Samsung 990 Pro: Ultimate Solid-State Drive for High-End PCs

Roxanne updated on Jan 11, 2024 | Home > Knowledge Center

As the successor to the popular Samsung 980 Pro, Samsung 990 Pro debuted in 2022, and it is the best drive that hit the limit of what's possible with PCIe 4.0. In addition, its makers claimed that the 990 Pro is the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD for sequential read speed. Is it a marketing bumf, or maybe not? Samsung 980 Pro has already gained a group of fans for its top-class everyday performance. Then how much faster is Samsung's 990 Pro than the 980 Pro? And who will need Samsung 990 Pro? Let's dig deeper to get to the bottom of it.

Samsung 990 Pro

The Overview of Samsung 990 Pro

Samsung 990 Pro is Samsung's new top-of-the-line consumer PCIe 4 SSD, and it is made to compete favorably with other SSDs in terms of performance. A lot of users believed that Samsung 990 Pro is equivalent to the WD Black SN850 because the read/write data speeds of both SSDs are remarkably similar. The 990 Pro offers a sequential read speed of up to 7,450 MB/s and 6,900 MB/s of write speed. This SSD is available without an RGB heatsink or with one (for an extra $20) and uses the company's new Pascal controller and V7 TLC NAND storage, making the device speedier and more productive. 

Also, Samsung 990 Pro includes other available services, such as software support for the new Magician application and the ability for encryption. Along with standard sizes of 1TB and 2TB, Samsung will release a 4TB version next year. Below is a comprehensive table that you can get an insight into the basic specification of the Samsung 990 Pro:

  Samsung 990 Pro 1TB Samsung 990 Pro 2TB
🎞️Form Factor M.2 (2280) M.2 (2280)
🔗Interface PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0 PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0
🛼Sequential Read/Write Speeds Up to 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s Up to 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s
🚁Random Read/Write Speeds 1,200,000 IOPS/1,550,000 IOPS 1,400,000 IOPS/1,550,000 IOPS
👨‍🔧Endurance 600 TBW 1,200 TBW
💵Current Price 129.99$ at Amazon 249.99$ at Amazon
🛠️Warranty 5 Years 5 Years

✅Pros of Samsung 990 Pro

  • 990 Pro has top-notch everyday performance.
  • It provides AES 256-bit encryption support.
  • You can choose with or without a heat sink.
  • Equipped Samsung Magician software can monitor drive health.

❌Cons of Samsung 990 Pro

  • The 4 TB option is not available yet.
  • It's not a bargain.

Purchase Link: https://www.samsung.com/cn/memory-storage/nvme-ssd/990-pro-1tb-nvme-pcie-gen-4-mz-v9p1t0bw/

Samsung 990 Pro received widespread attention as soon as it was released. Let's check one of the comments made by professional test sites:

Review from Tom's Hardware: The 2TB 990 Pro is, in many respects, the fastest SSD we've tested. This high-end PCIe 4.0 drive excels everywhere it matters, is relatively efficient, and has an optional high-power mode. It would be great inside a PC, a laptop, or your PS5. An optional heatsink with RGB is the cherry on top.

Samsung 990 Pro vs. 980 Pro

Before Samsung 990 Pro entered the public, the 980 Pro dominated the market for two years. What are the differences between Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro? How much faster is Samsung's 990 Pro than the 980 Pro? To find the answers, we will compare the Samsung 990 Pro and 980 Pro in the following aspects:

Comparison Samsung 990 Pro  Samsung 980 Pro
🎪Storage Size 1TB, 2TB 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
🚁Sequential Read Speed Up to 7,450 MB/s Up to 7,000 MB/s
🛼Sequential Write Speed Up to 6,900 MB/s Up to 5,000 MB/s
💵Price 129~249$ 99~199$

The comparison table shows that Samsung 990 Pro has delivered maximized PCIe 4.0 speed, a significantly 38% faster write speed than the 980 Pro. The 990 Pro uses the latest V7 TLC NAND flash, while the 980 Pro's V6 TLC solid-state storage. So compared to the 980 Pro, the 990 Pro's random read and write speeds increased by 40% and 55%, respectively. However, Samsung 980 Pro provides more storage sizes and can save a lot of money for you.

Review from SSD SphereSamsung 990 Pro is made for high-end users, and it surely comes with a lot of advantages. The performance difference is huge. But, I think this SSD will not give any major advantage over the 980 Pro in the real-time application for normal users. There is going to be a substantial difference for those who work with frequent huge-volume data read/write tasks.

Followed by the impartial comments of the EaseUS editor that can give you further support in Samsung 990 Pro vs. 980 Pro:

EaseUS Editor's Review
To summarize, Samsung 980 Pro has more storage options and lower prices. In contrast, Samsung 990 Pro has higher sequential read and write speeds, 40% and 55% faster random read/write speeds, which enables users to get high scores in gaming, video editing, and data analysis. However, it means a slight difference for normal users to have Samsung 980 Pro or 980 Pro.

Who Will Need Samsung 990 Pro?

After viewing all the information about Samsung 990 Pro, are you impressed and have already got your wallet ready? Hold back and read this section, which can help you figure out who will need Samsung 990 Pro. 

Who Will Need to Buy the Samsung 990 Pro

  • Users who want SSD with outstanding sequential read and write speeds: If your SSD's sequential read and write speeds aren't fast enough. Samsung 990 Pro has a mighty speed that can speed things up.
  • Game enthusiasts who want a great gaming SSD: Samsung 990 Pro can cut more loading time and improve the gaming Experience.
  • Workstation users need to load files and proceed with things at a faster speed.

Who Doesn't Need to Buy the Samsung 990 Pro

  • Users who are just looking to expand their storage space: The 990 Pro is an up-grade SSD. There are many larger SSDs with lower costs for people who just want some extra space
  • Users who have tight budgets: Samsung 990 Pro is a bit pricy as an ultimate-performance SSD. If your priority is price, it could exceed what you can accommodate.

Is Samsung 990 Pro a solid choice for you? Let's hear what the EaseUS editor says about whether you should buy Samsung 990 Pro:

EaseUS Editor's Review
With blistering speed, more power-efficient performance, and an intelligent thermal controller, the Samsung 990 Pro is perfect for professionals who read or write a lot and game enthusiasts who need to load the game screen faster with high graphics. However, if you're using the 980 Pro, I don't think it's worth upgrading to the 990 Pro. The slight performance improvement will probably go unnoticed by most users, and the 990 Pro's 2TB costs about $100 more than the 980 Pro.

Conclusion

All in all, this article provides a clear overview of the Samsung 990 Pro, including its basic specifications, a comparison of the Samsung 990 Pro vs. the 980 Pro, and who is the target group for this product. After reading this post, you must know what the Samsung 990 Pro is and its high performance, such as fast read and write speeds, intelligent thermal controller, and breakthrough power efficiency. Then, do you decide to upgrade your SSD to the Samsung 990 Pro? Refer to the key information and suggestion mentioned above, and you can make the right decision.

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Updated by Roxanne

Roxanne is one of the main contributors to EaseUS and has created over 200 posts that help users solve multiple issues and failures on digital devices like PCs, Mobile phones, tablets, and Macs. She loves to share ideas with people of the same interests.

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