Samsung 990 Pro Is the Center of a PCIe Mystery

admin August 19, 2022

0 1 minute read

According to his tweet @KOMACHI_ENSAKA, Rumors about PCIe 5.0 capable Samsung 990 Pro have been dashed. Evidence comes from an updated PCI-SIG database, where the spec sheet for Samsung’s “990 PRO M.2” SSD features an older and slower PCIe 4.0 interface.

But the story of the 990 Pro started very differently than it does now.Originally, the 990 Pro was “Confirmed” We get the new PCIe 5.0 specs by the exact same database a few days ago by the same Twitter user who is a well-known leaker. seems to be gone.

But the story gets even stranger. The PCIe 4.0 listing in the PCI-SIG database was found to be added before the 5.0 listing, meaning that both PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 listings coexisted until the corresponding 5.0 was erased To do.

(Image credit: PCI SIG)

So here’s what we currently know about the new 990 Pro: We know the Samsung 990 Pro is definitely coming at some point. PCI-SIG certifies the drive as authentic. @harukaze5719 The website of the National Radio Research Institute of Korea introduces the new ‘V9’ drive.

But I don’t know the specs of the drive. We all assume the 990 Pro is PCIe 5.0, and one of the PCI-SIG listings seems to confirm that. However, that listing has been removed and his PCIe 4.0 listing of the same drive remains, so at this point it looks like the 990 Pro could be either a PCIe 5.0 drive or a 4.0 drive.

Samsung may also be considering differences between 4.0 and 5.0 drives at this time. Currently, Samsung does not have his consumer-supported M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD controller ready for 2022 as we know it. Because all current PCIe 5.0 drives target the enterprise sector.

However, Samsung can outsource a viable PCIe 5.0 M.2 solution for the 990 Pro to Silicon Motion. Silicon Motion is the only SSD controller manufacturer that is aware of offering a consumer-grade PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 SSD controller in 2022. Enthusiast grade is his SSD format. (i.e. these SSDs are very expensive and not cost effective)

However, this is all speculation at this point. Samsung could wait another year before releasing the 990 Pro, but we don’t know for now. It’s not the target.