Thanks to Samsung for providing the Samsung 9100 Pro review unit. I actually wanted to do a video review on the Samsung SSD 9100 Pro. However, after testing with some benchmarking software, my conclusion is that my hardware is not good enough to justify it. Let me get into the details.
For this review, Samsung has provided the 9100 Pro without heatsink and with a storage of 4TB. For those who are interested on the Press Release of the product, read HERE.
I made a few videos testing the read/write speed of this 9100 Pro using these software –
- Blackmagic Disk Speed Test
- CrystalDiskMark
I installed the 9100 Pro into a UGREEN 20 Gbps SSD enclosure. For the experts, you will immediately know the problem with such a setup. The read/write speed of this enclosure will limit the performance of this 9100 Pro. Check out the specs.
For a start, it has a read/write speed of 14,700 MB/s and 13,300 MB/s respectively. The results I got using my enclosure is nothing close to the official specs.
Let’s take a look at the specs again. It supports PCIe 5.0, Thunderbolt 5.0 and etc. So, in short, unless you have all the supported hardware, it is not possible to test this 9100 Pro correctly.
The 9100 PRO series, with Samsung’s eighth V-NAND technology and Presto controller, delivers sequential read and write speeds up to 14,800MB/s and 13,400MB/s, which improves 2 times faster in sequential read speed compared to the 990 PRO series. And random read and write speeds are up to 2,200K and 2,600K IOPS.
Who are the targeted users for Samsung 9100 Pro?
Users looking for storage for AI
A PC supporting on-device AI requires high-performance storage with PCIe® 5.0 support to quickly load larger AI models, and for using image/video generative AI and the Recall feature of Copilot+ PCs, high-capacity storage of 4TB/8TB or more will be required. The 9100 PRO series is the best solution that meet all these requirements and is an optimized solution for AI.
Gamers looking to store their game libraries and playing the latest game confidently
The best in-class performance of the 9100 PRO series is the best solution for users who seeks experiences and entertainments that enrich their gaming lives and searches for the future of experiences and work styles on various digital form factors with high-technologies.
Video Creators working on high resolution videos
By offering up to 8TB (available from June 2025) of capacity, the Samsung 9100 PRO series will free users from storage constraints. Video creators can work on and store thousands of high-resolution video contents over 8K. Also, with Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 technology, the 9100 PRO series offers sufficient dynamic SLC buffer region to accelerate read/write speeds.
Innovative Power & Thermal Control
With a new 5nm process controller and firmware optimization, the 9100 PRO series has improved power efficiency by up to 49%1), although power consumption increased by up to 2.5W2) while performance doubled compared to the previous 990 PRO series. In addition, the Heatsink model up to 4TB complies with the PCI-SIG® D8 Standard specification and despite supporting the high-speed PCIe® 5.0 interface, it is designed to be installed not only in PCs but also in laptops and PlayStation®5 with a slim thickness of 8.8mm. 3)
1 1GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes by IDEMA. A certain portion of capacity may be used for system file and maintenance use, thus the actual available capacity may differ from the labeled capacity.
2 The M.2 8TB model complies PCI-SIG® D5 standard specification. Please check the specifications of the host device before installation.
3 The heatsink model from 1TB to 4TB complies PCI-SIG® D8 standard specification. For 8TB model, please refer to information as Top – 8.0mmT, PCB – 0.8mmT, Bottom – 2.45mmT. Please check the specifications of the host device before installation.
Pricing
In my opinion, average users looking for storage solutions can opt for Samsung’s previous products as the Samsung 9100 Pro series is not cheap. Check out the pricing.
| Series | Model | Capacity | RRP |
| 9100 PRO | MZ-VAP1T0BW | 1TB | S$259 |
| MZ-VAP2T0BW | 2TB | S$399 | |
| MZ-VAP4T0BW | 4TB | S$749 | |
| 9100 PRO with Heatsink | MZ-VAP1T0CW | 1TB | S$268 |
| MZ-VAP2T0CW | 2TB | S$409 | |
| MZ-VAP4T0CW | 4TB | S$759 |
I checked through the websites, and I found SSD enclosure that supports Thunderbolt 5.0 and has high read/write speed is not cheap. This is an example (pricing in USD). The read/write speed is still lower than 9100 Pro.
Conclusion
Based on my limited testing due to incompatible hardware, it is important to note that if you do not have such high-end hardware, this Samsung 9100 Pro is not for you.
However, if you are in the industry or requires high speed read/write and do not mind paying for the price of it, the Samsung 9100 Pro is highly recommended.
Let me know your thoughts on it.