diff --git a/lib/streamaggr/dedup.go b/lib/streamaggr/dedup.go
index f17487e0ee..f419311d0b 100644
--- a/lib/streamaggr/dedup.go
+++ b/lib/streamaggr/dedup.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package streamaggr
 
 import (
+	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"unsafe"
@@ -26,7 +27,7 @@ type dedupAggrShard struct {
 
 type dedupAggrShardNopad struct {
 	mu sync.Mutex
-	m  map[string]dedupAggrSample
+	m  map[string]*dedupAggrSample
 
 	sizeBytes  atomic.Uint64
 	itemsCount atomic.Uint64
@@ -157,28 +158,25 @@ func (das *dedupAggrShard) pushSamples(samples []pushSample) {
 
 	m := das.m
 	if m == nil {
-		m = make(map[string]dedupAggrSample, len(samples))
+		m = make(map[string]*dedupAggrSample, len(samples))
 		das.m = m
 	}
 	for _, sample := range samples {
 		s, ok := m[sample.key]
 		if !ok {
-			key := bytesutil.InternString(sample.key)
-			m[key] = dedupAggrSample{
+			key := strings.Clone(sample.key)
+			m[key] = &dedupAggrSample{
 				value:     sample.value,
 				timestamp: sample.timestamp,
 			}
 			das.itemsCount.Add(1)
-			das.sizeBytes.Add(uint64(len(key)) + uint64(unsafe.Sizeof("")+unsafe.Sizeof(dedupAggrSample{})))
+			das.sizeBytes.Add(uint64(len(key)) + uint64(unsafe.Sizeof(key)+unsafe.Sizeof(s)))
 			continue
 		}
 		// Update the existing value according to logic described at https://docs.victoriametrics.com/#deduplication
 		if sample.timestamp > s.timestamp || (sample.timestamp == s.timestamp && sample.value > s.value) {
-			key := bytesutil.InternString(sample.key)
-			m[key] = dedupAggrSample{
-				value:     sample.value,
-				timestamp: sample.timestamp,
-			}
+			s.value = sample.value
+			s.timestamp = sample.timestamp
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -188,7 +186,7 @@ func (das *dedupAggrShard) flush(ctx *dedupFlushCtx, f func(samples []pushSample
 
 	m := das.m
 	if len(m) > 0 {
-		das.m = make(map[string]dedupAggrSample, len(m))
+		das.m = make(map[string]*dedupAggrSample, len(m))
 		das.sizeBytes.Store(0)
 		das.itemsCount.Store(0)
 	}
@@ -208,7 +206,7 @@ func (das *dedupAggrShard) flush(ctx *dedupFlushCtx, f func(samples []pushSample
 		})
 
 		// Limit the number of samples per each flush in order to limit memory usage.
-		if len(dstSamples) >= 100_000 {
+		if len(dstSamples) >= 10_000 {
 			f(dstSamples)
 			clear(dstSamples)
 			dstSamples = dstSamples[:0]