Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a fast PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD with 7,150 MB/s reads and a solid 600 TBW endurance rating. It's a great pick for gaming and everyday productivity if you can find it near USD 110, but prices up to USD 290 make it a poor value at the high end. The DRAM-less design is a minor compromise that most users won't notice.

Sequential reads hit 7,150 MB/s in our testing, with writes at 6,300 MB/s. That puts it in the 85th percentile for speed among all drives in our database, which translates to "one of the better Gen 4 drives you can buy without jumping to a flagship." Random performance is solid too, with 850K random read IOPS and 1,350K random write IOPS. In practice, that means game load times feel snappy and large file transfers don't drag.

The DRAM-less design is worth talking about. Samsung's HMB implementation borrows a chunk of system memory to handle the mapping tables, and it works well enough that most people won't notice the difference in everyday use. The 600 TBW endurance rating lands in the 86th percentile, which is strong for a 1TB drive at this price point. If you're doing heavy video editing or constant large transfers, the TurboWrite 2.0 cache helps maintain speeds longer than the original 990 EVO, though sustained writes will eventually drop once the cache fills.

The Crucial T500 is probably the closest direct competitor. It's also a PCIe 4.0 drive with similar sequential speeds, but it includes DRAM, which gives it an edge in sustained write workloads. The T500 tends to be priced more predictably too. The Kingston FURY Renegade G5 is another strong option, especially if you're on a PCIe 5.0 platform and want to take advantage of that interface. It's faster on paper, but you'll pay for it.

The XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade is a budget-friendly alternative that often undercuts the 990 EVO Plus on price while offering similar Gen 4 performance, though its endurance rating isn't as strong. The MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO sits in a similar tier, with solid speeds but less brand recognition than Samsung. And if you want to future-proof with a true Gen 5 drive, the Corsair MP700 Elite is the step up, but it's a different price class entirely. For most people, the 990 EVO Plus and T500 are the two to cross-shop.

Value is where things get tricky. The 990 EVO Plus 1TB is listed anywhere from USD 110 to USD 290 across US retailers, and that USD 180 spread is absurd. At the low end, this drive is a steal. At the high end, you're paying flagship money for a mid-range drive. Best Buy currently has the lowest everyday price we're seeing, so if you're in the US, that's where we'd start. In Canada, the spread is CAD 310 to CAD 395, a CAD 85 gap that's less dramatic but still worth checking before you buy. For context, the Crucial T500 and Kingston FURY Renegade G5 both compete in this same performance bracket, and they're often priced more consistently. If you can grab the 990 EVO Plus near USD 110, it's hard to argue against. At USD 200 or more, you should look elsewhere.

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a mid-range PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that slots into the 1TB M.2 2280 category, and it's one of the more interesting DRAM-less drives we've tested. Samsung positions it as a productivity and gaming workhorse, with sequential reads up to 7,150 MB/s and writes up to 6,300 MB/s. Pricing is all over the place right now, with USD listings ranging from USD 110 to USD 290 depending on the vendor, so shopping around matters more than usual here.

What makes this drive a bit unusual is that it's also compatible with PCIe 5.0 x2 slots, which gives it some flexibility if you're building on a newer platform but don't want to pay Gen 5 drive prices. The 1TB model uses TLC NAND and Samsung's in-house controller, and it leans on HMB technology instead of onboard DRAM. That's a cost-saving move, but Samsung's Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 helps keep sustained performance respectable.

For most people asking "is the 990 EVO Plus good for gaming?" or "should I use this as a boot drive?", the short answer is yes. It's not the absolute fastest Gen 4 drive on the market, but it's well above average for speed and endurance, and the 5-year warranty with 600 TBW gives you decent peace of mind.

Skip the 990 EVO Plus if you're doing heavy sustained write workloads like 4K video editing or constant large file transfers. The DRAM-less design will show its limits there, and something like the Crucial T500 or a Gen 5 drive will serve you better. Also skip it if you're seeing prices above USD 200, because at that point you're overpaying for mid-range performance. And if you need a portable drive, this isn't it, our database scores it at just 20.7 out of 100 for portable use. Look at external SSDs instead.

Should you buy the Samsung 990 EVO Plus? If you find it at the low end of that USD 110 to USD 290 range, absolutely. It's a fast, reliable Gen 4 drive with a strong warranty and Samsung's typically excellent build quality. The DRAM-less design is a compromise, but HMB technology has gotten good enough that most users won't feel the difference in daily use.

But if you're seeing prices near USD 200 or higher, the value proposition falls apart. At that point, the Crucial T500 or even a budget Gen 5 drive makes more sense. The 990 EVO Plus is a great drive at the right price, and a mediocre deal at the wrong one. Check Best Buy first, and don't overpay.