New
Samsung PM981a 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 2280
The Phoenix controller drives 3500 MB/s reads and 2900 MB/s writes, with 460K/500K random IOPS, making this 512GB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD a fast upgrade for laptops and desktops. Hardware encryption adds security without extra software, and the compact 22x80mm size fits most modern systems. Best for budget-conscious builders or laptop owners seeking a reliable, high-throughput boot drive with encryption support.
Capacity 512GB
Form Factor M.2 2280
Interface PCIe
Read Speed 3,500 MB/s
41 Overall Score
No current retailer price
Snapshot
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Strong random (86th percentile) 86th
- Strong affordability (67th percentile) 67th
Cons
- Below average endurance (15th percentile)
- Below average user sentiment (20th percentile)
- Below average social proof (23rd percentile)
- Below average feature (34th percentile)
What owners think
How owner sentiment changed over time
ExclusiveBased on when customers actually wrote their reviews - so you can see whether early praise held up.
68/100Our AI sentiment read
The proof
Performance
Specifications
Full Specifications
Drive
| Capacity | 512 |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe |
| Protocol | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 |
| External | No |
Performance
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | 3500 |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | 2900 |
| Random Read (IOPS) | 460000 |
| Random Write (IOPS) | 500000 |
Hardware
| Controller | Phoenix |
Features
| Hardware Encryption | Yes |
vs Competition
| Spec | Samsung PM981a | Western Digital Black SN850X | Kingston FURY Renegade SFYRDK/4000G | SanDisk WD_BLACK WDS800T1X0M | Crucial T710 | Lexar NM1090 PRO LNM109P004T-RNNNU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 512GB | 4TB | 4TB | 8TB | 4TB | 4TB |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 |
| Seq Read | 3,500 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 7,300 MB/s | 14,900 MB/s | 14,500 MB/s | 14,000 MB/s |
| Nand Type | - | TLC | TLC | TLC | TLC | SLC |
| Dram Cache | - | true | true | true | false | true |
| Endurance | - | 2400 TBW | 4000 TBW | 4800 TBW | 2400 TBW | 2800 TBW |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Speed | Random | Feature | Capacity | User Sentiment | Endurance | Social Proof | Affordability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Samsung PM981a | 62.3 | 86.1 | 33.6 | 34.8 | 20.3 | 14.7 | 23.2 | 67.1 |
| Western Digital Black SN850X Compare | 88.9 | 95.7 | 89.3 | 92.5 | 94.9 | 88.1 | 95.3 | 9.7 |
| Kingston FURY Renegade SFYRDK/4000G Compare | 93.3 | 94.3 | 93.9 | 92.5 | 0 | 94.1 | 95.3 | 9.2 |
| SanDisk WD_BLACK WDS800T1X0M Compare | 99.1 | 99.3 | 97.5 | 98.1 | 94.9 | 80.7 | 45 | 3.1 |
| Crucial T710 Compare | 99.1 | 99.1 | 85.6 | 92.5 | 0 | 85.9 | 77.5 | 10.7 |
| Lexar NM1090 PRO LNM109P004T-RNNNU Compare | 98.1 | 98.5 | 97.5 | 92.5 | 0 | 74.9 | 57 | 8.5 |
Usage Scores
- Overall40.6
- Budget66.3
- Gaming38.3
- Laptop45.8
- Console28.5
- Portable10.5
- Workstation42.6
A full written review is coming soon. The specs, scores, prices and charts above are always up to date.
