Enterprise SSD 960GB: SATA, SAS or NVMe, Endurance by Line, and UK Prices

Enterprise SSD 960GB: which lines come in this size

Several enterprise lines include a 960GB model, and the first thing that separates them is the interface. After that comes endurance: how many times a day the maker rates the drive to be rewritten.

The interface decides what fits: a 2.5-inch SATA bay, a SAS bay, a U.2 NVMe bay and an M.2 or E1.S slot are different connections, so start from what your server has. Within one interface, endurance is the main difference between lines at this size.

Enterprise SATA SSD 960GB: Micron 5300 and Kingston DC600M

Micron's 5300 brief lists the 960GB PRO as base part number MTFDDAK960TDS-1AW1ZABYY and the 960GB MAX as MTFDDAK960TDT-1AW1ZABYY, both 2.5-inch SATA. The two strings differ by one letter, S for the PRO and T for the MAX, so that letter is the one to read in a listing. Micron defines the PRO as read-intensive, at 1-2 drive writes per day, and the MAX as mixed-use, at 3-5.

In daily terms, on our arithmetic, a 960GB PRO is rated for about 0.96 to 1.92 TB written a day, and a 960GB MAX for about 2.88 to 4.8 TB. Micron also says the 5300 includes power-loss protection for data at rest and in flight, and carries up to a 5-year warranty.

Kingston's 960GB enterprise SSD is the DC600M, part number SEDC600M/960G, or SEDC600ME/960G with encryption. Kingston rates it at 560 MB/s sequential read and 530 MB/s write, and at 1,752TB written, 1 DWPD for 5 years. That is the same TBW figure Samsung gives the PM9A3 960GB. The Kingston DC600M page prints the full sheet.

Other SATA lines have 960GB listings too, including Solidigm's D3-S4520 and Samsung's PM893. We have not found a Solidigm document for the D3-S4520; the Samsung PM893 page prints Samsung's figures for its drive. The 960GB SATA table holds 2 listings right now.

SAS SSD 960GB: Samsung PM1643 and WD Ultrastar DC SS530

Two SAS drives list 960GB. Samsung's PM1643 brochure gives capacities from 960GB to 30.72TB on a 12 Gbps SAS host interface. WD's Ultrastar DC SS530 sheet puts 960GB, with 480GB, at the small end of its 1 drive-write-a-day class, on SAS 6/12Gb/s in a 2.5-inch, 15 mm body.

A SAS drive needs a SAS bay and controller, so neither is a swap for a SATA or NVMe drive in the wrong slot. If a 960GB SAS listing is on sale, it appears in the table below with its interface shown. The SAS SSD page goes through SAS part numbers and generations.

Samsung enterprise SSD 960GB: the PM9A3 in U.2

Samsung's PM9A3 data sheet lists the 960GB U.2 model as MZ-QL296000, part number MZQL2960HCJR-00W07, a 2.5-inch PCIe Gen4 x4, NVMe 1.4 drive. Its warranty TBW at that size is 1,752TB, with a 5-year limited warranty, and the product brief states 1.0 DWPD for 5 years. Those figures agree: on our arithmetic, 960GB written once a day for five years of 365 days is 1,752TB.

Samsung's 960GB enterprise options therefore span three interfaces: the PM9A3 on NVMe, the PM1643 on SAS, and the PM893 on SATA, which has 960GB listings. The Samsung PM9A3 page covers the NVMe drive's other figures. The 960GB NVMe table holds 1 listing right now.

960GB in M.2 and E1.S: the Micron 7450 PRO

Micron's 7450 brief lists the 7450 PRO in M.2 as read-intensive at 1 drive write per day, in 480GB, 960GB, 1.92TB and 3.84TB, beside the mixed-use 7450 MAX at 3 drive writes per day in 400GB, 800GB, 1.6TB and 3.2TB. Its E1.S list starts the 7450 PRO at 960GB. So at this size the 7450 PRO is Micron's M.2 and E1.S option, and the MAX's nearest size is 800GB.

An M.2 or E1.S drive does not go into a 2.5-inch bay. The M.2 enterprise SSD page explains M.2 lengths, and the E1.S SSD page that form factor. For Intel's 960GB drives, the Intel enterprise SSD page holds Intel's own brief.

Enterprise SSD 960GB price on Amazon.co.uk

The table holds 3 listings right now. Prices are pounds sterling inc VAT, sorted per TB, and each row shows its condition. The table takes enterprise SSDs we record at exactly 960GB, whatever the interface, and leaves out 1TB-class drives.

Before you press Buy on Amazon, check the interface and form factor in each title against your bay, and read the part number against the strings above: one letter separates a 5300 PRO from a 5300 MAX, and one letter a DC600M from a DC600ME.