Ask Me Anything - Official Samsung Representatives

[jpishgar]

Tom's Hardware Ask Me Anything - Samsung
Ever wanted to ask one of the big hardware or software giants something directly? Why’d they do that? Where’d the idea come from for that last product? What’s in store next? Well, now you have the chance!

Tom’s Hardware is proud to announce the fourth of our brand new community features – ASK ME ANYTHING.

On Wednesday, July 31st, we’ll be hosting the fifth of a series of Tom’s Hardware Ask Me Anythings, and our guests will be official representatives from Samsung!

This thread will be unlocked, open and live for 24 hours starting at 12:00 noon eastern on July 31st, and questions will be moderated and supervised by Tom’s Community Manager, Joe Pishgar, and a full team of Senior Moderators.

Ask Me Anything Rules
• No tech support questions, as these require in-depth personal follow-up and diagnostics.
• All Rules of Conduct apply.
• Keep questions direct and to the point.
• Avoid opinion bias - ie: "Why are all your products awesome/bad/smelly?"
• Be respectful of our guests, no insults, no leading questions.
• Do not post duplicate questions, or repost your question multiple times.
• Not all questions may be answered. Questions may not be answered in the order in which they are received or posted.

Only registered users will be able to ask questions, so if you haven’t yet, be sure to register now for your chance to participate!

The official representatives will reply periodically over the time the AMA is active using a recognized and verified account.

Please join us on this date to throw your questions into the mix and ask Samsung what you've always wanted to ask!

What: Ask Me Anything – Samsung
When: Wednesday, July 31st, 12:00 p.m. Noon EDT
Where: This thread itself!
Who: John Lucas, Senior PR Manager and Ryan Smith, Senior Product Marketing Manager, SSD

Our Guests from Samsung are-

Name: Ryan Smith
Username: samsungssd
Title: Sr. Product Marketing Manager, SSD Marketing at Samsung Semiconductor, Inc..
Bio: Ryan Smith is Sr. Product Marketing Manager, SSD Marketing at Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.. His extensive technical background in data storage system design enables him to provide a highly seasoned perspective on the market for solid state drives (SSDs). Ryan's more than 13 years in data storage includes various customer and technical support positions at Xyratex International Ltd., nStor Technologies Inc., and ANDATACO, including five years as a Software Engineering Manager and three years as a Field Applications Engineer. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Decision Systems from San Diego State University.

Name: John Lucas
Username:
Title: Sr. PR Mgr., Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
Bio: Bio is forthcoming

This AMA thread is now unlocked for questions!

 

[jpishgar]

As a reminder, please keep the questions asked pertaining to Storage, and avoid any requests for technical support. Thanks!

 

[jpishgar]

Question from Facebook as they start to trickle in:

Q. As more and more people are making the jump to SSD's, what does Samsung have in store for the upcoming generation of enthusiasts looking to get more bang for their buck out of their rigs?

 

[samsungssd]

Question from Facebook as they start to trickle in:

Q. As more and more people are making the jump to SSD's, what does Samsung have in store for the upcoming generation of enthusiasts looking to get more bang for their buck out of their rigs?

Samsung has announced some exciting things this year: The industry's first consumer based PCIe SSD (XP941) which will allow notebook users to experience even better performance than before. In addition, we announced the first NVMe based SSD (XS1715) that will help bring PCIe to more server/datacenter customers and help it proliferate where it has previously only been leveraged in niche markets. Samsung also announced the second generation of our 3-bit MLC SSD's: 840 EVO on the retail side. The technology inside this 3-bit MLC SSD allows a more affordable price because Samsung is able to store 50% more bits in the same physical space. There was also a wave of other technology advancements coupled with the 840 EVO announcement such as TurboWrite and RAPID which enable incredible speeds to be experienced.

 

[jpishgar]

loosescrews asks:
"Why do you use a triple core controller in your SSDs? Is it because some competitor used a dual core controller, or is it really the sweet spot in price/performance/power consumption?"

 

[jpishgar]

Formata asks:
"What ever happened to the Spinpoint series HDDs?"

 

[samsungssd]

loosescrews asks:
"Why do you use a triple core controller in your SSDs? Is it because some competitor used a dual core controller, or is it really the sweet spot in price/performance/power consumption?"

Samsung's controller's are custom made for our SSDs. Because of that we have complete control over the features and functionality offered. There are numerous tasks that need to occur concurrenty in any modern system, including SSDs. Some of the tasks included are handling read commands, write commands, managing Flash, garbage collection, etc. In order to offer the best experience and performance, our team has carefully selected all characteristics that go into our SSD, including the controller. Samsung's SSDs are completely vertically integrated, meaning that we control all key components that go into the SSD; this allows us to optimally design the SSD to offer best-in-class reliability and performance.

 

[samsungssd]

Formata asks:
"What ever happened to the Spinpoint series HDDs?"

Samsung no longer produces HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). Samsung believes that SSDs are the future of storage for PCs and Servers. Phones are all Flash. Tablets are all Flash. As the trend of PCs continues to offer thinner and lighter solutions and demand the responsiveness experienced on tablets/phones, SSDs are the solution going forward.

 

[jpishgar]

A question from our own justinblue:

"Does Samsung think regular hard drives will ever be completely replaced by SSDs?"

 

[inzone]

Hi Samsung and welcome to Tom'sHardware forum, I have several Samsung SSDs in my computer as I don't use a conventional hard drive.

I noticed in an earlier response that Pci-e based SSDs were mentioned for the Laptop and Data center/Server based solutions.

Is anything being planned for the desktop as other manufacturers have done and what kind of added features will there be. One company just released a Pci-e based SSD and one of the included features was the ability to create a ramdisk from up to 80% of available system ram.

 

[samsungssd]

A question from our own justinblue:

"Does Samsung think regular hard drives will ever be completely replaced by SSDs?"

We are definitely seeing aggressive trends towards adopting SSDs into PCs, Servers, and Enterprise Storage. However, HDDs still have a place for slower-accessed large data. What has happened, and will continue to happen, is SSDs will continue to replace HDDs in particular applications. SSDs are definitely here to stay and have made it into virtually every datacenter and enterprise solution. In many of the new thin & light notebooks offered, the only option are SSDs. In other notebook offerings, you often see SSDs as an option or a SSD+HDD option. One thing we have heard time and time again from consumers that have experienced an SSD in their notebook is they would never go back to an HDD-based notebook. Converting to SSDs are a life changing event.

 

[samsungssd]

Hi Samsung and welcome to Tom'sHardware forum, I have several Samsung SSDs in my computer as I don't use a conventional hard drive.

I noticed in an earlier response that Pci-e based SSDs were mentioned for the Laptop and Data center/Server based solutions.

Is anything being planned for the desktop as other manufacturers have done and what kind of added features will there be. One company just released a Pci-e based SSD and one of the included features was the ability to create a ramdisk from up to 80% of available system ram.

In general, a notebook SSD could be used in a desktop as well. You would need to ensure you have the right form factor and interface type, etc. As you are likely aware, SSDs are based on Flash NAND technology which is a non-volatile memory; when you turn off power to the SSD, the data will still persist. However, with RAM it is volatile in nature, meaning when you power off RAM, the data is lost. However, there could be battery back-up or capacitor-based solutions to mitigate this but this is less commonly seen in the PC space. SSDs and RAM currently tackle two different aspects of a given system. In general, RAM disks would be suited for temporary or scratch files where if they were lost, it would not be a major issue. Employing other technologies such as RAM disks may be something you can take advantage of, but recommend that any interested party be familiar with when and how it should be utilized.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

1. I am glad to hear that Samsung will be offering affordable consumer oriented PCI-e based solid state drives. What is the approximate release date for consumers who want to purchase a PCI-e based ssd's for their desktop computers? This year or next year?

2. The adoption of the new SATA Express standard signals the start of the migration to affordable consumer oriented PCI-e based ssd's. Does Samsung plan to manufacture consumer oriented ssd's based on the new SATA Express standard? New connectors or motherboard headers?

 

[g-unit1111]

I have two questions:

1. I really like the concept of the Chromebook and it's great to see vendors like Samsung getting on board with the idea, but my main question is will that lead to the Chrome OS becoming more widely used in other devices? And how will Samsung incorporate Intel's new generation of Atom processors in things like set top boxes, Smart TVs, and other devices?

2. The Samsung 840 Evo is a sweet SSD, and with the 1TB configuration of it out, will that lead to lower SSD prices in the long run?

 

[samsungssd]

1. I am glad to hear that Samsung will be offering affordable consumer oriented PCI-e based solid state drives. What is the approximate release date for consumers who want to purchase a PCI-e based ssd's for their desktop computers? This year or next year?

The Samsung XP941 (PCIe SATAe-based SSD) has already started shipping to PC OEMs. We cannot comment on when PC's based on these solutions will hit the market.

More info about the announcment of Samsung's PCIe SSD:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Samsung-XP941-SSD-Ultrabook-PCIe,23107.html

2. The adoption of the new SATA Express standard signals the start of the migration to affordable consumer oriented PCI-e based ssd's. Does Samsung plan to manufacture consumer oriented ssd's based on the new SATA Express standard? New connectors or motherboard headers?

The Samsung XP941 is a SATA Express (SATAe) based SSD. The form factor we decided to launch SATAe with is the M.2 (80x22mm) to be optimized for thin & light notebook platforms. You can see pictures of this form factor here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Samsung-XP941-SSD-Ultrabook-PCIe,23107.html

You can also find numerous pictures of the XP941 on Google Images:
https://www.google.com/search?q=xp941&tbm=isch

 

[samsungssd]

I have two questions:
1. I really like the concept of the Chromebook and it's great to see vendors like Samsung getting on board with the idea, but my main question is will that lead to the Chrome OS becoming more widely used in other devices? And how will Samsung incorporate Intel's new generation of Atom processors in things like set top boxes, Smart TVs, and other devices?

I cannot really comment on Samsung's other product offerings since SSDs are my specific area of expertise.

2. The Samsung 840 Evo is a sweet SSD, and with the 1TB configuration of it out, will that lead to lower SSD prices in the long run?

The Samsung 840 EVO is an excellent advancement that was needed to further propel SSDs into more consumer PC's. We are very excited about the sucess thus far and the projected growth due to this technology. The sweet spot for SSDs today is still around the ~250GB capacity point. However, some users were waiting for higher capacities to become available before moving completely over to SSDs. With a 1TB option now being available, this should allow even more to make the switch. Each generation of SSDs that comes out, the more cost effective they become.

 

[puffpastry]

I really dig Samsung's new 840 Evo in the 1 TB configuration. I plan on building a new PC in September, and will use at least one of these for my data storage. Currently, I'm looking at a 512gb 840 Pro for my boot drive though. I want the longevity and tested track record of 2-bit NAND technology for my OS drive (Windows 8). I know you may be under an NDA to discuss future product releases, but I was hoping you could give me a hint as to when the next generation of top end Samsung consumer SSD's (replacement for 840 Pro) are going to be released. In other words, is it safe for me to buy an 840 Pro in September or should I hold off a bit (new model incoming)?

Thanks,
John

 

[8350rocks]

Does Samsung intend to branch out into peripherals in addition to their storage products?

Also, with regards to system memory...what are your thoughts on DDR4 vs. HMC? Obviously you probably can't give details, however, are both types of memory being investigated by Samsung?

 

[rrbronstein]

Ive seen several tests done by review sites that mention that there is no fear of longevity issues when it comes to TLC NAND with samsungs great controller/flash technologies, and the 840 EVO looks like a great drive that i want to order. Just wondering what your personal experience is with this newer nand tech and if we will be seeing the 840 EVO in early august?

 

[g-unit1111]

What happened to Samsung's mechanical hard drive division? I have a Samsung Spinpoint and it's held up very well after four years of owning it.

 

[dongbin2696]

When will the Samsung SSD 840 Evo be released in Asia, and do you have any plan for PCIe SSD for PC in the near future? (I really don't want to wait until August 2014 )

 

[Cazalan]

SSD is the hottest tech right now and the speeds are amazing. I have been reading about MRAM based technologies for over a decade but the capacities have remained rather small and very expensive. The idea of a SSD like device with near infinite erase/write cycles is the holy grail of data storage.

When do you think MRAM or SST-MRAM might finally become mainstream? 5, 10, 15 years?

 

[manofchalk]

I'v got a couple of oddball questions here, I would be surprised if you could answer them all .

1. Physical storage mediums have been on the decline in the wake of the Internets increasing presence in peoples lives. Do you see any trends in the future that could potentially revive older forms of physical media, perhaps Optical Discs in some kind of updated form?

2. IBM made waves in the scientific community when they released the "A Boy and His Atom" video, which was an experiment to see how viable it is to use atoms to store information. Does Samsung have any similar experimental technology in the works in regards to data storage?

3. With a product like Google Glass and wearable devices in general when they become more common, physical space will be quite constrained and in form factors we have not seen yet. How does Samsung intend to cater to these devices, considering that they are developing their own storage devices and manufacturing flash for the industry at large?

4. Samsung is a major LCD panel manufacturer, and so must be aware of the potential of OLED displays have in regards to how flexible they are. A logical extension of this would be the completely flexible phone you could basically scrunch into a ball and put in your pocket, or stretch to the proportions you want.
How will data storage work in a device like that, is it possible to create flexible flash memory or will there need to be a compromise solution?

EDIT: Just thought of another.

5. With advances such as non-volatile RAM through the use of in-built capacitors to keep it charged and prices going down through advances in technology and manufacturing processes,is it possible that RAM will become the dominant storage medium in the future? If so, how long would it take or would some other technology (Such as aforementioned MRAM) by then made it obsolete?

 

[jpishgar]

To provide enough time for the latest answers, we'll be extending the AMA 2 hours per request.

 

[Flomps]

ssd's have been out for a while and havent gained speed that much, has solid state technology reached its peak speed? do you plan to make combo drives to tackle this problem or some other technologies?
ssd's arent very spacious how do you plan on making them as cheap as and as spacious as say, a 2tb hdd?