Samsung comes back strong with its releases. On this occasion, we have been able to test its new Samsung 990 PRO 2TB SSD with PCIe 4.0 interface and a read speed of up to 7450 MB/s . The competition is very tough in this segment, will it continue to reign?
Before continuing, we thank Samsung for their trust in us for lending this SSD for analysis.
Samsung 990 PRO technical features
Unboxing
The Samsung 990 PRO does not bring any surprises in terms of its presentation, and although it is the model with the highest performance, it will arrive in a simple cardboard blister with a plastic encapsulation .
The content is very simple, inside we have the SSD in question and the documentation that Samsung includes. We do not have any key for backups with external tools.
external design
This is the proposal by Samsung to continue reigning in the world of SSDs, specifically that of SSD M.2 Gen4 . The Samsung 990 PRO has dimensions of 80 x 22 x 2.3 mm and a weight of only 9 grams.
The first thing we miss in this type of SSD, knowing that they are very hot devices, is a standard heatsink. Something that does bring the rest of the M.2 Gen4 SSD that we have tested during all this time.
Samsung has installed a sticker on the upper face of the SSD, which we should not remove if we want to maintain the warranty, since the slightest attempt to remove it will break and our warranty will be voided. On this face we have the model in question that we have, it specifies the amount of storage we have, in our case 2 TB and the serial number of the solid state drive.
While on the other side it has a sticker with a copper sheet that serves as dissipation. This is something that we have already seen in previous generations of Samsung and that has always given a good performance.
Its compatibility is absolute with Windows, Linux and console operating systems.
Features and benefits
Samsung does not go into many details about its memories. But we are in front of some Samsung V-NAND 3-bit MLC, which are really 3D TLC, specifically K9DVGY8JRD-DCK0 chips of 512 GB each with 176 layers.
We have for analysis the 2TB version, although 500GB variants will also be available , very rare in Gen4, as well as 1 and 4TB to the delight of users. This particular unit has 8 memory chips , thus occupying all the channels of the controller , each with a nominal capacity of 256 GB as indicated in the reference code on the chips.
These memories promise us a sequential read of 7450 MB/s and a write of 69000 MB/s controlled by Samsung Pascal. With an MTBF of 1.5 million hours of durability and a SHOCK of 1,500G . These characteristics decrease with the model MZ-V9P1T0BW which is 1TB . We recommend you consult the table at the beginning of the article to see the main differences between the 1 TB and 2 TB models.
The internal hardware will not be very different from other SSDs on the market. It presents a thermal throttling mechanism in case we are going to exceed 70 o C maximum . The Samsung Pascal driver supports AES-256 encryption, and TRIM and SMART commands . Samsung provides us with a 5-year or 1200 TBW warranty with technical support during this period.
Management software
Samsung bets on its Samsung Magician software that has given it such good performance on its SSDs. With a modern and intuitive design, it allows us to see the status of our SSD, update the firmware or make a quick diagnosis with just a few clicks.
Among other functions, we can encrypt the unit, make migrations or backup copies, make a secure erase or activate over provisioning. We can say that we are in front of some of the best applications for SSDs on the market.
Test and benchmark team
We have analyzed the raw performance of the Samsung 990 PRO with the AMD B650E platform through typical benchmarks. The test bench is made up of the following elements:
| TESTING BENCH | |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
| Base plate | Asus B650E Gaming E |
| Memory | 32 GB Corsair Dominator @6000 MHz EXPO |
| heatsink | stock sink |
| Hard Drive / SSD | Samsung 990 PRO |
| Graphic card | AMD RX 6600 |
| Power supply | Corsair RM1000 |
The tests to which we have subjected this SSD are the following:
- CrystalDiskMark 8.0
- AS SSD Benchmark
- ATTO Disk Benchmark
- Anvil´s Storage
We remind you not to abuse this type of test, as it degrades the SSD with many uses. We recommend you try it every so often, to see that its performance is adequate.
Here are all our tests:
Try copying from a SATA SSD to NVME
Testing from a NVME Gen 3 to Gen4
temperatures
We will next evaluate the temperatures of this SSD with the aluminum heatsink on the plate stressing it and capturing a thermal image of it.
| Samsung 990 PRO | Repose | Full |
| without heatsink | 40oC | 70 o C |
| With own motherboard heatsink | 35 o C | 45oC |
The SSD reaches a maximum limit of 70 ºC without any type of heatsink, while if we install the heatsink that incorporates the motherboard, without breaking any sticker on our SSD, the results are magnificent, since it goes down to 25 ºC!! !. It shows the great work that ASUS does with its dissipation on its motherboards.
Final words and conclusion about the Samsung 990 PRO
The Samsung 990 PRO hits the market with 176-layer 3D TLC memories and read rates of 7450 MB/s and write rates of 6900 MB/s. Figures that satisfy 100% of users and with a 5-year guarantee. It is without a doubt, one of the best SSDs on the market .
We really liked the performance it has offered us and its excellent software to monitor and control our SSD. It is one of the most complete of all SSD manufacturers.
The only thing that squeaks us a bit is that the Samsung 990 PRO does not have any type of passive heatsink installed to offer the highest performance without thermal throttling problems. For this we must buy an additional heatsink, which will make us increase its price and possibly lose the guarantee, by breaking the sticker.
Its sale will become official from November 11 in the main online stores. Currently available on Amazon Spain for purchase for 330.37 euros for the 2TB model . Taking into account the great competition that exists, we believe that without a heatsink it is a high price. There are options like the Corsair MP600 Pro LPX or the T-Force Cardea Z44 with a lower price and great performance.
| ADVANTAGE | DISADVANTAGES |
| + DESIGN | WE MISS A STANDARD HEATSINK, BECAUSE WITH THE IMPROVEMENT OF TEMPERATURES AND LONGEVITY OF THE SSD |
| + QUALITY COMPONENTS | |
| + MTBF ALTO | |
| + NORMAL TEMPERATURES WITHOUT HEATSINK, BUT WITH HEATSINK WOULD BE BETTER. | |
| + VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMAKRS | |
| +AVAILABLE IN 1 AND 2TB | |
| +SOFTWARE |
The Professional Review team awards it the platinum medal and recommended product:
Samsung 990 PRO
COMPONENTS – 90%
YIELD – 95% PRECIO – 85% GUARANTEE – 90% 90%