- Samsung quietly prepares DRAM-free PCIe 4.0 SSD with flagship-level read performance
- Host memory buffer replaces dedicated DRAM in Samsung’s next budget SSD
- Leaked specs reveal speeds of 7,150MB/s from Samsung’s mysterious SSD
Samsung appears to be preparing a cost-effective PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that removes the onboard DRAM cache found in traditional drive designs.
The unannounced model recently surfaced briefly on Samsung’s website, before the listing was removed without any official confirmation from the company.
The specs listed describe a 1TB drive with sequential read speeds up to 7,150 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,450 MB/s.
How Samsung plans to compensate for missing DRAM
Traditional SSDs rely on dedicated DRAM to store the flash translation layer, allowing the controller to locate data on NAND flash memory quickly and efficiently.
However, as the global “RAMpocalypse” continues to worsen, even the largest vendors are looking for ways to reduce their reliance on DRAM.
Without this DRAM, drives may experience higher latency and lower performance during sustained workloads or heavy multitasking sessions.
To bridge this gap, Samsung uses NVMe’s Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature, which instead reserves a small portion of system memory via PCI Express.
This borrowed memory contains mapping metadata rather than user files, directly connecting logical addresses to their physical NAND locations.
HMB generally cannot match the responsiveness of dedicated DRAM, although it improves performance compared to disks without any caching mechanisms.
The drive has a rated endurance of 400TB, a modest figure for a 1TB SSD by current industry standards.
This number alludes to Quad-Level Cell (QLC) NAND flash, which stores four bits per memory cell and reduces both cost and durability.
Samsung has not publicly disclosed what specific NAND flash technology is found in this particular unannounced drive model.
Rising component costs are reshaping SSD design choices
Samsung’s decision concerns NAND flash and DRAM prices continue to rise sharply this year across the global storage sector.
Removing the DRAM package directly reduces component costs, simplifies PCB design, and helps maintain competitive pricing across the consumer SSD segment.
QLC NAND increases storage density and reduces manufacturing costs, although it lags behind Triple-Level Cell NAND in sustained write performance and long-term endurance.
It also remains considerably less durable than the older Multi-Level Cell (MLC) and Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND technologies still found in some enterprise storage products.
Despite these compromises, the listed sequential speeds of 7,150 MB/s and 6,450 MB/s place the drive alongside many mainstream PCIe 4.0 SSDs with dedicated DRAM caches.
Samsung has not announced pricing, availability, the official product name, or the specific NAND technology used in the drive.
Until those details are revealed, the leaked specs point to a lower-cost PCIe 4.0 SSD, designed to balance competitive performance with lower manufacturing costs as memory prices continue to rise.
Via the 3D guru
Follow TechRadar on Google News And add us as your favorite source to get our news, reviews and expert opinions in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp Also.
