SSD Controller Technical Reference
Samsung MKX Controller Controller Reference
Samsung's MKX controller powers both the 870 EVO (TLC NAND) and 870 QVO (QLC NAND). Professional recovery firms report increasing failure rates. Controller failure typically causes complete non-detection, though intermittent detection sometimes allows partial imaging before the drive locks up. ACELab's PC-3000 SSD supported-controller list does not currently cover this controller. For context on the SSDs we do recover, see our SSD data recovery page.
Samsung MKX Controller is not on the current PC-3000 SSD supported-controller list
Samsung MKX Controller does not appear on the current ACELab PC-3000 SSD supported-controller list (PC-3000 SSD / PC-3000 SSD Extended 3.8.10) as of 2026-05-12. Case-by-case feasibility only. Contact us before shipping anything and we will tell you in writing whether we can do anything for your specific drive.
Source of truth: ACELab PC-3000 SSD supported-drives list. Internal evidence file: src/lib/ssd-support-matrix.ts.
Samsung MKX Controller Specifications
| Manufacturer | Samsung |
| Interface | SATA |
| NAND Types | 3D TLC, 3D QLC |
| DRAM Cache | Yes |
| Channels | 8 |
| PC-3000 Support | Supported (Active Utility) |
| Chip-Off Viability | Not viable (AES-256 hardware encryption) |
V6 128-layer 3D TLC/QLC. Always-on hardware encryption (SED) and proprietary NAND encoding make chip-off not viable. Controller-level recovery via PC-3000 is required.
Affected SSD Models
The Samsung MKX Controller is deployed in the following consumer drives. A failure in this controller impacts access to the NAND flash on these specific models.
| # | Drive Model | Interface |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung 870 EVO | SATA |
| 2 | Samsung 870 QVO | SATA |
Common Failure Modes and Symptoms
Each failure mode below describes a specific way the Samsung MKX Controller fails and the symptoms you will observe. If your SSD matches any of these patterns, do not run recovery software; it cannot communicate with a dead controller. See the zero-byte SSD diagnostic reference for a deeper technical explanation of controller and FTL failures.
- Controller failure causing non-detection
Increasing failure rates reported by professional recovery firms. Controller failure causes complete non-detection.
- SATA SSD not detected
- Drive completely invisible to BIOS
- No response from drive
- Intermittent detection
Controller intermittently detects, sometimes allowing partial imaging before locking up.
- Drive appears and disappears
- Intermittent detection in BIOS
- Drive works briefly then fails
How Is Data Recovered from a Failed Samsung MKX Controller SSD?
Data is recovered from a failed controller SSD by keeping the original board alive, reading controller state with PC-3000 SSD, and rebuilding the Flash Translation Layer from surviving NAND metadata. If firmware access requires Safe Mode or a volatile loader, that work happens before imaging. When the controller also handles decryption, chip-off returns unreadable data.
At our Austin, TX lab, the goal is to keep the original controller stable long enough to expose ROM state, firmware behavior, and NAND metadata without letting the drive keep writing to itself. Our SSD data recovery overview covers lab intake and triage, why SSDs report 0 bytes explains capacity failures, and how SSD controller encryption works explains why the original silicon matters.
- Samsung MKX Controller failures usually break the Flash Translation Layer, firmware boot path, or local power rail before macOS or Windows sees a mountable volume. Symptoms such as SATA SSD not detected, Drive completely invisible to BIOS, No response from drive are useful to recognize, but on this controller they do not unlock a tooling path we can offer in-lab.
- Samsung MKX Controller is not on ACELab's PC-3000 SSD supported-controller list (PC-3000 SSD / PC-3000 SSD Extended 3.8.10). Without firmware utility coverage, the controller's mapping tables, internal loader, and any factory diagnostic mode are inaccessible to us, which means no firmware-level recovery is on the table.
- Samsung MKX Controller fuses AES-256 keys to the controller silicon, so desoldering the NAND chips returns ciphertext that cannot be decrypted without reviving the original controller through tooling we do not currently have for this controller.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can software recover data from a dead Samsung MKX Controller?
Why not use chip-off recovery on Samsung SSDs?
Does Rossmann recover data from Samsung MKX Controller drives?
Can you recover deleted files from a Samsung MKX Controller SSD?
Other Samsung Controllers
Samsung Elpis Controller
NVMe Gen4 · Samsung 980 PRO, Samsung PM9A1 (OEM equivalent)
Samsung Pascal Controller
NVMe Gen4 · Samsung 990 PRO
Samsung Phoenix Controller
NVMe Gen3 · Samsung 970 EVO, Samsung 970 EVO Plus (original revision)
Samsung Pablo
NVMe Gen3 · Samsung 980 (non-PRO), Samsung PM991/PM991a (OEM)
Have a Samsung MKX Controller drive?
We do not currently offer in-lab recovery for Samsung MKX Controller SSDs because the controller is not on ACELab's PC-3000 SSD supported-controller list. Contact us before shipping anything; we will confirm in writing what we can and cannot do for your specific drive.