According to a Tweet by @KOMACHI_ENSAKA, rumors surrounding a PCIe 5.0 enabled Samsung 990 Pro have been shot down. The evidence comes from a PCI-SIG database update, showing the spec sheet for Samsung's "990 PRO M.2" SSD featuring the older and slower PCIe 4.0 interface.
But the story of the 990 Pro started very differently from where we are now. Originally, the 990 Pro was "confirmed" to have the new PCIe 5.0 spec by the very same database a few days earlier by the same Twitter user, a well known leaker. However, the database listing for the 990 Pro with Gen 5 support has since been deleted for unknown reasons, and the tweet appears to be gone.
But, the story gets even more strange. As it turns out the PCIe 4.0 listing in the PCI-SIG database was added before the 5.0 listing, meaning both the PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 listings co-existed until the 5.0 counterpart got wiped out.
So here's all that we know right now on the new 990 Pro: We know that a Samsung 990 Pro is definitely coming at some point in time, with the PCI-SIG proving the drive is real, as well as a Tweet from @Harukaze5719 showcasing a new "V9" drive on the Korean National Radio Research Agency website.
But, we don't know the drive's specifications, we all assumed the 990 Pro would be PCIe 5.0 and one of the PCI-SIG listings seemed to confirm that. But now with that listing cleared off, and a PCIe 4.0 listing remaining in place for the same drive, it seems like the 990 Pro could be either a PCIe 5.0 drive or 4.0 drive at this point in time.
Samsung could be weighing the differences between a 4.0 drive and a 5.0 drive at this time as well. Right now, Samsung does not have a consumer-supported M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD controller ready for 2022 that we know of. Since all of its current PCIe 5.0 drives are targeted towards the enterprise sector.
But, Samsung could outsource to Silicon Motion for a viable PCIe 5.0 M.2 solution for its 990 Pro. Silicon Motion is the only SSD controller manufacturer that we're aware of that has a consumer-ready PCIe 5.0 x4 M.2 SSD controller for 2022. With the intended goal to bring PCIe 5.0 functionality to the consumer SSD market earlier than expected, in the form of enthusiast-grade SSDs. (Meaning these SSDs will be super expensive and not cost effective)
However, this is all speculation at this point. Samsung could also just wait another year before releasing the 990 Pro as well, we just don't know at this time. But, for now the, evidence remains inconclusive as to whether or not the 990 Pro will run on the new PCIe 5.0 interface.
