Samsung NVMe Driver for Windows 11: Everything You Want to Know

We will discuss Samsung NVMe driver for Windows 11. Besides, you can know how to increase SSD performance in this post if you encounter issues after Windows 11 upgrading.

Irene

By Irene / Updated on December 25, 2023

Share this: instagram reddit

With the release of Windows 11, some users can't wait to upgrade to the best SSD to enjoy lightning-fast speeds. However, some of them have reported that everything with their SSD seems to be fine so far, but something isn't going so smoothly. A Samsung NVMe SSD user mentioned that his SSD booting and performance don't seem to be an issue, but the speeds are not maximizing as they should. The specialist suggests he download the Samsung NVMe Driver for Windows 11, but he doesn't know exactly what it is and neither knows where and how to download it.

This post will share everything you want to know about the Samsung NVMe driver for Windows 11, along with suggestions to enhance SSD performance.

samsung nvme driver windows 11

What do you know about Samsung NVMe driver

The Samsung NVMe driver is a program designed to optimize the performance of NVMe SSDs. NVMe, which stands for Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface Specification, represents a type of SSD and an interface protocol for the PCIe bus. This technology efficiently utilizes simplified commands, solid-state storage sets, multi-core CPUs, and terabytes of RAM, enabling it to actively analyze and modify data, resulting in outstanding speed performance. Updating the Samsung NVMe driver can lead to enhancements in various aspects of SSD performance.

Generally, after updating the Samsung NVMe driver, it can get enhancements from several aspects.

1. The SSD performance can get many more enhancements than before.
2. System-performing latency can decrease by around 50% or more.
3. The power dissipation will be significantly reduced when in an automatic power state and in the status of dynamic power dissipation management.

The way to download and use the Samsung NVMe driver for Windows 11

After reading the above brief introduction, it is time to learn where to download the Samsung NVMe driver for Windows 11.  But before installation, it is better to check whether the SSDs are supported to download the driver.

According to the official website notification, this driver supports Samsung NVMe™ SSD 970 PRO, 970 EVO, 970 EVO Plus, 960 PRO, 960 EVO, and 950 PRO. But Samsung SSD 980 and 980 PRO are not supported. Besides, we also list other issues you need to focus on.

1. Please check the firmware version of your Samsung SSD. You need to update it if the version is older than your device’s.
2. The recommended minimum system configuration should be the Intel Haswell Refresh Processor, 2GB RAM, no less than 50MB free disk space, and UEFI Bios v2.3.

If your SSD meets the qualifications, congratulations, and proceed to the next section: where to download the Samsung NVMe driver for Windows 11? You should download the driver installation files from the official website of the manufacturer Samsung.

Now, you can follow the step-by-step instructions to update the Samsung NVMe driver.

Step 1. Decompress the downloaded driver installation files and open them.

decompress driver installtion files

Step 2. When the window pop-up, click the “Next” button.

samsung nvme driver wizard next

Step 3. Then a License Agreement will show up. Read it and click “I accept the agreement” with hitting “Next".

agree license agreement

Step 4. In this step, the wizard will begin to install the driver. When the setup completion screen shows, choose the “Yes, restart the computer now” option. If you hope to install the driver later, you can select “No, I will restart the computer later”.

samsung nvme driver restart computer now

Step 5. After restarting, you can go to the Device Manager to confirm whether the driver is installed successfully. You can search“Device Manager” in the search box to open the program. Find the“Storage Controllers” option. If the“Samsung NVMe Controller” is shown, it means you install it successfully.

samsung nvme driver confirm installation

Notice: Please enter BIOS to change the settings before installation. Or the drive may fail to install. We attach the operations here.
BIOS > System Configuration > SATA Configuration > Choose AHCI

How to improve performance Samsung NVMe SSD

"After upgrading to Windows 11, my Samsung SSD does not function properly even after installing the Samsung NVMe driver. It seems like the drive still suffers from performance loss, but I have no idea about the reasons. Can you give me some advice on this issue?

We recently received a help-seeking message. For a convenient solution, it is advisable to consider using AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional if you encounter similar situations. This powerful and all-in-one software is highly recommended by many. Its versatile functions can troubleshoot various computer issues, saving you several hours of trial and error in searching for relevant information on the internet.

In the next part, we will display how to use this software to deal with different SSD problems with specific guidance.

Free Download Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

We list 3 common cases that may cause SSD performance loss, you can directly click the tile to the certain parts to get the solutions if you have any idea about the causes. Or you can read them one by one to find the causes and methods.

Case 1. Updating Windows 11 causes low system partition space
After upgrading to Windows 11, the installation files take up a large space of your used SSD, making it smaller and even causing a negative effect. As we all know, the system partition space has low system partition space will make the system runs slowly and behave in a slow response. In such a case, you can allocate free space from other partitions to C drive to fix that.

Step 1. Launch the installed software and right-click the partition which has enough space (Here we take drive D as an example). Then choose the “Allocate Free Space” option.

allocate free space

Step 2. Set the size that you need to move it to the C drive. Hit “OK”.

allocate from d to c

Step 3. Then, select “Apply” in the left pane on the upper side to commit the operations.

apply allocate free space

Case 2. Use 4K alignment to speed up SSD read-write time
4K alignment may be strange to many people. In short, it is a process that aligns the physical storage space of a disk to the partition on a hard drive so as to effectively handle data all the more, and usually, SSD adopts the smallest 4K sector to save data.

So, what if 4K allocation units are not aligned to SSD? The drive will access around twice the physical sections when processing data, which prolongs the read-write time of the SSD. As a result, you can feel your device's response for a longer time and run at low performance, especially when transferring data.

Note: It is recommended to check the state of SSD partition alignment first.

Step 1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant and then choose a partition from the SSD.

Step 2. Right-click it and select “Advanced” > “Partition Alignment

Step 3. You can see a mini windows pop-up. Select a partition sector to align (Please choose “4096 Sector” to achieve 4K Alignment, or you can select others in light of your needs).

partition 4k alignment

Step 4. After the operation, click “OK” and back to the main interface to commit the operations by hitting the “Apply” button.

apply alignment

Case 3. Migrate OS to a newer and bigger SSD
If you use an old SSD that has stored a large number of data on it, which is too small to perform the installed Windows 11, it is wise to change to a bigger one and migrate OS to the new one. It is the easiest way to enjoy faster speed and excellent performance. By the way, if you know what kind of SSD you should choose, an M.2 NVMe SSD is a popular choice for computer users nowadays.

When you make good preparations for a new SSD to migrate OS, you can follow the below guidance to move the original OS files and system-related partitions to another.

Note: Please back up the data on the SSD beforehand. In the process of migrating OS, all the data will be deleted.

Step 1. Launch the installed AOMEI Partition Assistant, and choose the "Clone" and “Migrate OS” options in the top menu. Then you can see an introduction, read it, and choose “Next”.

migrate os to ssd

introduce next

Step 2. In the target disk, select an unallocated space as the target location and click “Next”.

Note: If the disk has no unallocated space, you can check “I want to delete all partitions on disk 2 to migrate system to the disk" and then choose "Next".

select space on ssd

Step 3. In this step, you can resize the system partition and change the drive. Then select “Finish”.

resize partition

note

Step 4. Back to the main interface and click "Apply" to execute the operations.

apply

Now, please power down your computer and remove the original hard drive of the system. Leave the NVMe SSD in your device and enter BIOS to change boot settings. Then boot the PC from the SSD.

Further reading: How to run hard disk performance test

After following the guidance, we believe your SSD performance issues have been relieved a lot. In case of problems recur, it is better to regularly monitor your disk. Once something error or problem emerges, you can adopt opportune remedies to save your important data.

1. Test disk speed to check disk performance
If your device runs in poor performance, there is a high possibility of a full C drive, high CPU usage or over-consumed memory usage, or the most common cause — slow disk speeds, and the speed often refers to the read-write speed. Generally, when you store and open target files or applications, it will depend on the launch time in length. In other words, it directly affects your computer-using experience to a large degree.

So, it is advisable to regularly test the disk speed to check your disk. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional can display all-round details on your disk speed data, including queue number, the maximum and average speed, block size, test number, duration, thread number, and so on.

pro mode interface

2. Check SSD performance by monitoring disk health
Most computer users can realize how important a healthy disk for a PC is. Especially in today's society, people are more likely to use an SSD as a system disk. So, if your computer runs with a sluggish response, it may notice you to pay attention to the disk health.

To monitor the disk health opportunely, you can avoid some unexpected data loss for the disk crash. With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can have a clear consciousness of your disk status and adopt targeted measures to prevent any unnecessary results from appearing.

It will present the 3 statuses of your disk, namely “Good”, “Caution” and “Bad”. If it notices “Good”, you can use it with confidence. But if “Bad” or “Caution” shows up, you’d better back up the important data or consider to change a new one.

bad condition

Tip: If you hope to improve the hard drive's performance, you can also try cleaning junk files from the hard drive and OS or defragging hard drive to speed up your hard drive.

Conclusion

This passage shares information related to Samsung NVMe driver Windows 11. If you encounter issues after upgrading to Windows 11, you can read this clear guidance and find out the causes, and then fix them with corresponding solutions via AOMEI Partition Assistant.

This powerful software can not only play a part in improving SSD performance or monitoring your disk state, but it can also convert MBR/GPT system disk, move installed programs to another drive/space, clone disk and partition, and so on.  Furthermore, for Server 2022/2019/2016/2012(R2)/2008(R2)/2003 users, the Server Edition can also effectively manage your devices.

Irene
Irene · Staff Editor
Irene is an Editor of AOMEI Technology. She devotes herself in giving insightful thoughts on common computer problems with simple and clear guidance. Irene loves to help people solve problems and explore more solutions on relevant issues. She loves reading, singing and travelling.