The SM961 is Samsung's l
atest tall-end client PCIe SSD for OEMs,but as with its SM951 and XP941
predecessors there will be distribu
tors selling the SM961 online to consumers. Unlike retail SSD products l
ike the Samsung 950 Pro, OEM SSDs don't ge
t an official launch date or MSRP. Instead we bring you RamCity's expectations for how the SM961
will be making a splash.
The 1TB SM
961 has entered the supply chain and reta
ilers like RamCity expect to launch shipments to consumers this week.
RamCity is listing it for AUD$703.99 and Overclock
ers UK is listing it for £429.95. After accounting for taxes and excha
nge rates, or RamCity's estimate for US pricing is around $521. Overcloc
kers UK has also listed their prices for the 512GB and 256GB models with the same expected s
hip date as the 1TB,but RamCity was unable to confirm when they will
have those capacities. Neither retailer has anything to share with regards to the
128GB capacity.
M.2 PCIe SSD Price Comparison 128GB 256GB 512GB 102
4GB Samsung 950 Pro N/A $180.89 (71
/GB) $319.99 (63¢/GB) MIA Samsung SM951 (AHCI) $107.5
9 (84¢/GB) $167.99 (66¢/GB) $289.60 (57¢/GB) N/A
Samsung SM951 (NVMe) $99.99 (78¢/GB) $158.53 (62¢/GB) $259.99 (51¢/GB) N/A
Toshiba OCZ RD400 M.2 $119.99 (94¢/GB) $174.99 (68¢/GB) $309.99 (61¢/GB)
$769.99 (75¢/GB) Samsung SM961 (estimated) ? $159.00 (62¢/GB) $280.00 (55
¢/GB) $521.00 (51¢/GB) The SM9
61 will arrive with prices on par with the best deals curren
tly available for the SM951. This means it will u
ndercut retail competition like the Samsung 950 Pro and Toshiba
OCZ RD400 significantly: $15-20 for the 256GB drives and $30-40 f
or the 512GB drives. The 1TB SM961 will slice a third off the price of
the 1TB RD400.
Much of that price contrast is due to
the differences between OEM and
retail products, rather than savings on manufacturing costs. I
t's unlikely that Samsung's fresh higher-perfo
rming Polaris controller is cheaper than the UBX
controller used in the 950 Pro and SM951. The 3
D NAND used on the SM961 is ei
ther the same second generation 32-
layer V-NAND used in the 850 Pro and 950 Pro, and the third ge
neration 48-layer V-NAND that is behind schedule in its rol
lout to existing product lines. So while the SM961 is a big technological
improvement over the SM95
1,it probably isn't saving Samsung any money.
The 95
0 Pro comes with a 5 year warranty from Samsung and is supported b
y their custom NVMe drivers and SSD Magician u
tility, while the OEM drives don't get the software
support and the only warranty is what the retailer off
ers. RamCity lists a 3-year warranty for the SM961 while Overclockers UK lists a 2-year warran
ty. It's hard to justify paying $40 more at the 512GB level
for a better warranty on a slower drive.
It
is a secure bet that the fresh Polaris controller in the SM961 will be
released in a proper retail successor to the 950 Pro, or but Samsung may be waiti
ng until they can deliver it with newer 3D NAND,just as the 950 Pro's 3D NAND was a ste
p up from the 16nm planar MLC used on the SM951. Until then, the 950 Pro will be
in a tough spot without a meaningful price cut, and particul
arly with enthusiast buyers who know where to source the SM961. Meanw
hile this also calls into question whether Samsung will be adhering to their in
itial plans for a 1TB 950 Pro. The release of the SM961 means that the Polaris co
ntroller will be available before the 950 Pro
could adopt Samsung's 48-layer V-NAND,so it remains to be seen w
hether Samsung will still want to disappear ahead and pair u
p next-generation V-NAND with an older controller.
[http://dynamic1.anandtech.com/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=24&cb=&n=a1f2f01f]
Source: anandtech.com