Hey folks, I got a Samsung 980 PRO 2TB SSD about 18 months ago for my new PC build. Lately, I've been hearing about firmware issues with these drives, so I tried using Samsung Magician to update the firmware, but it wouldn't even recognize my drive. I switched to using CrystalDiskInfo, and while it identifies the drive as a Samsung SSD 980 PRO 2TB, I've noticed some serious red flags:
- It's running on PCIe 3.0, but I've got it installed in a PCIe 4.0 slot.
- The benchmark results are much lower than expected—around 2500 MB/s read and 1800 MB/s write.
- The serial number on the physical label doesn't match what CrystalDiskInfo shows.
- The firmware version looks suspicious and doesn't follow Samsung's usual format.
I bought this SSD from Amazon and am fairly certain it was directly from them, but now I'm worried it might be counterfeit. Is there a reliable way to confirm whether it's fake? Thanks for your help!
**EDIT:** After some replies, it seems like it's likely a counterfeit product. Unfortunately, there's not much I can do now, but I'll be more cautious in the future.
4 Answers
It sounds like a fake one to me too. The speeds you're getting are terrible for a 980 PRO. If you want to double-check, make sure to unblock protected memory access through Samsung Magician. Authentic drives should always be detected without issues.
Most likely a fake. The components near the controller are even different from genuine Samsung drives. Honestly, once you realize it's a counterfeit after 18 months, just remember to benchmark any future hardware right after you buy it to avoid this next time.
You're right to be concerned! The label looks off, and a genuine 980 PRO usually has a visible controller chip with a DRAM cache. If it doesn’t have those features, it's likely counterfeit. Check out Google Images to see the differences visually.
Yeah, from what you've described, it's definitely fake. I checked my 980 PROs and yours doesn’t match up at all. The label is too short, and there’s no visible silver chip. If you have other drives handy, compare those labels to see what I mean.
Thanks for the tip! I'll definitely benchmark any new drive I get!