Samsung 970 EVO vs 980 Pro SSD: Which one should you choose?

Are you confused between Samsung 970 Evo and 980 Pro SSDs? Well, the confusion is obvious because these both are Samsung’s top-notch SSDs with impressive results. But, if you pay close attention to the specifications, you will see that there is a very big difference between the performance of both.

Samsung 980 Pro uses four lanes of PCIe Gen4.0. This enables it to offer up to 7 GB/s data transfer speed. However, the 970 EVO uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes and is capable of delivering up to 3500 MB/s highest data transfer speed.

The 980 Pro is a top-tier SSD from Samsung that fits perfectly the needs of professional users. So, if you are a gamer or someone who wants the maximum of your thousand-dollar computer setup, you should go for 980 Pro. The only condition to get the most out of your 980 is to have an available PCIe 4.0 M.0 NVMe slot.

But, the 970 Evo is suitable for most users because it works on PCIe 3.0. It is a more general SSD option for everyone with any needs. Now, I would say that its performance is more than enough for most users including gamers. But, still, the read-write speed is comparatively low because of its PCIe 3.0 interface use.

So, if you are thinking to choose the best SSD for yourself, I have provided all the information you would need in this article below. So, let’s get started.

Note: This Article is talking about the Samsung 970 EVO, not Samsung 970 EVO Plus.

1. Theoretical Specifications (Comparison)

Let’s see what Samsung has to say about both these SSDs. Let’s compare most of the important factors below.

Specifications	Samsung 970 EVO	Samsung 980 Pro
Capacity	250GB – 2TB	250GB – 2TB
Interface/Form Factor	x4 PCIe 3.0/NVMe/M.2 2280	x4 PCIe 4.0/NVMe/M.2 2280
Seq. Read Speed	Up to 3500 MB/s	Up to 7000 MB/s
Seq. Write Speed	Up to 2500 MB/s	Up to 5000 MB/s
Random Read 4K,QD32 (IOPS)	250GB: Up to 200K 500GB: Up to 370K 1TB, 2TB: Up to 500K	250GB: Up to 500K 500GB: Up to 800K 1TB: Up to 1000K 2TB: Up to 1000K
Random Write 4K,QD32 (IOPS)	250GB: Up to 200K 500GB: Up to 370K 1TB, 2TB: Up to 500K	250GB: Up to 600K 500GB: Up to 1,000K 1TB: Up to 1,000K 2TB: Up to 1,000K
Power Consumption	10.0 W Max	7.2 W Average
Warranty Period	5 Years	5 Years
Image
Price	Check Amazon	Check Amazon

Result: You can clearly see that the Samsung 980 Pro is the winner in most of the terms. However, these sequential and random speeds of 980 Pro can only be achieved on an M.2 PCIe 4.0×4 port. If you install it on a PCIe 3.0, it may offer a somewhat similar performance just like the Samsung 970 Evo.

2. Synthetic Benchmark Scores (Comparison)

I have tested both these SSDs on my Intel i5 11th Gen computer that has 3200MHz 8GB RAM. The SSDs were 100% empty during the test. Your results may vary depending on your system specifications, storage variant, total space filled, and the data to be moved. I used CrystalDiskMark for this test. Let’s see the results.

Results: Again, Samsung 980 Pro is winning the competition with almost double the numbers as compared to the 970 Evo. This is again happening because of its amazing technology and the support of PCIe 4.0. But, 970 Evo is still competing hard but the results are in front of you.

3. Software/OS loading Time Difference

Using the same system, I tried opening several software and found that there is very little difference when it comes to the real-time usage of both these SSDs. Let’s see the results below.

Results: Samsung 980 Pro is surely giving faster response times here as well. But, the difference is not that higher. Both these SSDs are capable of providing impressive benefits when it comes to game loading, system booting, video rendering, and file movements.

4. Endurance

Samsung is very clear when it comes to showing its endurance ratings to the users. We are going to compare the TBW (Terabytes Written) of both the SSDs. TBW is the total amount of data you can write on your SSD during its lifetime.

Results: Both Samsung 970 EVO and Samsung 980 Pro have the same TBW ratings. So, all the variants are capable of providing you with the same level of data read/write endurance. If we talk about the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure), both of these have the same 1.5 Million hour ratings.

5. NAND, Controller, DRAM, etc

You might not understand these things if you do not have any technical knowledge about SSDs. But, I would try to explain these things after the comparison because they can surely change your final decision.

Result: NAND Flash is the main storage of your SSD and both of them have the same TLC NAND. However, 980 Pro comes with more layers of NAND which is a pro. The DRAM Cache buffer is the same in both i.e. DDR4 SDRAM. The 970 Evo has the Phoenix controller whereas the 980 Pro has a much more advanced Elpis controller. So, the 980 Pro is winning this battle again.

6. Price

This is where most of the users tend to change their minds. The same can happen here as well. Because Samsung 980 Pro is overkill for people who have PCIe 3.0 motherboards. So, they will never go for it. But, the 970 Evo is a good option for any kind of motherboard with enough data read and write speed. However, the price difference is not that huge.

I would suggest you check live prices because they keep changing from time to time.

Final Verdict

Since the price difference between the Samsung 980 Pro and Samsung 970 Evo is not that huge, the Samsung 980 is a good option for everybody. However, if you are good with the PCIe 3.0 NVMe speeds, 970 EVO also has everything available for you.

980 Pro is surely a good pick for hardcore users who have an M.2 PCIe NVMe slot available on their PCIe 4.0 motherboards. Also, you should have a PCIe 4.0 CPU in order to use 980 Pro at its full potential. They will be able to experience massive data read/write speed with this SSD.

Features-wise, the Samsung 980 Pro is definitely the best option. But, again, this speed is useful only for those who have a good CPU, RAM, and a PCIe 4.0 motherboard. Otherwise, the Samsung 980 Pro is always an overkill for the average user. So, just go for it if you think your system can make its best use.

See other related comparisons:

Samsung 980 vs 980 Pro

Samsung 970 Pro vs 980 Pro

Samsung 970 EVO vs 970 Pro

Frequently Asked Questions

Thanks for reading!