Samsung 990 EVO: Two-minute evaluation
The Samsung 990 EVO steps into the highlight following the well-received Samsung 990 Pro, setting the stage for an SSD to hold ahead the EVO collection’ legacy of efficiency and reliability.
The 970 EVO Plus, this SSD’s predecessor, was one of many best SSD picks when it was launched a few years again, and it is nonetheless celebrated as one of many best cheap SSDs you will get even now, regardless of missing the varieties of information charges you may get with a contemporary PCIe 5.0.
That leaves the 990 EVO with the formidable activity of following up a beloved price range mannequin whereas introducing a hybrid PCIe 4.0/5.0 interface aimed toward carving out a distinct segment in an more and more aggressive SSD enviornment, and in that, it sort of succeeds – but additionally disappoints.
Right out the gate, the 990 EVO distinguishes itself with an interface able to toggling between x4 PCIe 4.0 and x2 PCIe 5.0, which supplies PC customers an honest quantity of wiggle room for his or her PCs if they have a variety of drives plugged in. Coupled with a newly minted 5nm controller designed to reinforce effectivity, the 990 EVO ought to be arrange for achievement.
The drive opts for a DRAM-less configuration, nevertheless, that considerably tempers expectations with its extra modest bandwidth, resulting in speeds that clock beneath what the perfect PCIe 4.0 drives are able to.
Despite this, the single-sided 2TB variant I reviewed presents a flexible choice for each PC lovers and PlayStation 5 homeowners, a nod in the direction of the rising standardization of high-capacity, single-sided drives. It lacks a heatsink, so PS5 customers particularly will need to take a look at an add-in heatsink simply to be secure, however given the speeds concerned, this drive does not actually get scorching sufficient that you will have to be too involved.
Targeted primarily on the laptops, OEM, and pre-built PC markets, the 990 EVO guarantees to ship ample efficiency for gaming and on a regular basis use, and positions itself as a praise to the much more sturdy 990 Pro. It’s a cheaper answer for players and others whereas nonetheless benefiting from Samsung’s stable software program assist and reliability, and the choice to toggle between PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 is an actual worth add for this drive.
Price-wise, the 990 EVO entered the market with a beneficial retail worth of $149.99 for the 1TB mannequin and $239.99 for the 2TB variant, in keeping with Samsung’s web site, however even there, these costs have been marked down fairly a bit, and you’ll find the 1TB mannequin for about $90/£100/AU$219, relying on the place you look.
This pricing technique locations it in an excellent stability with its Pro sibling and different opponents, particularly in a market the place SSD costs are on the rise.
Performance specs for the 990 EVO boast as much as 5,000 MB/s and 4,200 MB/s in sequential reads and writes, respectively, alongside spectacular random learn and write IOPS. These figures are complemented by a regular five-year guarantee and assist for TCG Opal 2.0 encryption, making it a gorgeous choice for security-conscious laptop computer customers.
In phrases of real-world efficiency, I roughly achieved these speeds throughout the board, and the drive’s flexibility to function throughout each PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 interfaces is a spotlight. Despite the drive’s low-ish 5,000MB/s marketed sequential learn pace (which does not come near maxing out the PCIe 4.0/5.0 lanes accessible to it), the drive does at the least hit or exceed this claimed pace.
Despite these technical intricacies, the 990 EVO’s broader problem lies in its id inside the extremely aggressive SSD market. It seeks to supply a stability between efficiency, effectivity, and worth – a activity difficult by the aggressive pricing and superior efficiency of PCIe 4.0 options just like the 990 Pro, PNY XLR8 CS3140, or Patriot Viper VP4300.
All collectively then, the Samsung 990 EVO represents a stable addition to the SSD market. It does not deliver you the sort of PCIe 5.0 speeds we see with the Crucial T705, nevertheless it’s not meant for full-on efficiency. If you need that, you may be higher off investing in a ‘actual’ PCIe 5.0 SSD, however for what it’s, the 990 EVO hits the mark it must hit.
Samsung 990 EVO: Price & availability
- How a lot does it price? MSRP beginning at $149.99/£100/AU$219
- When is it accessible? Available now
- Where are you able to get it? Available within the US, UK, and Australia
The Samsung 990 EVO begins at $149.99/£100/AU$219 for 1TB and maxes out at 2TB for $239.99/£169/AU$359, at the least formally.
This does not embrace a heatsink, however given the relatively modest speeds and vitality utilization of this SSD, your motherboard’s heatsink might be greater than sufficient since you actually do not even want the additional warmth spreader for this drive.
While the above are retail costs for this SSD (in keeping with Samsung’s web site), even Samsung will be discovered providing these drives for as much as 40% off, making this among the finest low-cost SSD choices on the market should you’re hoping to discover a good stability between worth and efficiency.
Samsung 990 EVO: Specs
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Samsung 990 EVO 1TB | Samsung 990 EVO 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149.99/£100/AU$219 | $239.99/£169/AU$359 |
| NAND | Samsung V-NAND TLC | Samsung V-NAND TLC |
| Heatsink? | N | N |
| Form issue | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 5.0 x2 | PCIe x4 | PCIe 5.0 x2 | PCIe x4 |
| Max Sequential Read | 5,000MB/s | 5,000MB/s |
| Max Sequential Write | 4,200MB/s | 4,200MB/s |
| Active energy (Read/Write) | 4.9W | 4.5W | 4.9W | 4.5W |
| Endurance ranking | 600TBW | 1200TBW |
| Warranty | 5-year | 5-year |
Should you purchase the Samsung 990 EVO?
| Value | At its MSRP, there are much better PCIe 5.0 SSDs that can get you higher efficiency, however due to latest worth drops, this SSD is a a lot better worth. | 4 / 5 |
| Design | The single-sided design makes this an excellent potential SSD for PS5’s, particularly due to its decrease power-usage and extra manageable thermal efficiency. | 4 / 5 |
| Performance | This is an EVO-branded SSD, so it is extra about stability than pure efficiency, and for that, it comes out as a reasonably stable performer. | 4 / 5 |
| Average ranking | While not the perfect PCIe 5.0 SSD you will get at this worth, the improved energy effectivity and single-sided kind issue makes this superb for cell units like laptops. But at it is MSRP, you are able to do higher. | 4 / 5 |
Buy the Samsung 990 EVO if…
Don’t purchase it if…
Samsung 990 EVO: Also contemplate
If my Samsung 990 EVO evaluation has you on the lookout for different choices, listed here are two extra SSDs to think about…
How I examined the Samsung 990 EVO
- I spent about two weeks testing the Samsung 990 EVO
- I used it as my important system drive on my workstation PC
- I used my normal battery of benchmark assessments together with content material creation and common use
I spent about two weeks testing the Samsung 990 EVO, utilizing it as my main system drive on my workstation PC that I used for content material creation, common work use, and a few mild gaming.
Primarily, although, this drive is finest reserved for cell units like laptops and presumably PC gaming handhelds that may higher profit from its improved vitality effectivity.
I’ve been reviewing PC {hardware} for a number of years, along with incomes my Master’s Degree in Computer Science in 2024, so I do know very nicely how a drive like this could carry out with its given structure and worth level — information I leverage to make sure you discover the perfect SSD to your wants and price range, whether or not it is the Samsung 990 EVO or a competing drive.
We pleasure ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing course of, providing up long-term consideration to the merchandise we evaluation and ensuring our evaluations are up to date and maintained – no matter when a tool was launched, should you can nonetheless purchase it, it is on our radar.
First reviewed March 2024