I've been having a frustrating problem with my Samsung 980 PRO (500 GB). It performs great in benchmarks but crashes consistently during gaming. Here's the setup:
- **CPU:** AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
- **GPU:** Gigabyte AERO RTX 4070 Ti Super
- **RAM:** G.Skill F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC Trident Z
- **Motherboard:** Gigabyte B550 VISION D-P
- **OS:** Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (fresh install, paused updates for weeks, not updated with KB5063878)
**Symptoms I'm seeing:**
- The drive appears healthy in Samsung Magician and passes CrystalDiskMark, but during gaming, I get a BSOD if Windows is installed on the 980 PRO. If the 980 PRO only has the game, it crashes while Windows keeps running. When I try restarting the game, it either won't launch or I get a missing files error. I can only access cached folders on the drive, running into "Location is not available" errors for others. Restarting fixes things temporarily until the next gaming session.
I've ruled out overheating and tested it in both M.2 slots, where it still fails. Other drives work fine under the same load. I'm at a loss about how to RMA it if all the benchmarks are good. Any ideas?
3 Answers
It sounds like your 980 PRO is facing issues under real-world loads, even if benchmarks are passing. Have you checked for BIOS updates for your motherboard or firmware updates for the SSD? If those are up to date, consider deleting all partitions and reformatting the drive. Sometimes drives show fine stats but still fail. Also, if you can, share screenshots from CrystalDiskInfo; there might be something you're missing.
Yeah, it really seems like the SSD just can't handle gaming load despite passing those tests. I'd recommend pushing for that RMA. You should document the crashes you're experiencing during gaming as proof of the issue. It might help Samsung understand that there's a recurring problem.
Just to add on, crash logs could be really useful here. If you can boot into Windows normally, check C:WindowsMinidump for any crash dump files. If you find them, zipping and uploading them will give others better insight into the BSOD issues you're facing. Look for detailed analysis on those dumps for clues.
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