Samsung has just released a new budget-friendly SSD as an upgrade to the 990 Evo it launched a few months ago. Unlike the 990 Evo, which we felt came with some misleading claims, the Samsung 990 Evo Plus actually looks like it might be a good option for gamers, with speeds that make it one of the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSDs you can buy right now.
When we reported on the original Samsung 990 Evo launch earlier this year, it’s safe to say that we were underwhelmed. It didn’t offer great value, and its PCIe 5.0 compatibility felt more like a marketing gimmick. Samsung has an otherwise pretty good record with SSDs, with two of them being recommended in our best gaming SSD guide.
Let’s start with the bad. The original 990 Evo claimed PCIe 5.0 compatibility, but with only two lanes, it delivered the same bandwidth as if you’d placed it in a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot with four lanes (which it also supported). There’s no change for this new Samsung 990 Evo Plus drive, which still offers the same PCIe 5.0 support over two lanes and PCIe 4.0 over four, offering a maximum throughput of only 8GB/s for both.
So, for PCIe 5.0 support, this isn’t a hot option, but for PCIe 4.0, it’s a slightly different story. Unlike the 990 Evo, this new drive offers a significant speed boost, even at PCIe 4.0 speeds. It offers top sequential read speeds of 7,250MB/s (7,150MB/s for the 1TB drive) compared to the 990 Evo’s 5,000MB/s, while top sequential write speeds jump to 6,300MB/s on the 990 Evo Plus, outpacing the 990 Evo’s 4,200MB/s.
This makes this new drive a much better option if you’re not looking for top-tier PCIe 5.0 speeds. It also puts the 990 Evo Plus ahead of the Samsung 980 Pro, which still offers strong value with top sequential read speeds of 6,500MB/s and write speeds of 5,000MB/s. It also comes close to the 990 Pro’s performance, which has top sequential read and write speeds of 7,450MB/s and 6,900MB/s, respectively.
It also makes it remarkably close to the WD Black SN850X, still our top SSD recommendation, which features slightly better sequential read speeds of 7,300 MB/s and write speeds of 6,600MB/s. Like the SN850X, the 990 Evo Plus is available in 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB storage options, surpassing the 990 Evo with just 1TB and 2TB capacities.
According to Samsung, the 990 Evo Plus also offers “73% greater power efficiency” over the 990 Evo. If this claim holds true, it should help improve thermal performance and reduce power consumption in laptops, although this isn’t as big an issue for desktop users.
Shipping in October, the 990 Evo Plus price is $109.99 (£105.99) for 1TB, $184.99 (£178.99) for 2TB, and $344.99 (£326.29) for 4TB. That’s certainly better value than the 990 Evo was at launch, but there are better options right now. For instance, the WD Black SN850X is cheaper at the moment on Amazon, and you could pick one up for $79.99 for 1TB, $153.99 for 2TB, or $309.99 for 4TB by clicking this link.
The Samsung 990 Evo Plus looks like it could be a fast PCIe 4.0 SSD that, unlike the 990 Evo, is actually worth considering. If you want a much faster SSD, however, you’ll need true PCIe 5.0 support with four lanes, not the two lanes on offer here. If that’s what you want, take a look at the Crucial T705, which has read and write speeds that are almost double those of the 990 Evo Plus, although with a price tag to match.