Identity & Definition
This enterprise NVMe solid-state drive is the Samsung SM963 480GB U.2 NVMe Enterprise SSD (MZQKW480HMHQ-00003), a refurbished 2.5-inch data center storage device sold by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS. The Samsung SM963 is a mainstream enterprise NVMe SSD built on Samsung V-NAND MLC with the Samsung Polaris controller, positioned between the read-centric PM953 and the write-intensive PM1725b in Samsung's datacenter hierarchy. This is NOT a consumer SSD, NOT a SATA drive, and NOT a write-intensive drive. Condition: Refurbished — tested and verified by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS.
Engineering Context
The Samsung SM963 480GB (MZQKW480HMHQ-00003) delivers sequential read throughput up to 3,000 MB/s and sequential write throughput up to 700 MB/s over its PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 1.2 interface. Random read performance reaches approximately 350,000 IOPS and random write approximately 38,000 IOPS. The drive uses Samsung V-NAND MLC flash with the Samsung Polaris controller, capacitor-backed power-loss protection, and AES 256-bit hardware encryption. The SM963 is faster on reads than the PM953 (3,000 vs. 2,100 MB/s) but has lower write throughput than the PM1725b (700 vs. 2,000 MB/s), targeting mixed-read workloads. The 15mm z-height is standard for U.2 enterprise drives. The SM963 was superseded by the PM9A3 (PCIe 4.0) and PM9C3.
Deployment & Use Cases
The Samsung SM963 480GB is deployed as general-purpose datacenter NVMe storage for mixed-read workloads. Common deployments include web server backends and content management system storage, VM hosting with multiple VMs requiring higher IOPS than SATA, database index storage and fast-tier in tiered storage architectures, and SATA-to-NVMe migration in servers with U.2 bays (Dell PowerEdge R, HP ProLiant DL, Lenovo ThinkSystem). For write-intensive workloads (OLTP, logging), the Samsung PM1725b provides significantly higher write throughput.
Technical Specifications
OEM: Samsung
Series: SM963
Part Number (MPN): MZQKW480HMHQ-00003
Capacity: 480GB
Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 1.2
Form Factor: 2.5-inch U.2 (SFF-8639), 15mm z-height
NAND Type: Samsung V-NAND MLC
Controller: Samsung Polaris
Sequential Read: Up to 3,000 MB/s
Sequential Write: Up to 700 MB/s
Random Read IOPS: ~350,000 (4K)
Random Write IOPS: ~38,000 (4K)
Power-Loss Protection: Capacitor-backed
Encryption: AES 256-bit
Condition: Refurbished — Tested by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Compatibility & Hard Constraints
The Samsung SM963 MZQKW480HMHQ requires a U.2 (SFF-8639) NVMe-capable bay or a U.2-to-PCIe adapter card. It does NOT connect to SATA, SAS, or M.2 slots. The 15mm z-height does NOT fit standard 7mm SATA trays. The SM963 is NOT write-intensive — for sustained write workloads (OLTP, logging), the Samsung PM1725b provides 2,000 MB/s write and 120K write IOPS. The SM963 is discontinued; current successors are the PM9A3 (PCIe 4.0) and PM9C3 (value tier). For PCIe 3.0 environments, the SM963 remains fully compatible.
Why Choose T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS
Every Samsung SM963 SSD sold by T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS is lab-tested with NVMe SMART data verification to confirm drive health, remaining endurance, and full functionality. T.E.S IT-SOLUTIONS provides technical consultation for NVMe migration planning, server compatibility verification, and enterprise storage architecture. Orders ship within 1–3 business days with global delivery via DHL, FedEx, and UPS.