What is the newest Samsung SSD drive model that is recommended to use with the Antipodes?
The last recommendation was for the Samsung PM893 in Dec 2023. I haven’t seen any more recent recommendations:
it is confusing though, because Samsung also make a PM983:
| Feature | Samsung PM893 | Samsung PM983 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | SATA 6 Gbps | PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3c |
| Form Factor | 2.5-inch | M.2, U.2, or NF1 (E1.S) |
We recommend the Synology SAT5221SSD as an alternate to the PM893.
SSD’s designed for Data Centre use should give good performance.
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I have been searching for a suitable alternative to the Samsung PM893, which has been discontinued by Samsung and so is very difficult to purchase in verifiable new condition. The Synology SAT5221 can be found in brand new condition, but is usually much more expensive than what relatively new PM893s are selling for. Moreover, Synology SSDs are regarded by the Data Center operators as being “no brand name products”, since it is clear that Synology is sourcing them from somewhere that has not been divulged by the company. Data center operators have not been happy by Synology policies requiring the use of only Synology drives in their NAS products. Recently I have found availability for the Micron Enterprise 5400 Pro and Max SATA 2.5 in SSDs on the market that have drive specs similar to that of the PM893 and better than those of the Synology Enterprise SSDs. Does anyone have any experience with Micron 5400 SSDs for music servers? Although they can be found on the market in verifiable new condition, they are as least as expensive as brand new Synology alternatives.
The current market for these Enterprise SSDs is like the Wild Wild West and requires ample caution in evaluating the actual availability and product condition before purchasing.
I discovered later that another competitive and cheaper 1.92 TB 2.5 in SATAIII SSD is the Intel D3-S4620 which appears to be readily available in brand new state. Reviews rate the Micron 5400 Pro and Max, Intel D3-S4620 and Samsung PM 893 about equal for Data Center storage applications. Right now the Intel product seems to be the cheapest on the market
Hello Htan I have just bought a refurbished PM 893 from Techbuyer in the UK. No problems, everything went smooth and the price was sound. I think they deliver worldwide.
Hello Reinhard,
Great that you were able to get a reliable refurbished PM 893, hopefully at a very good price too. I believe the key issue in going with refurbished units is the quality of their product. Generally refurbished enterprise level SSDs don’t have any components replaced, especially none of the Storage NAND chips. You can use SMART software to read out the DWPD and TBW endurance of your refurbished unit and compare these numbers to that of a new unit. This way you can gauge how much lifetime is remaining for your refurbished unit.
Data centers typically will buy refurbished units with 90 percent or more of remaining lifetime compared to that of a new unit
Thanks for sharing this. It is nice there is a way to determine useable life left. One can be sure the re-seller already did this, but most likely kept the information to themselves.
Skeptical me thinks it seems similar to someone selling an “NOS” tube from ebay, where the seller claims a tube tester shows “good” but the tube is already 90% spent.
A reputable reseller of refurbished SSD will either supply the SMART report or will do so if you ask. Generally, none of the components are replaced and the refurbishing process consists of a secure cryptographic erasure of the drive data contents, updating the firmware if required and resetting the firmware to the default state required by data center operators. The work on the firmware could require a SMART examination of the SSD. So the reseller should have access to a SMART report.