait long for anything. Gaming load times are faster than previous SSD’s I’ve been using, but the wait times don’t feel as dramatic because it’s mere 1-2s differences we are talking about. Noticeable, but since things were already fast, it’s less noticeable. For example, Fortnite load times had a roughly 1 second reduction, while God of War Ragnarök was closer to 2s for booting.
A quick note for PS5 and PS5 Pro owners. It’s amazing the systems support M.2 devices, but is the drive right for you? Well…not really. At least not in my opinion. Why? The PS5 only supports PCIe 4.0 where this drive is 5.0. In other words, yes it will work, but it won’t be taking advantage of the speeds like a PCIe 5.0 compatible motherboard can.
Summing it up:
The Samsung 9100 Pro (2TB) SSD is an incredibly fast PCIe 5.0 drive, though benchmarking results can vary based on configuration. Samsung claims speeds up to 14,700MB/s read and 13,400MB/s write for this model, and my testing with Crystaldiskmark on a ROG Strix X870-F motherboard confirmed impressive speeds of 14,240MB/s read and 13,120MB/s write. While gaming load times see minor improvements (1–2 seconds faster in Fortnite and God of War Ragnarök), overall system performance felt near-instantaneous. However, it should be noted PS5 and PS5 Pro owners won’t fully benefit from this drive, as the consoles only support PCIe 4.0, limiting its potential.