Having a high-performance SSD isn’t really a luxury anymore for gamers, as video games are becoming increasingly large and complex by the year. From massive open-world games with real-time asset loading tofast-paced, competitive shootersthat are at their best when loading times are almost non-existent, storage speed can have an immense impact on the overall gaming experience. This is whereSamsung’s 9100 PRO SSDcomes in, as its PCIe 5.0 technology allows it to deliver some of the fastest read and write speeds ever seen in a consumer or prosumer-grade SSD.
Samsung’s 9100 PRO SSDboasts incredible speeds, but it has so much more going for it. Firstly, it offers both a standard and a heatsink model, ensuring it maintains its performance regardless of the context. Secondly, Samsung has several different storage capacities available for the 9100 PRO, and while its pricing might deter casual users, its high performance and backward compatibility with PCIe 4.0 make it a serious contender for anyone looking to start a new PC build or future-proof their current one for years to come.
Samsung’s 9100 PRO SSD Has Record-Breaking Speeds
On paper, the Samsung 9100 PRO is one of the fastest SSDs ever made. According to Samsung’s claims, it delivers read speeds of up to 14,800 MB/s and write speeds of up to 13,400 MB/s. This places the 9100 PRO among the highest-performing consumer or prosumer-grade storage solutions available as of 2025, when mostPCIe 5.0 drivescurrently max out at around 10,000 – 12,000 MB/s for read and 9,500 – 11,000 MB/s for write. With these speeds, the 9100 PRO handles large file transfers with ease.
Samung’s 9100 PRO SSD is also rated to hit up to 2.2 million IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) for read and 2.6 million for write — record-breaking speeds that put it well beyond what even most top-tier Gen 5.0 SSDs offer, making it one of the fastest on the planet. This ultimately makes multitasking and small file access a breeze, all while increasing the overall responsiveness of the operating system.
Samsung’s 9100 PRO series offers a variety of storage capacities, including 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, and 8TB, all of which still boast the same high-speed PCIe 5.0 architecture.
In testing, the results actually come fairly close to Samsung’s claims about the 9100 PRO. Independent benchmarks report read speeds of just under 12,500 MB/s and write speeds of around 13,000 MB/s. While the read speeds during these tests show the SSD falling slightly short of what Samsung claims, 12,500 MB/s is still beyond what most PCIe 5.0 drives currently offer. If nothing else, the 9100 PRO’s write speeds during testing are comfortably close to Samsung’s 13,400 MB/s claim. Especially for those working withlarge game filesor other media files, speeds like these can drastically reduce export times.
An SSD’s thermal performance is another major element to consider, and Samsung offers two distinct configurations of the 9100 PRO to address that. The SSD’s standard model comes without an integrated heatsink, making it better for systems that already have quality airflow and third-party cooling. For more demandinggaming setups, however, Samsung also offers a version of the 9100 PRO with a built-in heatsink. This model is specifically designed to manage heat more effectively, lowering the risk of thermal throttling and ensuring a consistent speed over longer sessions.
All of that said, it’s important to consider who Samsung’s 9100 PRO is really for. Most everyday users, including gamers, should find PCIe 4.0 SSDs fast enough for their needs. However, the advantages of a PCIe 5.0 SSD like the 9100 PRO over others may still be noticeable to gamers, like faster loading screens, faster real-time loading inopen-world games, and increased performance overall. Even then, those differences may be negligible, even in high-performance games, but that just means a 9100 PRO is still an excellent way to future-proof a machine.
Finally, at a retail price of $199.99 for the 1TB model, the 9100 PRO isn’t the cheapest option, but it’s still competitively priced when considering its record-breaking specs and long-term relevance. Anyonebuilding a new PCmay want to start off with Samsung’s 9100 PRO for the longevity it offers, making its price tag more than worth it. Its backward compatibility with PCIe 4.0 also gives it some flexibility, although older motherboards should throttle its speeds a bit.
The advantages of a PCIe 5.0 SSD like the 9100 PRO over others may still be noticeable to gamers, like faster loading screens, faster real-time loading in open-world games, and increased performance overall.
All things considered, the Samsung 9100 PRO SSD is by far one of the best storage solutions currently available. While its full potential might be a bit overkill for the average gamer right now, the 9100 PRO still offers speed and reliability that make it a great investment in the long run. Between its incredibly fast transfer rates, solid thermal options, and broad capacity range, Samsung’s 9100 PRO SSD sets a new bar for what PCIe 5.0 storage can do.
Samsung’s 9100 PRO SSDis currently available for purchase onSamsung’s official website, starting at $199.99.
