- Samsung is quietly preparing a DRAM-free PCIe 4.0 SSD with flagship-level read performance
- Host Memory Buffer replaces dedicated DRAM inside Samsung’s next budget SSD
- Leaked specs reveal 7,150 MB/s speeds from Samsung’s mysterious SSD
Samsung appears to be preparing a budget PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that eliminates the integrated DRAM cache found in traditional drive designs.
The unannounced model briefly appeared on Samsung’s website recently, before the listing was removed without any official confirmation from the company.
The specifications listed describe a 1TB drive with sequential read speeds reaching 7150 MB/s and write speeds reaching 6450 MB/s.
How Samsung plans to compensate for the lack of DRAM
Traditional SSDs rely on dedicated DRAM to store the flash translation layer, allowing the controller to locate data in 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 that DRAM, drives can suffer from higher latency and weaker performance during sustained workloads or intense multitasking sessions.
To make up for this gap, Samsung is using NVMe’s Host Memory Buffer (HMB) feature, which reserves a small portion of system memory via PCI Express.
That borrowed memory contains mapping metadata instead of user files, connecting logical addresses to their physical NAND locations directly.
HMB generally cannot match the responsiveness of dedicated DRAM, although it improves performance compared to drives without any caching mechanism.
The drive has an endurance rating of 400 TBW, a modest figure for a 1TB SSD by current industry standards.
That number points to quad-level cell (QLC) NAND flash memory, which stores four bits per memory cell and reduces cost and durability.
Samsung has not publicly revealed what specific NAND flash technology is inside this particular unannounced drive model.
Rising component costs are reshaping SSD design options
Samsung’s move comes as NAND flash and DRAM Prices continue to rise sharply across the global storage industry this year.
Eliminating the DRAM package directly reduces component costs, simplifies PCB design, and helps maintain competitive pricing within the overall SSD segment.
QLC NAND increases storage density and reduces manufacturing costs, although it lags behind triple-cell NAND in sustained write performance and long-term endurance ratings.
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 those trade-offs, the listed sequential speeds of 7150 MB/s and 6450 MB/s put the drive alongside many conventional PCIe 4.0 SSDs with dedicated DRAM caches.
Samsung has not announced pricing, availability, official product name, or the specific NAND technology used in the drive.
Until those details emerge, the leaked specs point toward a lower-cost PCIe 4.0 SSD designed to balance competitive performance with reduced manufacturing costs as memory prices continue to rise.
Via The 3D Guru
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