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

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

Samsung
87 Overall Score
vs
Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280

Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280

Team Group
32 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

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

88 out of 100 medium confidence 11 reviews

Users are generally very satisfied with this Samsung SSD, praising its fast read/write speeds, easy installation, and good value for budget builds. Some note that a DRAM-equipped alternative like the 990 EVO PLUS is close in price and might be a better choice, and a few mention minor setup quirks like needing extra screws or firmware updates. Overall, it's seen as a solid, reliable drive for gaming and general storage expansion.

Pros
  • Fast read/write speeds
  • Easy installation
  • Good value for budget
  • Reliable Samsung quality
  • Great for gaming storage
Cons
  • DRAM-less design
  • Requires firmware update
  • Extra screws needed
  • Heatsink installation tricky
👍 Performance 6
👍 Ease of installation 4
👍 Value for money 4
🤔 Dram less design 2
👎 Firmware update 2
👍 Gaming use 2

Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280

38 out of 100 medium confidence 16 reviews

This budget M.2 SATA SSD receives mixed reviews. While some users find it a cheap and simple upgrade for basic tasks, many report serious reliability issues, including random freezes, slowdowns, and signs of failure within a month. The lack of DRAM cache and low endurance are common concerns, and several reviewers advise spending more on a reputable brand like Samsung.

Pros
  • Cheap price
  • Simple upgrade for basic tasks
  • Works as portable USB drive
  • Compatible with some systems
Cons
  • No DRAM cache
  • Low endurance (60TBW)
  • Random freezes and slowdowns
  • Signs of failure within a month
  • Not recommended for heavy workloads
👎 Reliability 4
🤔 Performance 4
🤔 Value for money 3
👎 Dram cache 3
🤔 Compatibility 3
👎 Endurance 2

Scores

Budget
Samsung
100
Team Group
76
Laptop
Samsung
89
Team Group
39
Gaming
Samsung
81
Team Group
21
Workstation
Samsung
77
Team Group
34
Console
Samsung
63
Team Group
10
Portable
Samsung
22
Team Group
8

Specifications

Samsung 990 EVOTeam Group MS30
Drive
Capacity
2,000
256
Form FactorM.2 2280M.2 2280
InterfacePCIe 4.0 x4SATA III
ProtocolNVMeSATA
PCIe Generation4★—
External✗✗
Performance
Sequential Read (MB/s)
5,000
500
Sequential Write (MB/s)
4,200
400
Random Read (IOPS)
700,000
No data
Random Write (IOPS)
800,000
No data
Hardware
NANDTLCTLC
DRAM Cache✗✗
ControllerSamsung in-house ControllerPhison S11
Reliability
Endurance (TBW)
1,200
128
MTBF (hours)No data
1,500,000
Warranty (years)5★3
Features
Heatsink✗✗
Hardware Encryption✓★—

Pros & Cons

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

  • Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
  • Strong random (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong endurance (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
  • Strong feature (79th percentile)

Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280

  • Strong affordability (87th percentile)87th %ile
  • Strong endurance (77th percentile)
  • Below average user sentiment (4th percentile)4th %ile
  • Below average speed (13th percentile)13th %ile
  • Below average capacity (17th percentile)17th %ile
  • Below average random (22nd percentile)

Pricing

Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280 is $99 cheaper (2.4x less).

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

Team Group MS30 256GB SATA III M.2 2280

Verdict

★ Winner: Samsung 990 EVO

Scores 87 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 9 of 18 specs.

Samsung 990 EVO Better at:

BudgetGamingLaptopConsolePortableWorkstation

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