Samsung PM981 512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Samsung PM981 512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The Samsung PM981 NVMe SSD generally delivers excellent performance, with users reporting fast boot times and high read/write speeds. However, several reviewers received used or OEM units instead of new retail drives, and one received a Kingston drive instead of Samsung. Overall, the drive is praised for its speed and ease of installation, but the packaging and authenticity issues are notable concerns.
Pros
- Fast boot times
- High read/write speeds
- Easy installation
- Good value for money
- Compatible with many laptops
Cons
- Received used or OEM units
- One received Kingston instead of Samsung
- Packaging not retail
- Pre-installed software on used drive
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
All seven verified reviews are overwhelmingly positive, praising the WD_BLACK SN8100 as the fastest Gen5 NVMe SSD with no issues. Users highlight its sustained speeds, strong performance on PCIe 5.0 motherboards, and good value at the time of purchase. One reviewer notes it outlasts other drives in cache performance, and Q&A confirms M.2 2280 form factor with up to 14,900 MBps read speed.
Pros
- Fastest Gen5 NVMe SSD
- No issues of any kind
- Super fast on PCIe 5.0
- Strong sustained speeds
- Good price at time of purchase
Cons
- Expensive (implied by 'if you can afford it')
Scores
Specifications
| Samsung PM981 | Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 3 | 5★ |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | — | TLC★ |
| DRAM Cache | — | ✓★ |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | — | 3★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | — | ✓★ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Samsung PM981 512GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Below average endurance (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average feature (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (29th percentile)
- Below average capacity (35th percentile)
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong feature (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong random (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong speed (98th percentile)98th %ile
Pricing
Western Digital WD_BLACK SN8100 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 offers 1.3x better value for money
Verdict
Scores 95 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 13 of 17 specs.
