[HN Gopher] Fake Samsung 980 Pro SSDs are spreading around
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Fake Samsung 980 Pro SSDs are spreading around
Author : elorant
Score : 84 points
Date : 2023-03-19 19:50 UTC (3 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.tomshardware.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.tomshardware.com)
| libpcap wrote:
| Why hasn't the CCP clamp down on these manufacturers of
| counterfeit SSDs? Won't this give a bad image on products made in
| the PRC?
| sva_ wrote:
| I don't really see how it would? 'Made in China' is often
| associated with low quality anyways, so why would this make a
| dent? I hope you know that Samsung is a South Korean company.
| henriquez wrote:
| The real 980 Pros have recently become notorious for premature
| degradation issues (resolved with a firmware upgrade that many
| users may not know to apply). How conveniently distracting that a
| fake version of the product is now hitting the news cycle.
| Instead of associating bad SSDs with Samsung we'll henceforth
| associate them with cheap Chinese counterfeits. What a stroke of
| luck for an anticompetitive company like Samsung.
| withinrafael wrote:
| Data point for readers: I was affected by the 980 Pro firmware
| issue. I had no idea there was an update available--Samsung did
| not post it to Windows Update--until my drive was read-only
| with only a few TBs written. Warranty covers 5 years/N TBWs
| [1], and the replacement process--albeit slow--does work. Just
| be aware you can't erase a read-only SSD...
|
| [1] https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-
| storage/support/w...
| ls612 wrote:
| You are confusing the 980 pro and the 990 pro. The 990 Pro had
| a firmware bug causing largely accelerated wear which was fixed
| by an update in January. The 980 Pro had a bug in firmware
| causing the drive to just fail (enter read only mode) after a
| certain amount of time, this had been fixed for well over a
| year in firmware but many people didn't update their firmware
| and so were surprised when the requisite amount of time passed.
| vlovich123 wrote:
| I've had my 980 pro disconnected for a long time. Is it safe
| to plug it in to update the firmware?
| ls612 wrote:
| I think that the 980 pro issue came to light a month ago
| when the earliest made SSDs got old enough to trigger the
| bug. So you should be good unless you got one of the first
| ever made.
| thevagrant wrote:
| Does windows update the firmware automatically? I may have a
| couple of these ssds but never thought to check firmware
| ls612 wrote:
| No but the Samsung Magician software will automatically
| tell you to update the firmware and do it for you.
| bombolo wrote:
| Ah, for the 6 people in the world who have that?
| haunter wrote:
| You can just straight downlod the fw file in a Linux .iso
| > make a flash drive bootable and update
| https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-
| storage/support/t...
| florbo wrote:
| heh, yeah I installed it just for the update and
| immediately uninstalled it.
| favaq wrote:
| Someone who buys an evo pro knows to install magician, at
| least to update the firmware for the first use, or so i
| hope - it would be like buying a high-end nvidia and
| using the drivers from windows update.
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| > The 980 Pro had a bug in firmware causing the drive to just
| fail (enter read only mode) after a certain amount of time,
| this had been fixed for well over a year in firmware but many
| people didn't update their firmware
|
| I literally just finished putting all the parts of my new
| build in my basket but haven't ordered it yet. I was going
| for a 980 Pro (for it seems reasonably priced)... If I buy
| brand new from Samsung, would you happen to know if I'll get
| a SSD with the latest firmware or would I need to apply the
| firmware update by myself?
|
| FWIW I ran a 950 Pro when it came out (2015?), then a 970 Evo
| (which my wife is now using). I've been _very_ happy with
| these NVMe M.2 SSDs.
| kbar13 wrote:
| just get a wd sn850x
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| Oh wow... It is a bit pricier but I just checked on
| https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/ and it looks like a fine
| SSD, thanks for the tip.
| florbo wrote:
| fwiw I have both and both are fine with the latest
| firmware.
| haunter wrote:
| just fyi Userbenchmark is total useless and pretty much
| banned all around on PC enthusiast subs on reddit. They
| altered scores on a whim or what is "better" or not
| compared to something in their rankings.
| ddren wrote:
| Most likely yes. I bought a new 980 Pro 2TB a few weeks ago
| and it came with the latest firmware. Manufacture date is
| Jan 2023. The firmware is already more than a year old so
| unless you get very old stock it should come with it.
| cbg0 wrote:
| What is this tinfoil hattery about? The article mentions the
| fake ones having weaker sequential performance, nothing about
| degradation.
| Retric wrote:
| Fake products in China are so common it seems unlikely for
| this particular fake to be worth reporting.
|
| The simplest answer of a slow news day is probably the
| correct one, but I can see why someone would think Samsung
| might want to push it.
| hosteur wrote:
| > The real 980 Pros have recently become notorious for
| premature degradation issues (resolved with a firmware upgrade
| that many users may not know to apply)
|
| How does one find out if a particular 980 Pro needs firmware
| update or not?
| TacticalCoder wrote:
| > How does one find out if a particular 980 Pro needs
| firmware update or not?
|
| I'm wondering the same and I'm also wondering if upgrading
| the firmware can be done from Linux or not. I could search
| online but certainly people here do know?
| wmf wrote:
| https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Samsung_SSD_Firmware
| fsckboy wrote:
| > _How does one find out if a particular 980 Pro needs
| firmware update or not?_
|
| seriously? you google "upgrade firmware samsung 980 pro" or
| you add "how do I know" and "version"
| haunter wrote:
| Check your SSD's firmware, SSD-Z is a good one under Windows
| for example http://aezay.dk/aezay/ssdz/ Hardinfo is a good
| one under Linux, most distro has it in their repo
| https://github.com/lpereira/hardinfo
|
| Then go here https://semiconductor.samsung.com/consumer-
| storage/support/t...
|
| -> Samsung SSD Firmware and check what's the newest firmware
| file
| daveguy wrote:
| Samsung has had a fix for the wear degradation bug since
| January.
| wlesieutre wrote:
| I missed that news so I appreciate the heads up. Looks like
| mine is on a safe firmware version, phew.
|
| If anyone else wants details:
| https://www.tomshardware.com/news/samsung-980-pro-ssd-
| failur...
|
| _> However, the new firmware update from Samsung will
| prevent the failures from occurring in the first place if
| your drive is still functioning. So, if you have a 980 Pro
| running the 3B2QGXA7 firmware, you 'll want to update to the
| newest firmware (5B2QGXA7) using the Samsung SSD Magician
| software (opens in new tab) ASAP. It should be noted that 980
| Pro SSDs running the 4B2QGXA7 or 5B2QGXA7 firmware are not
| affected by this issue._
| Havoc wrote:
| 990 Pro have the rapid degradation issue -> firmware update
| halts but doesn't reverse
|
| 980 Pro has risk of bricking -> firmware fixes if you catch it
| before it bricks. No degradation.
| olliecornelia wrote:
| Doesn't seem like a bad drive, where can I get one without the
| fake Samsung branding?
| jonatron wrote:
| First result on aliexpress for "2tb nvme" is a FANXIANG with a
| Maxio controller and YMTC flash (by looking at a review
| picture, probably varies).
| https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005061184382.html
| https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/A3676f5ce9ecf465095e5568b08c630ae...
| 5- wrote:
| a related classic from 2010: fake microsd cards
|
| https://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?page_id=1022
| jokethrowaway wrote:
| I lost it at AliExpress and TaoBao being referred as
| "distinguished online shopping platforms".
|
| They feel like platforms that belong on the darkweb.
|
| You really have to rely on reviews and a scam is always behind
| the corner.
|
| This is completely not newswhorthy.
| gaudat wrote:
| Maybe not in your country but that statement is definitely true
| in China and developing economies.
|
| Be reminded though Amazon is chock full of the same scammy
| products as on AliExpress and Taobao done by the same
| merchants.
|
| Case in point, SSDs / thumb drives with laughable capacity
| indications.
| fsckboy wrote:
| > _" distinguished online shopping platforms" They feel like
| platforms that belong on the darkweb_
|
| yes, this is what distinguishes them
| jonatron wrote:
| Playing spot the difference on the sticker is fun.
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(page generated 2023-03-19 23:01 UTC)