Key Specifications at a Glance

• Model: PM1643a

• Samsung Part Number: MZILT7T6HALA-00007

• Form Factor: 2.5-inch (U.2 / SFF-8639)

• Interface: SAS 12Gb/s (dual-port, full-duplex)

• Capacity: 7.68 TB

• NAND Type: Samsung 3-bit MLC (V-NAND TLC)

• Controller: Samsung proprietary enterprise controller

• DRAM Cache: Yes, for metadata and caching

• Endurance (TBW): Extremely high – typically 14.0 Petabytes Written (PBW) or 1.3 DWPD over 5 years. This is a key selling point.

• Power Loss Protection: Advanced Capacitor-Based PLP – ensures data in-flight is flushed to NAND on unexpected power loss.

• Performance (Typical):

  • Sequential Read: Up to 2,100 MB/s

  • Sequential Write: Up to 1,700 MB/s

  • Random Read (4K, QD64): Up to 400,000 IOPS

  • Random Write (4K, QD64): Up to 36,000 IOPS

Why It’s “Enterprise” Grade

The PM1643a is not a consumer or prosumer drive. It’s built for 24/7 operation in demanding environments:

1. SAS Interface: The 12Gb/s dual-port SAS is crucial. Dual-porting allows two host systems to connect to the same drive simultaneously for redundancy (failover). This is essential for high-availability storage arrays and servers. SAS also has better command queueing and error recovery than SATA.

2. Extreme Endurance (14 PBW): With a rating of 1.3 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD), you can write the entire 7.68TB drive 1.3 times every day, for 5 years, under warranty. This makes it ideal for write-intensive workloads like database transaction logs, write caching, and big data analytics.

3. Power Loss Protection (PLP): The onboard capacitors provide enough backup power to complete any pending writes from the volatile DRAM cache to the non-volatile NAND in the event of a sudden power failure. This is non-negotiable for data integrity in enterprise systems.

4. Consistent Performance: Enterprise drives are optimized for steady, predictable performance under sustained load, unlike consumer drives which may throttle heavily after cache is exhausted.

5. Advanced Features: Supports T10 PI (Protection Information) for end-to-end data integrity, along with standard enterprise features like SMART, temperature monitoring, and enhanced error correction.

Typical Applications

• Enterprise Storage Arrays: From vendors like Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, IBM, etc., as a high-performance tier.

• Database Servers: For housing high-transaction-rate OLTP databases (e.g., Oracle, SQL Server, SAP HANA).

• Server Caching/Tiering: Used as a write-back or write-through cache in front of slower HDD pools.

• High-Performance Computing (HPC) & Analytics: For data-intensive workloads requiring fast read/write access.

• Virtualization & Cloud Infrastructure: Hypervisor boot drives or high-performance datastores for demanding virtual machines.

Important Considerations Before Purchase/Use

• Compatibility: This is not a plug-and-play drive for a desktop PC. It requires a SAS 12Gb/s host bus adapter (HBA) or RAID controller (from companies like Broadcom, Microchip, etc.) and a compatible backplane in a server or storage enclosure.

• Firmware & Management: Enterprise drives are often managed with vendor-specific tools and may require specific firmware versions for compatibility with your storage system. It’s best to source these drives through official server/storage OEM channels (e.g., as a Dell or HPE part) for guaranteed compatibility and support, though they are also available on the “bare drive” market.

• Heat & Power: Enterprise SSDs in dense configurations can generate significant heat and draw more power than consumer drives. Ensure your server chassis has adequate cooling.

Summary

The Samsung PM1643a 7.68TB SAS SSD is a workhorse designed for heavy, continuous write operations in the most demanding data center environments. Its combination of high capacity, exceptional endurance (14 PBW), dual-port SAS reliability, and full power-loss protection makes it a premium choice for write-intensive enterprise workloads where data integrity, availability, and consistent performance are paramount.