Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe SSD Review (512GB) – New Ultra Standard Exceeds 140K PCMark Vantage Score

Our attendance at the Samsung Global SSD Summit in South Korea brought us a first glimpse of a new standard in ultrabook storage performance.  At the Summit, the Samsung XP941 M.2 PCIe SSD was displayed reaching 1GB/s transfer speeds and Apple has since released their 2013 MacBook Air which has a customized variation of the XP941; this attaining native performance of 794MB/s.  Most recently, Sony released their newest Vaio Pro 13 which also appears to have the XP941 installed and there is no doubt this ‘trickle effect’ of distribution will become a waterfall soon enough.  For the first time, even our request for a review sample was put on hold as Samsung can’t seem to keep up with demand.

Samsung XP941 512GB M2 SSD Closer

You can imagine our surprise when our good friend Rod Bland of RamCity in Sydney, Australia, asked if we would be interested in getting our hands on the new XP941 for review, sooner than later.  Naturally, we jumped at the opportunity and the XP941 arrived from Australia in just under five days.  Can anyone explain to me why it takes 3 months for my son to receive care packages from his mother while studying in Brisbane?  In any case, the arrival of the Samsung XP941 left us in a bit of a predicament that had to be addressed; we had no means of benchmarking this rocket as our M.2 adapter equipped Asus mobo was only a single lane solution (500MB/s).

Samsung XP941 512GB M2 SSD Desktop Adapter

Luckily, we had contacts in Taiwan who were able to create just what we had in mind…and fast.  We needed a solution that was future proof and our friends at Soliton Technologies went all out and sent us a PCIe 3.0 x16 NGFF/M.2 adapter.  Considering that PCIe 3.0 reaches a bit rate of 8 GT/s, which translates to roughly 985 MB/s per lane,  ‘overkill’ is pretty fitting as a pet name for this adapter. Even the much touted LSI SandForce ‘Griffin’ based M.2 PCIe SSD, capable of 1.8GB/s will be childs play once we get it in our hands.

THE SAMSUNG XP941 M.2 PCIE SSD

The Samsung XP941 is a client M.2 PCIe SSD and will be available in the notebooks of several manufacturers very soon. Although the XP941 will not be available as a retail SSD, it is available through limited third party vendors such as RamCity. Presently, we are aware that it is available in the newly released Sony Vaio Pro 13 ultrabookblank and, as well, a custom design of this SSD is found within the new Apple MacBook Air.

It is being manufactured in capacities of 128, 256 and 512GB and claimed performance is up to 1170MB/s read and 970MB/s write with IOPS reaching 122K read and 72K write, all within PCIe 2.0 x4 lane environment. Performance is variable, depending on capacity, and write performance of the 128GB capacity is 450MB/s with it jumping to 800MB/s for the 256GB capacity.

Samsung XP941 512GB M2 SSD Front2

The Samsung XP 941 contains Samsung’s 3-core eight channel MDX (300MHz) controller which is custom designed for PCIe and eliminates the bottlenecks seen in SATA 3.  Beside the controller is 512MB LP (low power) DDR2 Samsung DRAM cache, along with 4 modules of Samsung’s 64Gb MLC NAND flash memory, each module having a RAW capacity of 128GB.

Samsung XP941 512GB M2 SSD Back 2

Once formatted, the final capacity of the XP 941, that is available for user storage, is 477GB.  As well, product warranty for client SSDs is the responsibility of each system manufacturer.

Having said that, we have no problem giving a quick plug to RamCity as they have an absolutely massive selection of Samsung consumer, client and enterprise SSDs available for purchase. Where many find drives such as the Samsung 843T almost impossible to obtain in smaller volumes through Samsung, Ram City has them in stock and, well, they got our drive to us in Canada in less than a week.

Samsung Controller 2

64 comments

  1. blank

    “The XP941 is fast becoming the ‘new standard’ and Samsung’s inability to
    provide review samples to media demonstrates the demand that they are
    challenged with.”
    In my opinion Apple just prohibited a distribution of this devices for maybe half a year. It’s like the new Haswell chips from Intel. They pay a premium price and get the chips exclusively.

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    Which pcie slot was the ngff adapter on? There’s additional latency if it’s connected to the x4 lane from the pch.

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    Were any drivers needed for windows to be installed on this? A nvme driver might
    improve performance

    • blank

      No drivers were needed whatsoever. It was recognized and formatted without issue in the adapter. If you would like to suggest a possible driver, by all means we can try it out if it might improove the end IOPS.

  4. blank

    I recently purchased a Samsung Ativ book 9 plus. It has an msata toshiba ssd in it with a 2280 form factor. It is supposedly an m.2 form factor, but does that mean the controller actually resides on the drive ? Thanks.

    • blank

      The controller IC is almost always soldered right to the PCB of the SSD regardless of form factor.

      • blank

        Thanks ! Forgive my ignorance, but that mean the system would also support a pci-e m.2 drive in the 2280 form factor ?

      • blank

        Yes I am wondering about your system as we arent aware of Samsung having released systems with the new PCIe as of yet. Can you do an ATTO or crystal DiskMark test and let us know the scores?

      • blank

        Here is the Crystal. Haven’t figured out how to post the atto. Nothing special about the drive, but I thought the M.2 spec supported a dual pci-e/sata configuration. Newbie here.:

        —————————————————————————-
        CrystalDiskInfo 5.6.2 (C) 2008-2013 hiyohiyo
        Crystal Dew World : https://crystalmark.info/
        —————————————————————————-

        OS : Windows 8 Pro [6.2 Build 9200] (x64)
        Date : 2013/09/26 7:45:06

        — Controller Map ———————————————————-
        + Intel(R) 8 Series Chipset Family SATA AHCI Controller [ATA]
        – TOSHIBA THNSNH128G8NT
        – Microsoft Storage Spaces Controller [SCSI]

        — Disk List —————————————————————
        (1) TOSHIBA THNSNH128G8NT : 128.0 GB [0/0/0, pd1] – to

        —————————————————————————-
        (1) TOSHIBA THNSNH128G8NT
        —————————————————————————-
        Model : TOSHIBA THNSNH128G8NT
        Firmware : HTBAN103
        Serial Number : 83BZZ0HXTVRY
        Disk Size : 128.0 GB (8.4/128.0/128.0/128.0)
        Buffer Size : Unknown
        Queue Depth : 32
        # of Sectors : 250069680
        Rotation Rate : —- (SSD)
        Interface : Serial ATA
        Major Version : ACS-2
        Minor Version : —-
        Transfer Mode : SATA/600
        Power On Hours : 144 hours
        Power On Count : 144 count
        Temparature : 27 C (80 F)
        Health Status : Good
        Features : S.M.A.R.T., APM, 48bit LBA, NCQ, TRIM
        APM Level : 00FEh [ON]
        AAM Level : —-

        — S.M.A.R.T. ————————————————————–
        ID Cur Wor Thr RawValues(6) Attribute Name
        01 100 100 __0 000000000000 Read Error Rate
        02 100 100 _50 000000000000 Throughput Performance
        03 100 100 _50 000000000000 Spin-Up Time
        05 100 100 _50 000000000000 Reallocated Sectors Count
        07 100 100 _50 000000000000 Seek Error Rate
        08 100 100 _50 000000000000 Seek Time Performance
        09 100 100 __0 000000000090 Power-On Hours
        0A 100 100 _50 000000000000 Spin Retry Count
        0C 100 100 __0 000000000090 Power Cycle Count
        A7 100 100 __0 000000000000 Unknown
        A8 100 100 __0 000000000000 Unknown
        A9 100 100 _10 000000000064 Unknown
        AA 100 100 _10 000000000000 Unknown
        AD 200 200 __0 000000000000 Unknown
        AF 100 100 _10 000000000000 Unknown
        C0 100 100 __0 00000000000C Unsafe Shutdown Count
        C2 _73 _40 __0 003C0011001B Temperature
        C5 100 100 __0 000000000000 Current Pending Sector Count
        F0 100 100 _50 000000000000 Unknown

        — IDENTIFY_DEVICE ———————————————————
        0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
        000: 0040 3FFF C837 0010 0000 0000 003F 0000 0000 0000
        010: 2020 2020 2020 2020 3833 425A 5A30 4858 5456 5259
        020: 0000 0000 0000 4854 4241 4E31 3033 544F 5348 4942
        030: 4120 5448 4E53 4E48 3132 3847 384E 5420 2020 2020
        040: 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 8010 4000 2F00
        050: 4000 0000 0000 0007 3FFF 0010 003F FC10 00FB 0110
        060: C2B0 0EE7 0000 0407 0003 0078 0078 0078 0078 5F20
        070: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 001F 870E 0086 014C 014C
        080: 03F8 0000 746B 7D09 4163 7469 BC09 4163 003F 0001
        090: 0001 00FE FFFE 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        100: C2B0 0EE7 0000 0000 0000 0008 4000 0000 5000 80DB
        110: 1000 5FAD 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 401C
        120: 401C 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0029 0000
        130: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        140: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        150: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        160: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0005 0001
        170: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        180: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        190: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        200: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0039 0000 0000 4000
        210: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0001 0000 0000
        220: 0000 0000 107F 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        230: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0001 FFFF 0000 0000 0000 0000
        240: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
        250: 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 71A5

        — SMART_READ_DATA ———————————————————
        +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +A +B +C +D +E +F
        000: 10 00 01 0A 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 05
        010: 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 07 00 64 64 00
        020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 05 13 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00
        030: 00 00 07 0B 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 05
        040: 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 12 00 64 64 90
        050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 0A 13 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00
        060: 00 00 0C 12 00 64 64 90 00 00 00 00 00 00 A7 22
        070: 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 A8 12 00 64 64 00
        080: 00 00 00 00 00 00 A9 13 00 64 64 64 00 00 00 00
        090: 00 00 AA 13 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 AD 12
        0A0: 00 C8 C8 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 AF 13 00 64 64 00
        0B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 C0 12 00 64 64 0C 00 00 00 00
        0C0: 00 00 C2 22 00 49 28 1B 00 11 00 3C 00 00 C5 12
        0D0: 00 64 64 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 F0 13 00 64 64 00
        0E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        0F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        100: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        110: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        120: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        130: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        140: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        150: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        160: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 78 00 00 5B
        170: 03 00 01 00 02 08 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        180: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        190: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1C0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 18

        — SMART_READ_THRESHOLD —————————————————-
        +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +A +B +C +D +E +F
        000: 10 00 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 32
        010: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 32 00 00 00 00
        020: 00 00 00 00 00 00 05 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        030: 00 00 07 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 32
        040: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 00 00 00 00 00
        050: 00 00 00 00 00 00 0A 32 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        060: 00 00 0C 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 A7 00
        070: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 A8 00 00 00 00 00
        080: 00 00 00 00 00 00 A9 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        090: 00 00 AA 0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 AD 00
        0A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 AF 0A 00 00 00 00
        0B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 C0 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        0C0: 00 00 C2 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C5 00
        0D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 F0 32 00 00 00 00
        0E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        0F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        100: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        110: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        120: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        130: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        140: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        150: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        160: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        170: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        180: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        190: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1A0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1B0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1C0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1D0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1E0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
        1F0: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 06

      • blank

        That is not what I was looking for although you answered a question. The SSD in there is a mSATA and only 128GB so you wil only get nominal performance.. Send an ATTO or Crystal Diskmark result with the performance results….not Crystal Disk Info

      • blank

        Here is the Crystalmark. This is on battery and performance power profile. Might eke out a bit more plugged in. I am still not sure if this machine will support a pci-e ssd since it’s M.2 ?

        ———————————————————————–
        CrystalDiskMark 3.0.2 Shizuku Edition x64 (C) 2007-2013 hiyohiyo
        Crystal Dew World : https://crystalmark.info/
        ———————————————————————–
        * MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

        Sequential Read : 499.798 MB/s
        Sequential Write : 467.002 MB/s
        Random Read 512KB : 387.263 MB/s
        Random Write 512KB : 396.608 MB/s
        Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 18.569 MB/s [ 4533.6 IOPS]
        Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 49.599 MB/s [ 12109.1 IOPS]
        Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 163.071 MB/s [ 39812.2 IOPS]
        Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 110.576 MB/s [ 26996.2 IOPS]

        Test : 1000 MB [C: 56.1% (58.4/104.1 GB)] (x5)
        Date : 2013/09/26 10:19:15
        OS : Windows 8 Professional [6.2 Build 9200] (x64)

      • blank

        In looking at this performance, you either have a mSATA or M.2 SATA SSD installed. In any event, you could not install a PCIe that would get better performance than this as your system is limited to the SATA speeds. What is your system model number.

      • blank

        Thanks ! It’s NP940X3G-K01US. It’s a 2280 M.2 form factor according to some folks on a forum. It’s a “gumstick” ssd.

      • blank

        Yup it may be, however, it is most likely still a SATA M.2. There is a difference between PCIe M.2 and SATA M.2 SSDs which, believe it or not as as small of a difference as the switching of wires in the interface. The end result, however, is that the SATA M.2 is still limited to SATA speeds as you are seeing here. Your SSD is the Toshiba version and, in fact, we are about to review the 512GB capacity of that same SSD very shortly…have it right here in front of me.

      • blank

        Thanks much, Les. At least now I can stop drooling over the pcie ssds ! I’ll still be upgrading this once I can find something bigger and with the appropriate form factor. Looking forward to your review of the 512 GB version.

      • blank

        I own a Vaio Pro 13 and it’s an European version, so a SATA M.2 is installed. I’ve got a 128 GB SSD because an upgrade to 265 GB would have cost me $ 220 (€160). I figured I could spend $220 for another SSD and own 2 SSD instead of 1. But at the moment of buying the laptop I wasn’t aware a M.2 SSD would be installed, guess I should have know better with such a small laptop 😉 So now I’ve got some questions while I’m searching for a new SSD, but there’s not so much information on the internet about the differences between SATA M.2 and PCI M.2.

        If I understand it correctly there is a physical difference on the motherboard between the two Vaio Pro versions? One version will allow a PCI SSD and the other won’t?If I look at the explanation of the following image (https://www.tomshardware.com/gallery/flowchart3,0101-399299-0-2-3-1-png-.html) it states that a double configuration is possible. That the wiring could be supporting a PCI and SATA SSD. I was wondering if it’s likely that Sony has applied something like this. That there’s one similar motherboard in production and Sony only changes the installed SSD? Is there any way you could find this out?

        Thx, for the help btw. This article and your explanations already clarified a lot for me, but some things remain a little bit foggy 😉

      • blank

        That article says ‘possibly both’ but that is not possible at this point. It is either one or the other, and quite frankly, I don’t see how it is possible. The system you have is a SATA M.2 and youre next quest will be to find a larger M.2 SSD no doubt.

        P.S. We tried the XP941 on the SATA system and it didn’t work.

      • blank

        Thx for the clear and fast answer, then I’ll go looking for a bigger SATA M.2. Now I only have to wait until they are available 🙂 And I wasn’t talking about the Asus Maximus mentioned in this article, but the motherboard used in the Vaio Pro. I tried to figure out which motherboard is used by the Vaio and Everest only gives the following information: Sony SVP1321C5E. CPU-Z only mentions Sony as the manufacturer of the motherboard with VAIO as the model.

  5. blank

    Enuff already!!! They need to start selling the m.2s at newegg along with a simple 4x PCIE adapter. Nearly every mobo has an empty 4x slot in between the 1x and 8x/16x slots. Even better, since the m.2s are so small, LSI could make a killing by making a raid0 capable x4 adapter with room for a pair of m.2s. But noooOOO….everyone one’s gonna wait till next year for sata express to launch. Gah!!

  6. blank

    Hi Les, the M.2 PCIe that this SSD uses is electrically equivalent to a standard PCIe x4 gen 2 slot, correct? It’s just a different form factor. Just trying to understand the move to M.2. Thanks!

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    Does anyone know if the 1TB flash option in the new iMac’s (showing as APPLE SSD SM1024F in the hardware profile) uses the XP941? At twice the maximum capacity, it would need two of them, so how does that fit with its single PCIe connector?

    • blank

      Can you send me a link to such? I will get to that answer soonest, if it means getting one sent off ASAP.

      • blank

        I’m not sure what link you want.

        I can however point you to these two discussions threads,
        that might give you the proper context:

        https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5429350?start=0&tstart=0

        https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/145596/Are+256GB-512GB-1TB+SSDs+all+XP941+based

        I’ve tried to get Apple to answer this question, resulting in
        “Sorry that level of detail isn’t available for you”

      • blank

        The SSD is listed as APPLE SSD SM1024F which means it is definitely a Samsung and 1024. We haven’t seen 1TB capacities of the XP941 but it is entirely possible. Impossible is getting any information, short of ripping apart a new iMac as the confidentiality agreement between Samsung and Apple is ironclad.

        Time to do some digging!

      • blank

        It’s also possible, perhaps even likely, that Apple combines an XP941 in the PCIe slot and some variety of 840 SSD in the mSATA slot, to achieve 1TB flash.

      • blank

        The model number signifies a single Samsung SSD of the 1024GB capacity…..still waiting for answers from the source.

      • blank

        IMHO there is no guarantee that a single hardware profile entry denotes a single device. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Fusion Drive shows up as a single entry as well. Btw, the new MacBook Pro’s and Mac Pro offer an option of “1TB PCIe-based Flash Storage”, where at least you can be sure no PCIe/mSATA mixture is involved.

      • blank

        Maybe I have missed something but I don’t think we have ever seen a single storage device as being more than one device. To further support things, this number folllows the exact numbering pattern of every other Samsung/Apple SSD used. Could I be wrong? There are no absolutes as we haven’t the answer yet but my guess is a single full length custom PCIe SSD.

      • blank

        hi Les, are you still awaiting definite confirmation that Apple uses a lengthened double capacity XP941 for the iMac 1TB flash option? Thanks for looking into this! -John

      • blank

        No. It is common knowledge that it is simply a full length PCB with twice the chips. It is a 1024GB PCIe SSD.

  8. blank

    Will the Samsung XP941 work in the new iMac 27″ Late 2013 model?

    I know it has a PCIe slot, but don’t know if it will necessarily fit or work…

    If not, what will work in the PCIe slot?

    See article from ifixit: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iMac+Intel+27-Inch+EMC+2639+Teardown/17828/1

    Appreciate any help.

    • blank

      No. Apple creates a custom configuration of the XP941 so it cannot be switched out, but for another Apple capacity SSD of that blend.

      • blank

        Thanks for the quick response.
        Im a bit naive here but what can I do in order to improve my iMac and hard drive performance? I currently have the new late 2013 iMac 27, with a normal 1TB 7200rpm hard drive.

        Shall I remove this drive and replace it with a SATA SSD drive (such as a OCZ 256GB Vertex 3) and then use hard drive i removed from the mac, hook it into a external enclosure and using Thunderbolt connect it back to the iMac? (Using the SSD for the Operating system and applications and the External thunderbolt drive as storage drive)?

        Also what is currently the best and fastest SATA SSD drive available?

        Thanks in advance

      • blank

        If you have a late 2013 iMac, I would check this and investigate whether a PCIe SSD can be installed:

        https://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/09/2013-imac-teardowns-reveal-ssd-slots-soldered-in-cpu-in-the-21-5-model/

        Switching the HDD for a SSD is a given if not.

  9. blank

    Hi Les Tokar, thanks for the detailed review and all the extra info on this!

    One question remains: Samsung uses the pinnacle of modern lithography to etch those chips, yet the print quality of Brand name and the various ID and serial numbers on the outside of the chips is so unbelievably poor! Letters aren’t lined up, half of the text wants to disappear into the murk…

    Was it their plan to bring together the best and the worst of lithography in one place in some strange twist of irony?

    • blank

      Some of that is our doing as the etching fades somewhat over use and time, compounded by the brending sticker removal which leaves residue that must be removed. This SSD had a great deal of handling before snaps.

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    Not sure why you see no use for these drives in retail for years…

    I want to stick a new drive into my Sony Vaio Pro right now – without paying Sony $700 for an “upgrade” from the standard 128GB SSD.

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    Would be nice to find a tiny external case for M.2 SSDs, so you can have an external 500GB drive not much larger or heavier than a cigarette lighter.

    I guess you’d loose gobs of speed over USB 3.0 but it would make for excellent tiny and shock proof backup storage for laptops, tablets and cameras.

  12. blank

    Les, if you don’t mind, can you test the performance difference between using pci-e lanes from the pch and ones from the cpu?

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    I’m completely new to this and stumbled in here after seeinga motherboard I’m looking at mention M.2 SSDs and now I’m all intrigued. Would the Soliton 16x adapter work in a 16x 8x electrical slot (although at diminished capacity) or does it require full 16x electrical to work at all? Would a M.2 SSD on it be Windows installable/bootable? Support all the ssd/sata things like trim etc?

    • blank

      The X16 adapter will work at any level required of it by the M.2 SSD. The SSD will not be bootable through that unless there are boot instructions within the SSD as we recently saw with the Plextor SSD in the ioSwitch Raijin.

  14. blank

    Beside Apple MacBook Air.and Sony Vaio Pro 13, do you know other manufacturer that uses XP941 ? I want to buy an notebook / ultrabook and I was looking for more options than the 2 above mentioned. Thanks.

  15. blank

    Les, We want to integrate one of these drives i a new product. I am having trouble finding datasheets and a distributor to provide pricing. Can you help with any leads?

    Thanks Martin

  16. blank

    What would happen if i put one of these in my Asus Maximus 6 Impact? It has a slot for a m.2 ssd

  17. blank

    Is it bootable?

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    Is there any case you also have an AS-SSD screenshot with C-States tweak ? Cause i think that the only result with this tweak is the Crystaldiskmark.

  19. blank

    Hi guys,

    I am thinking of Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H as my next mobo.

    It has a m.2 connector on board.

    From the specs:
    ” 1 x M.2 PCIe connector
    (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA & PCIe SSD support) ”

    Are there any limitations to the bandwidth ? Should I invest in an adapter ?

  20. blank

    How do I buy the Soliton PEX16X-LTSSD-ADP card used in this test? Does it fit a 2009 Mac Pro? Thanks!

    • blank

      The article is 2 plus years old. There are a few similar that can be purchased with the PCIe X4 adapter…even new drives just being released… I might check the website in the next day or so for such a report!

  21. blank

    I installed a xp941 256g M.2 SSD on a asus x99-a mobo. I have been unable to install win 8.1 on it. I have upgraded my bios to the latest and have tried many combinations of bios setup with no relief. The installation hangs at the partitioning step. It reports the drive as locked and won’t proceed. It is unable to create a partitioned drive. I have checked the drive with several different HD software products. It doesn’t produce any errors on a surface test. I can partition and format with no problem. Any suggestions on how to get around this problem. Samsung support wasn’t very helpful. Neither was microsoft or ASUS.

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