The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a relatively new addition to the list of Samsung SSDs. It is a DRAMless SSD focused on low-end or average users. Although it’s a Gen 5.0 drive but utilizes half of the bandwidth because it just uses two Gen 5 lanes. There are many other competitors to the 990 EVO Plus but we are comparing it with the 990 Pro because of its competitive price while being a Gen 5.0 SSD. The performance numbers of both look almost similar.
Just like others, you are probably thinking why spend 40 to 50 bucks more on a 1TB 990 Pro when we can get the 1TB 990 EVO Plus which is a Gen 5.0 for a cheaper price? Well, there are many things to consider here besides the price.
First of all, being a DRAMless SSD, it just can’t compete with the 990 Pro in most environments. We are going to look at everything when we reach the benchmark scores section. Another thing is that, with similar specifications, there are much cheaper SSDs some of which easily beat the 990 EVO Plus.
However, many advantages come along with the 990 EVO Plus. First of all, it has a much better controller which is based on 5nm technology. The V-NAND V8 with 236 layers is much more refined compared to the 990 Pro’s V7 NAND with 176 layers although the latest 2TB and 4TB models of 990 Pro are upgraded to V8 236 layers. All in all, the 990 EVO Plus promises many things but will it be able to prove itself? This is what we will reveal in this comparison.
Summary
Samsung 990 Pro is expensive and focused towards the performance enthusiasts. It offers the best possible on the PCIe 4.0 generation interface. The 990 EVO Plus targets the low-end and average audience with its cheaper price and DRAM-Less design.
Theoretical Specifications
| Specification | Samsung 990 PRO | Samsung 990 EVO Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Variants | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Form Factor | M.2 (2280) | M.2 (2280) |
| Interface | PCIe® Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe™ 2.0 | PCIe® Gen 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 NVMe™ 2.0 |
| NAND Flash Memory | Samsung V-NAND 3-bit MLC | Samsung V-NAND TLC |
| Controller | Samsung Pascal (S4LV008) | Samsung Piccolo (S4LY022) |
| DRAM Cache Memory | 1TB: 1GB LPDDR4 2TB: 2GB LPDDR4 4TB: 4GB LPDDR4 | HMB (Host Memory Buffer) |
| Sequential Read Speed | Up to 7,450 MB/s | 1TB: Up to 7,150 MB/s 2TB & 4TB: Up to 7,250 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | Up to 6,900 MB/s | Up to 6,300 MB/s |
| Random Read (QD32) | 1TB: Up to 1,200,000 IOPS 2TB: Up to 1,400,000 IOPS 4TB: Up to 1,600,000 IOPS | 1TB: Up to 850,000 IOPS 2TB: Up to 1,000,000 IOPS 4TB: Up to 1,050,000 IOPS |
| Random Write (QD32) | Up to 1,550,000 IOPS | 1TB & 2TB: Up to 1,350,000 IOPS 4TB: Up to 1,400,000 IOPS |
| Price | Check on Amazon | Check on Amazon |
The Samsung 990 Pro is better in terms of theoretical specifications. Both sequential and random read/write speeds are great based on its PCIe 4.0 interface. The 990 EVO Plus can be called a half-Gen 5.0 and full Gen 4.0 because technically, the bandwidth is what matters and the 990 EVO Plus doesn’t have the full Gen 5.0 bandwidth.
Benchmark Scores Comparison
The benchmark scores are arranged and organized based on the reviews of these SSDs from different websites. The list includes TomsHardware, PCWorld, PCMag, HotHardware, etc. The sources are linked in the end. However, I am fully responsible for the accuracy of the data.
3DMark Storage Benchmark
The 3DMark storage test simulates the gaming environments and tests an SSD’s performance. It gives the results as an overall score along with the latency and bandwidth. A better 3DMark score means a better gaming performance including criteria like game opening, game saving, streaming, installing, etc.
The difference here is minimal. The bandwidth is the exact same but the 990 Pro has better score and lesser latency. You can say both are well-optimized for gaming.
PCMark10 Storage Benchmark
PCMark10 is another trace-based synthetic benchmarking tool that simulates real-world environments to test SSDs’ performance. This test shows the performance output for tasks that we do on a daily basis. A better score means a better SSD’s real-world performance.
Again, the difference isn’t that huge but the 990 Pro beats the 990 EVO Plus in score, bandwidth, and latency parameters. You can say the 990 Pro is good in terms of normal computing tasks. However, we should admire the results offered by the 990 EVO Plus being a relatively cheap drive.
CrystalDiskMark
CDM Sequential Read/Write Scores
There is a little difference in the sequential read/write scores. The read scores are almost the same while the 990 Pro is taking the lead when it comes to the sequential write performance.
CDM Random Read/Write Scores
Transfer Rate – DiskBench
Power Consumption (Quarch PPM)
These results from the Quarch PPM test prove what we discussed above about the power efficiency of the 990 EVO Plus. The overall power consumption and the heat generation were found pretty low when the 990 EVO Plus.
Endurance, Warranty, and TBW
| Specification | Samsung 990 Pro | Samsung 990 EVO Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
| TBW | 1TB- 600 TBW 2TB- 1,200 TBW 4TB- 2,400 TBW | 1TB- 600 TBW 2TB- 1,200 TBW 4TB- 2,400 TBW |
| MTBF | 1.5 Million Hours | 1.5 Million Hours |
There is no difference if we look at the reliability factors. Warranty, TBW, and MTBF are the same so there is nothing to be discussed here.
NAND, DRAM, Controller, etc
| Specification | Samsung 990 Pro | Samsung 990 EVO Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Samsung Pascal Controller | Samsung Piccolo Controller |
| NAND Technology | 7th, 8th Gen Samsung V-NAND | 8th Gen Samsung V-NAND |
| NAND Layer Count | 176-Layer, 236-Layers | 236-Layer |
| Interface | PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 | PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, 5.0 x2 |
| DRAM Configuration | LPDDR4 DRAM | LPDDR4 DRAM |
| Capacity Options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Sequential Read Speed | Up to 7,450 MB/s | Up to 7,250 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | Up to 6,900 MB/s | Up to 6,300 MB/s |
| Random Read IOPS | Up to 1,600,000 IOPS | Up to 1,050,000 IOPS |
| Random Write IOPS | Up to 1,550,000 IOPS | Up to 1,400,000 IOPS |
| Cache Type | approx. 114 GB (108 GB Dynamic + 6 GB Static) | approx. 114 GB (108 GB Dynamic + 6 GB Static) |
| Controller Configuration | Dual-core ARM Cortex R8-based architecture | Dual-core ARM Cortex R8-based architecture |
| Encryption Support | AES 256-bit Encryption, TCG/Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667 | AES 256-bit Encryption, TCG/Opal 2.0, IEEE 1667 |
The latest releases of the 990 Pro after September 2023 come with the Pascal controller, V8 NAND/236-layers. But, all in all, the 990 Pro has other advantages over the 990 EVO Plus in terms of technical specifications.
Price
Samsung 990 Pro vs Samsung 990 EVO Plus: Which one to choose and why?
If you don’t have plans to put your SSD under heavy read/write load and are good with an average drive, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a good pick, saving you a good amount of money for the same storage space. It is much more power efficient, cool, and made for normal users. However, the performance isn’t compromised much as we saw above in the benchmarks.
You should choose the Samsung 990 Pro if you are interested in the best possible performance with the PCIe 4.0 interface. It is more expensive than the 990 EVO Plus but proves itself when put under workloads. Nothing is compromised when we look at the 990 Pro. But, you’ll have to pay for it. So, if you think you are an enthusiast or on the way to becoming one, you should go for the 990 Pro.
Resources:
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ssds/samsung-990-evo-plus-ssd-review/2
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/samsung-ssd-990-pro-with-heatsink
https://hothardware.com/reviews/samsung-990-evo-plus-2tb-ssd-review?page=2
You’ve got the wrong SSD in the picture.
The article is about the 990 Evo Plus vs 990 pro.
The picture is a 990 Evo Plus and and a 980 pro.
Fixed the image. I appreciate your feedback.
HEY , if I am looking for an upgrade on laptop ssd which is only compatible with interface 3 but I would like high TBW which both of these offer – would I notice any difference in performance between them ? thanks
There would be no visible difference in the performance because there is a bottleneck at Gen 3.0 speed. You may get a little better random performance with the 990 Pro but that too not very substantial. So, in your case, you will get almost same performance benefits.
Thank you very much
Hello, I wonder how does the technology change affect the dangers of losing data with power outage. If we can lose data with power outage with DRAM, what happens with the new version without DRAM.
Most SSDs these days (both DRAM and DRAM-Less) come with Power-Loss protection with capacitors that allow them to finish writing data to flash storage when power is lost, reducing corruption. With that said, both 990 EVO and 990 EVO Plus neither have DRAM nor PLP. So, you are right that the companies are putting our data at risk for profits but its disappointing to see.
Thanks, nice review. The graph about power consumption is hard to read: two of the bars are lower is better and the other is higher is better, a bit confusing
Hi N1mda, I understand the confusion. I will create separate graph for power effeciency i.e. MB/s per watt. Thanks for pointing that out.
PCMark and 3DMark scores are almost similar. I don’t think there is any point going for the 990 Pro with outdated components. DRAM in the is the only better thing with 990 Pro I guess.