Samsung 990 EVO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Western Digital WD Blue 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Samsung 990 EVO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
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
Western Digital WD Blue 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Most users are happy with this SSD, praising its easy installation, fast speeds, and great value for money. However, one reviewer reported the drive dying after six months of light use, and another noted that performance drops significantly when the cache is full due to cheaper NAND. Overall, it's seen as a solid budget option, though not the fastest on the market.
Pros
- Easy installation
- Fast speeds
- Great value for money
- Good price/performance ratio
- Reliable for boot drive
Cons
- Drive died after six months
- Performance drops when cache full
- Cheaper NAND used
Scores
Specifications
| Samsung 990 EVO | Western Digital WD Blue | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 3.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4★ | 3 |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | ||
| Random Write (IOPS) | ||
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC | TLC |
| DRAM Cache | ✗ | ✗ |
| Controller | Samsung in-house Controller | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 5★ | — |
| 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 (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong endurance (83rd percentile)83rd %ile
- Strong feature (79th percentile)
Western Digital WD Blue 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong social proof (87th percentile)87th %ile
- Strong random (78th percentile)
- Strong affordability (71st percentile)
- Strong endurance (71st percentile)
- Below average capacity (13th percentile)13th %ile
- Below average user sentiment (29th percentile)
Pricing
Western Digital WD Blue 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 offers 1.3x better value for money
Verdict
Scores 87 overall, wins 6 of 6 usage categories and 9 of 18 specs.
