Samsung 990 EVO Plus M.2 NVMe SSD 2TB

When it comes to solid-state drives, Samsung has been a dominant player, consistently delivering cutting-edge performance and reliability. The 990 EVO Plus SSD continues this legacy, setting new benchmarks for speed, endurance, and affordability. But does it truly justify the hype? After a comprehensive test, here's what we found. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD is built on the PCIe 4.0 NVMe standard, promising lightning-fast read and write speeds. Here are the standout specs:

• Form Factor: M.2 2280


• Interface: PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 1.4


• Controller: Samsung in-house controller


• NAND Flash: Samsung's 7th-generation V-NAND


• Capacities: 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB


• Sequential Read Speeds: Up to 7,450 MB/s


• Sequential Write Speeds: Up to 6,900 MB/s


• Random Read/Write IOPS: Up to 1.2M IOPS (read) / 1.5M IOPS (write)


• Endurance: Up to 2400 TBW (terabytes written)

The 990 EVO Plus also comes with Samsung's acclaimed Magician software, enabling easy firmware updates, drive health monitoring, and performance tuning. AES 256-bit hardware encryption ensures data security, which is particularly valuable for professional use. We put the 990 EVO Plus through rigorous testing using popular benchmarking tools like CrystalDiskMark and ATTO Disk Benchmark. Here are the results:

CrystalDiskMark:

• Sequential Read: 7,410 MB/s


• Sequential Write: 6,820 MB/s

ATTO Disk Benchmark:

• Maximum Read: 7.2 GB/s


• Maximum Write: 6.6 GB/s

These numbers are among the highest we've seen in this price range, surpassing even some pricier competitors. The drive consistently performed near its rated speeds, showing Samsung's optimization expertise. But synthetic benchmarks are one thing, but how does the 990 EVO Plus fare in day-to-day use?

• Boot Times: Windows 11 booted in just under 8 seconds, shaving off a couple of seconds compared to older PCIe 3.0 SSDs.


• File Transfers: Transferring a 100GB folder of mixed files took just over 22 seconds, showcasing its blazing write speeds.


• Gaming: Loading times in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Starfield were drastically reduced. Levels that previously took 25 seconds to load now launched in 12 seconds.


• Video Editing: With Adobe Premiere Pro, editing 4K video felt seamless. Rendering a 10-minute clip with heavy effects was approximately 15% faster than on a PCIe 3.0 drive.

High-speed SSDs often face thermal throttling, but Samsung addresses this with an integrated heat sink and Dynamic Thermal Guard technology. During extended heavy workloads, temperatures peaked at 62°C but stayed well within safe operating limits. The drive maintained consistent performance without noticeable throttling, which is impressive given the intense workload we subjected it to.

For those using laptops without active cooling, it's worth noting that the drive's efficiency minimizes heat output compared to earlier generations. Samsung has an excellent track record for SSD durability, and the 990 EVO Plus is no exception. With up to 2400 TBW and a 5-year warranty, it's built to last. For comparison, most users average about 50-100 TBW per year under heavy use, meaning this drive could easily outlast your system.

Data recovery features, coupled with Magician's predictive monitoring, give users additional peace of mind. Even after a week of stress testing—including repeated writes and deletes—performance remained stellar, with no signs of degradation.
Despite its high performance, the 990 EVO Plus is surprisingly power-efficient. During idle, it consumes about 30% less power than its predecessor, making it a viable option for laptops and energy-conscious builds.

Samsung priced the 990 EVO Plus competitively, starting at around $79.99 for the 500GB model and going up to $349.99 for the 4TB variant. Given its unmatched performance, robust durability, and feature set, it offers excellent value for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
Comparatively, other PCIe 4.0 drives like the WD Black SN850X or the Seagate FireCuda 530 are slightly more expensive, and while they perform similarly, Samsung's Magician software and reliability edge make the 990 EVO Plus a better overall package.

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD lives up to its lofty promises, delivering best-in-class performance, excellent durability, and a competitive price point. Its combination of cutting-edge technology, power efficiency, and user-friendly software makes it one of the best PCIe 4.0 drives available today.
If you're looking for an SSD that can handle anything you throw at it—whether gaming, content creation, or heavy workloads—the Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a no-brainer. Samsung has once again raised the bar, setting a new standard for what we should expect from a high-performance SSD.