Samsung unveils next-gen PCIe 4 SSD with new 5nm controller and speeds up to 6000MB/s

Samsung Electronics today announced a new high-performance SSD. The PM9C1a is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe solid-state drive with a next-generation controller built upon a 5nm technology process and seventh-generation Samsung V-NAND memory. The manufacturer says the PM9C1a will deliver "a new level of everyday PC efficiency while also handling demanding computing and gaming tasks."

The Samsung PM9C1a SSD aims to improve two primary aspects of a PC drive: speed and efficiency. The new controller delivers 60% faster sequential read speed and 80% sequential write speed, allowing the drive to operate at 6,000MB/s and 5600MB/s, respectively. Random input-output operations also received a significant boost: Samsung claims the drive can run at 900K IOPS read and 1,000K IOPS write. These speeds are not record-breaking by any means (Samsung's 990 PRO delivers faster performance), but they are plenty enough for daily use at a much lower price.

As for energy efficiency, the PM0C1a features up to 70% better efficiency per watt than its predecessor (PM9B1). This allows laptops and tablets with the new SSD to consume less power while handling the same amount of tasks without performance trade-offs. Besides, the drive now requires approximately 10% less energy when a PC goes into standby mode.

Customers can expect the Samsung PM0C1a to appear inside new laptops and tablets with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB capacities. Form factors include M2 2230, 2242, and 2280.

Samsung unveils next-gen PCIe 4 SSD with new 5nm controller and speeds up to 6000MB/s