So, I read all the reviews of the latest Samsung 9100 Pro from TomsHardware, Tweaktown, StorageReview, etc. It is Samsung’s first full-fledged Gen 5.0 drive with great theoretical numbers. However, I looked at the benchmarks, and it competes well with the top Gen 5.0 drives like Micron 4600, Crucial T705, and Corsair MP700 Elite. So, I thought of creating a comparison of Samsung’s Gen 4.0 Champion 990 Pro and this new drive.
The 9100 Pro comes with Samsung’s latest Presto controller. Samsung has promised a 49% increase in power efficiency with this latest controller over the 990 Pro. Another great thing about the 9100 Pro is that it comes with the 8TB variant as well as the obvious 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB versions. The latest 9100 Pro is being branded as a drive for AI computing, gaming, and heavy-duty workstations.
The NAND flash is the same in both, i.e., Samsung’s TLC V8 V-NAND. The TBW numbers are kept the sam,e i.e. 600TB for 1TB, 1200TB for 2TB, and so on. The key differentiations between the both are going to be the performance, thermal efficiency, and power consumption for sure, and this is what we are going to compare. So, let’s get started.
Samsung 9100 Pro vs 990 Pro Specs
| Specification | Samsung 9100 PRO | Samsung 990 PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 5.0 NVMe 2.0 | PCIe 4.0 NVMe 2.0 |
| Capacities Available | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB, 8TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Sequential Read Speed | Up to 14,800 MB/s | Up to 7,450 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | Up to 13,400 MB/s | Up to 6,900 MB/s |
| Random Read IOPS | Up to 2,200K IOPS | Up to 1,400K IOPS |
| Random Write IOPS | Up to 2,600K IOPS | Up to 1,550K IOPS |
| Power Consumption | Average: 5.5W Maximum: 8.5W (Burst mode) | Average: 5.5W Maximum: 8.5W (Burst mode) |
| Release Date | March 2025 | November 2022 |
| Price | Starting at $199.99 for 1TB | Starting at $99.99 for 1TB |
The 9100 Pro clearly has higher performance along with a higher capacity variant, i.e. 8TB, as we discussed earlier. However, the pricing is where most people would have issues. The 9100 Pro is priced even higher than the existing Gen 5.0 drives, including the Crucial T705 and MP700 Pro. However, for brands like Samsung, people tend to spend more,e and maybe the same happens for the 9100 Pro.
Benchmark Scores
The Samsung 9100 Pro has hit the market recently, and I wasn’t able to get a hand on it. I have collected and curated the benchmark scores from sites like TomsHardware, PCWorld, and TweakTown. However, I am fully responsible for the accuracy of the data. The benchmark scores are for the 2TB (non-heatsink) variants of both drives.
PCMark 10 Storage Benchmark
PCMark 10 is one of the most popular trace-based SSD benchmarking software. It takes our drives through the real-world work environment to test their capabilities. You can choose to run a Quick or Full drive benchmark, where the Full benchmark provides detailed results using prolonged tests for the OS drives. An overall score will appear along with the bandwidth and latency. Let’s compare the results of both.
You can see that the PCMark 10 score is around 46% higher in the 9100 Pro compared to the 990 Pro. The bandwidth is around 39% higher in the 9100 Pro. The latency is around 30% lower in the 9100 Pro. So, all in all, we can say that the 9100 Pro will offer huge performance benefits in our creative and productivity tasks. However, a suitable system will be required to get the most out of it.
3DMark Storage Test for Gamers
3DMark Storage test takes our drives through several tests related to the games, like loading, saving, streaming, and quitting games. A better 3DMark score would mean a better performance in gaming.
The 3DMark score of 9100 Pro is around 31% higher compared to the 990 Pro. So, you can expect a better gaming experience, faster booting, and saving.
CrystalDiskMark Peak Read/Write Score (Sequential)
These CDM peak sequential numbers are at 1M QD1. However, the 9100 Pro was able to show its advertised speed at QD8 and beat the 990 Pro by almost double the read-write speeds. Surprisingly, the Micron 4600 2TB was able to beat the 9100 Pro in most of the tests and we can its tough competitor right now.
CrystalDiskMark Peak Read/Write Score (Random)
At Queue Depth of 1, the read IOPS are almost similar in the both 9100 Pro and 990 Pro. The difference in write IOPS at this queue depth is also minimal. However, at the queue depth of 256, we as a good jump in performance from the 9100 Pro while the 990 Pro lacked in read IOPS the most.
Transfer Rate Test- Diskbench
Again, the 9100 Pro has better raw speed when it comes to moving huge files of different types and sizes.
Power Consumption and Thermals
Don’t expect anything exceptional in terms of MB/s per watt from the 9100 Pro because the difference isn’t very high here. The average and maximum power consumption may seem higher when we look at it while comparing with a Gen 4.0 drive. But, the 9100 Pro is way better in terms of power consumption than the Crucial T705 and Micron 4600, etc.
According to the reviews that I have researched, the 9100 Pro doesn’t go too hot even during heavy loads. According to TomsHardware, it reached a maximum of 67°C during their tests. So, with a good heatsink or even without a heatsink, this SSD can pretty effectively handle the heat.
TBW, DWPD, MTBF, and Warranty
| Specification | Samsung 9100 PRO | Samsung 990 PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Total Bytes Written (TBW) | – 1TB: 600 TB – 2TB: 1,200 TB – 4TB: 2,400 TB – 8TB: 4,800 TB | – 1TB: 600 TB – 2TB: 1,200 TB – 4TB: 2,400 TB |
| Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) | Not specified | 1.5 million hours |
| Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) | 0.6 DWPD for 8TB | 0.3 DWPD for 4TB |
| Warranty | 5-year limited warranty | 5-year limited warranty |
Technical Specifications and Components
| Specification | Samsung 9100 PRO | Samsung 990 PRO |
|---|---|---|
| SLC Write Cache | 1TB: approx. 114 GB (108 GB Dynamic + 6 GB Static) 2TB: approx. 226 GB(216 GB Dynamic + 10 GB Static) 4TB: approx. 442 GB (432 GB Dynamic + 10 GB Static) 8TB: Not Specified | 1TB: Approximately 226 GB (pseudo-SLC cache) 2TB: Approximately 226 GB (10 GB static + 216 GB dynamic) 4TB: Approximately 442 GB (10 GB static + 432 GB dynamic) |
| DRAM Cache | LPDDR4X DRAM 1TB: 1024 MB (1x 1024 MB) 2TB: 2048 MB (1x 2048 MB) 4TB: 4096 MB (1x 4096 MB) 8TB: 8192 MB | LPDDR4 DRAM 1TB: 1024 MB (1x 1024 MB) 2TB: 2048 MB (1x 2048 MB) 4TB: 4096 MB (1x 4096 MB) |
| NAND Flash | Samsung 236-layer V-NAND TLC (V8) | Samsung 236-layer V-NAND TLC (V8) |
| Controller | Presto (S4LY027) 5-Core 5nm | Pascal (S4LV008) 8nm |
Price Difference
By the time I am writing this article, the 9100 Pro 1TB variant (non-heatsink) is available for 199.99$ while the 1TB of 990 Pro has a price tag of 99.99$. The 2TB version of the 9100 Pro is for 299.99$ while the 990 Pro 2TB is available for 168.47$. The 4TB 9100 Pro is priced at 549.99$, while you can get the 4TB 990 Pro for 311.95$.
Please note that the prices keep changing, but you get my point. The massive performance difference that you see with the 9100 Pro comes with a big price tag as well. However, I would advise you to check the latest prices before you make the purchase.
Which one to choose: Samsung 9100 Pro or Samsung 990 Pro?
The Samsung 9100 Pro is clearly focused on high-end users, gamers, and enthusiasts who want the best storage speed. It comes at a huge price tag, which doesn’t compete directly with the 990 Pro. 9100 Pro’s competitors are Crucial T700, Corsair MP700 Pro, MP 700 Pro SE, Sabrent Rocket 5, Firecuda 540, etc. Here, in terms of performance, the Samsung 9100 Pro is the winner and if you can afford it, you should have it.
However, the Samsung 990 Pro is still more than enough for most common users, content creators, gamers, etc. Random performance is what matters the most in our day-to-day computing tasks. The 990 Pro does the job perfectly on a smaller budget. So, if you are not a high-end user or an SSD enthusiast, there is no need to spend extra money on the 9100 Pro.
I would like to hear your views in the comments section!
Resources and References:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/samsung-9100-pro-ssd-review/2
https://www.techradar.com/computing/samsung-ssd-9100-pro-review
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-990-pro-ssd-review