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Samsung 990 Evo
Great for the average user
$100 $125 Save $25
Samsung’s 990 Evo is a consumer-focused SSD with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 compatibility. It won’t match the raw speed of the 990 Pro, but it runs cool and affords extra versatility across systems. It costs less than the 990 Pro, but it’s only available in 1TB and 2TB capacities.
Pros
- PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 compatibility
- Efficient, cool, and reliable operation
- Costs less than the 990 Pro
Cons
- Won’t match the 990 Pro’s raw performance capabilities
- Only 1TB and 2TB capacities available
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Samsung 990 Pro
Great for power users
$110 $140 Save $30
Samsung’s 990 Pro is a high-performance SSD that uses the PCIe 4.0 standard. It lacks native PCIe 5.0 support and produces more heat, but it offers faster transfer rates compared to the 990 Evo. It’s a great choice for those working with large files or who want to maximize performance on the PCIe 4.0 standard.
Pros
- 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities available
- Faster performance compared to the 990 Evo
- Reliable and priced competitively
Cons
- Costs more than the 990 Evo
- No native PCIe 5.0 compatibility
The move from using the PCIe 3.0 standard to the PCIe 4.0 standard for SSDs happened in 2019, with another jump from PCIe 4.0 to PCIe 5.0 in 2021. PCI Express, as it is otherwise known, is a primary way of connecting high-performance PC components (like internal SSDs and graphics cards), and it’s steadily being updated to deliver faster speeds and more bandwidth.
Samsung never really rushes its products, and it instead focuses on maximizing performance on the current mainstream standard. That’s why the Samsung 990 Pro — based on the PCIe 4.0 standard — launched late 2022 and became an immediate hit for power users looking to maximize performance. It’s considered one of the best SSDs on the market thanks to blazing read and write speeds, efficient and reliable running, and competitive pricing.
Now, Samsung has launched a 990 Evo SSD that’s compatible with the PCIe 5.0 standard. Despite compatibility with the latest standard (as well as backward compatibility with PCIe 4.0), it’s aimed at more general consumers who want to pay less and still get a great drive. Let’s take a close look at these two internal solid-state drives compare, and ultimately find out which one is better suited for your PC.
Samsung 990 Evo vs. 990 Pro: Price, specs, and availability
The Samsung 990 Pro, released November 2022, is readily available at most major online retailers. These include Amazon, Best Buy, Newegg, and Samsung itself. Whereas only 1TB and 2TB options were available at launch, Samsung added a 4TB model for those who need bulk storage. You can buy the 990 Pro with or without an included heatsink.
Regular pricing has been reduced over time, and you can regularly find the 1TB model without a heatsink for about $115. That jumps to about $185 for 2TB and about $310 for 4TB. Adding a heatsink, in most cases, tacks on about another $15 or $20 depending on the retailer.
The Samsung 990 Evo is new and hasn’t branched out to as many retailers. A 1TB model usually costs about $125 but is currently discounted to $80, while the 2TB model is usually about $210 but is discounted to $150. You can find it at Samsung or at Amazon. Samsung often releases a version with more storage, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 4TB model appear sometime in the future. For now, you’re capped at 2TB. Make sure you do not pay for the 990 Evo at MSRP since we find these prices too much for the DRAM-less drive.
Here’s a closer look at the specifications for each SSD.
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Samsung 990 Evo Samsung 990 Pro Storage capacity 1TB, 2TB 1TB, 2TB, 4TB Hardware Interface PCIe 4.0 (x4), PCIe 5.0 (x2), NVMe 2.0 M.2 PCIe 4.0 (x4), NVMe 2.0 Transfer rate Up to 5,000MB/s (read), 4,200MB/s (write) Up to 7,450MB/s (read), 6,900MB/s (write) TBW 600 (1TB), 1200 (2TB) 600 (1TB), 1200 (2TB), 2400 (4TB) MTBF 1.5 million hours 1.5 million hours DRAM None 1GB DDR4 (1TB), 2GB DDR4 (2TB), 4GB DDR4 (4TB) Warranty Five years Five years Controller Samsung Piccolo (S4LY022) Samsung Pascal (S4LV008)
Samsung 990 Evo vs. 990 Pro: Two M.2 drives with similar features
The Samsung 990 Evo and 990 Pro SSDs are both M.2 2280 drives that use Samsung’s V-NAND TLC memory and proprietary controllers. The 990 Pro uses the Samsung Pascal controller, while the 990 Evo uses the newer Piccolo controller. They share a similar five-year warranty and Terabytes Written (TBW) rating, coming in at 600TBW for 1TB models and 1,200TBW for 2TB models. On the 990 Pro side, the 4TB model hits a 2,400TBW rating. That means you should technically be able to write up to 2,400TB of data on the drive before hitting the warranty limit.
The major difference here aside from performance has to do with DRAM and PCIe compatibility. The 990 Evo lacks native DRAM for the controller, making it more affordable and power efficient but reducing high-end performance. The 990 Pro has 1GB, 2GB, or 4GB of DRAM based on the overall storage capacity you choose.
Average power consumption, as listed by Samsung, comes out at about 5.4W, 5.5W, and 6.5W for 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB 990 Pro models. The 990 Evo has a lower average of 4.9W on the 1TB model, but its 2TB model hits the same 5.5W average as the 990 Pro.
Source: Samsung
The 990 Pro is available with or without a heatsink. If your motherboard already has a heatsink included, you’ll be able to save some money. Beyond that, the choice is really up to you. Your 990 Pro will likely have thermal issues if you’re submitting it to a heavy and prolonged workload, but for casual use it shouldn’t overheat. If you suspect thermal throttling is occurring, adding a heatsink should fix the problem.
The 990 Evo doesn’t have a bundled heatsink option, but you should find that it runs more efficiently while producing less heat. This alone should make it a better choice for thin laptops with no space for an additional heatsink.
Both drives come with 256-bit AES encryption capabilities, and Samsung’s excellent Magician Software is available to manage your storage. It’s an easy app to use, and it’s filled with many useful features; as far as SSD software goes, it’s largely considered the best around.
Samsung 990 Evo vs. 990 Pro: Versatility or outright performance?
In our Samsung 990 Pro review, we saw the PCIe 4.0 drive hit 7,465MB/s sequential read and 6,897MB/s sequential write speeds, which is right around the advertised mark. It excels at handling large file sizes, and those who are working with media and other bulky applications should see the top-end performance come in handy. And now that a 4TB capacity is available, it’s even easier to work with those larger files.
For the Samsung 990 Evo, Samsung advertises up to 5,000MB/s sequential read and 4,200MB/s sequential write. That’s considerably lower than the 990 Pro, but the average user who is gaming or going about lighter creativity work without huge file sizes likely won’t notice much of a difference. We managed just shy of these numbers in our testing. Samsung also claims the 990 Evo is 70% more efficient than the 970 Evo Plus predecessor. That’s especially important if you’re using the SSD in a laptop where heat and battery life are concerns.
PCIe compatibility is also a major selling point. The 990 Pro is capped at PCIe 4.0 with four lanes (x4), whereas the 990 Evo has PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 capabilities. PCIe 5.0 is capped at two lanes (x2) while PCIe 4.0 remains at four lanes (x4) on the 990 Evo. The faster PCIe 5.0 standard means you can basically expect the same performance using two lanes as four lanes with PCIe 4.0, furthering its compatibility across systems.
The 990 Pro and its PCIe 4.0 compatibility doesn’t mean it won’t work with a PCIe 5.0 motherboard. It will work, but it won’t take advantage of the PCIe 5.0 lanes. Depending on your PC, you might be looking to reserve PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 lanes for other hardware. The 990 Evo affords that versatility.
Samsung 990 Evo vs. 990 Pro: Which is better for your PC?
Samsung’s new 990 Evo is a mainstream M.2 SSD with PCIe 4.0 and PCIe 5.0 compatibility. This makes it the more versatile option for most people, though you won’t really see a performance boost due to the difference in available PCIe lanes. It is a great choice for laptops where a heatsink won’t fit and battery life is important. Indeed, the 990 Evo is the better choice for the average user, especially with its lower price tag. The lack of a 4TB version may irk some, though 1TB and 2TB options are enough for a majority of users.
Samsung 990 Evo
The right SSD for more people
$80 $125 Save $45
Samsung’s 990 Evo is relatively new to the SSD scene, but it should prove to be a better option for most users. It won’t match the raw performance of the 990 Pro, but its PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 compatibility add versatility while also offering enough speed to suit most applications.
The 990 Pro has proven itself as a top option for just about anyone, including power users who want to maximize performance on the PCIe 4.0 standard. It’s more expensive than the 990 Evo, but it boasts much better transfer rates and is nevertheless priced competitively. You won’t get the versatility that comes with PCIe 5.0 dual compatibility, but for many people that won’t matter in the face of raw performance.
Samsung 990 Pro
Better for power users
$115 $160 Save $45
The Samsung 990 Pro is a better pick for power users, especially if you’re working with large file sizes. It offers better overall performance, but its lack of native PCIe 5.0 support makes it less versatile. It’ll also be more prone to overheating, which means you might not want to use it in a slim laptop.