Both the Samsung 990 Pro and Crucial T500 are very popular Gen 4.0 NVMe drives with almost similar specifications, including the NAND flash, TBW, NVMe protocol, DRAM, etc. Crucial T500 is a little cheaper even though having the similar sequential numbers. So, people get really confused between the both. But, in this article, I am going to clear all your confusions with this detailed comparison of T500 and 990 Pro.
The 990 Pro comes in three variants, i.e., 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB, while the T500 has 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB storage variants. The 500GB version of T500, which is rare to see in the high-speed drives, is a good pick for people with limited storage space requirements.
The Samsung 990 Pro was previously released with the TLC V7 V-NAND of 176-layer. But, later, the V8 V-NAND version with 236 layers was launched and still continues. In terms of brand recognition and the quality of the product, both the SSDs are recognized in the industry. However, there are reasons to go for any of these in different scenarios. Let’s uncover all of them in this detailed comparison.
Theoretical Specifications
| Specification | Crucial T500 | Samsung 990 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 2.0) | PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 2.0) |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Capacities | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Controller | Phison E25 (custom for Crucial) | Samsung Pascal (in-house) |
| NAND Type | Micron 232L TLC (3D NAND) | Samsung 176L TLC (3D V-NAND) |
| DRAM Cache | Yes (LPDDR4X DRAM) | Yes (LPDDR4 DRAM) |
| Sequential Read | Up to 7,400 MB/s (2TB/4TB) | Up to 7,450 MB/s (2TB/4TB) |
| Sequential Write | Up to 7,000 MB/s (2TB/4TB) | Up to 6,900 MB/s (2TB/4TB) |
| Random Read (4K) | Up to 1,180K IOPS | Up to 1,400K IOPS |
| Random Write (4K) | Up to 1,400K IOPS | Up to 1,550K IOPS |
| Power Efficiency | Lower active power consumption | Samsung’s optimized efficiency |
| Thermal Throttling | Dynamic Thermal Throttling | Nickel-coated controller + heatsink options |
| Price | Slightly cheaper than 990 Pro | Premium-priced |
There are some here-and-there in the sequential and random read/write performance. Otherwise, almost everything is almost the same with both the drives. The biggest difference is in the random read speed, where 990 Pro has 200K more IOPS. In the random write IOPS, the 990 Pro has a 150K bigger number.
Benchmark Scores Comparison
Let’s compare the benchmark scores of both the drives and see which one gives you the best results in different use cases. Please note that these scores are collected and curated from open third-party websites like TomsHardware and PCWorld. The credits are given at the end of the article.
PCMark 10 Storage Benchmark
PCMark 10 Full Storage Benchmark takes the drive through real-world environments and gives you curated results in terms of PCMark 10 score, bandwidth, and latency. The benchmark tasks include browsing, video editing, office work, etc. Let’s compare the performance offered by the 990 Pro and the T500 in this test.
There is a minimal difference of 129 points in the PCMark 10 score, and guess what, the T500 has an edge over the 990 here. The bandwidth of Crucial T500 is 20 MB/s higher compared to the 990 Pro. The latency is also one microsecond lower than the 990 Pro. So, overall, we can say that the T500 has beaten the 990 Pro in the PCMark 10 by not very huge margin but still by good numbers.
3DMark Storage Test for Gamers
This test is all about testing your SSD in gaming environments. This includes game loading, saving, installation, recording, and streaming scenarios. A better score in the 3DMark test means a drive would be able to work effectively in your gaming computer, improving the overall performance. Let’s compare how these drives perform in this test.
Again, the T500 has beaten the 990 Pro by 252 marks. Also, in the total bandwidth, the T500 has better MB/s than the 990 Pro. The latency is similar in both. So, overall, we can expect a better gaming performance going with the T500 compared to the 990 Pro.
PlayStation 5 Testing
In the PS5 game transfer test and SSD read test, the Samsung 990 Pro had better speed in MB/s. The difference is bigger in the read test, i.e., around 1020 MB/s. The 990 Pro performed better in the game transfer to SSD test with a minimal up but still considerable.
CDM Sequential Scores
The peak sequential numbers of different queue depths are mixed. The biggest difference can be seen in the Sequential Read 1M Q RD1, where the Crucial T500 has around 1172 MB/s higher speed. Other results including the 1M QD8 Write and 1M QD8 Read are almost similar. This says clearly about how the brand communicate its numbers. Just like there is a little difference in the theoretical sequential performance, the benchmarks came out to be almost the same way.
CDM Random Scores
In all the random read/write tests, including the 4KB QD1 and QD256, the 990 Pro has given better peak numbers. The biggest difference can be seen in the 4KB QD1 Write, where the 990 Pro beats the T500 by around 18,000 IOPS. At QD256, as well, the 990 Pro has around 212K higher IOPS, which is a pretty significant speed.
So, if we conclude these results, in sequential performance, the T500 performed a little better, but in random peak performance, the 990 Pro wins the game.
Transfer Rate Benchmark test
In the 50GB File copy and file folder write tests, the T500 beats the 990 Pro. However, the 990 Pro stands out when it comes to do a read transfer of a 6.5GB Zip file. So, again, mixed results but because the T500 won in two tests, it is wine for it.
Power Consumption
Impressively, the T500 is capable of offering better MB/s per watt. I would say Crucial has done a great job managing the power consumption so efficiently, thanks to its Phison PS5025-E25 controller as well. Although the controller is based on a 12nm process compared to 990 Pro’s 8nm controller, the overall power efficiency is great from T500. The maximum and average power consumption numbers are similar in both, so there isn’t much to discuss there.
Thermal Efficiency
As per my research and the reviews that I have read online for both the drives. The T500’s temperature always well within the normal range even during heavy testings. The same goes for the 990 Pro. Both drives are great in managing heat, and there is no doubt about it. However, both drives come with heatsink variants, and if your workloads are demanding, I would recommend going for them.
Sustained Workload performance
In the sustained workload environment, when the SLC write cache expires, the T500 2TB averaged at 4066MB/s write speed at 1 MiB QD32. However, at the same parameters, the 990 Pro averaged at just 1400 MB/s. Although the cache size isn’t mentioned by the brand for the T500, it was way ahead in comparison to the 990 Pro. In this test by TomsHardware, we can see that the T500 dropped to around 460MB/s after the write cache was exhausted, then it continued for some time and then came back at around 4GB/s after recovery. The 990 Pro performed a little better during the drop at around 1800 MB/s but the recovery after that wasn’t that good and the average was just around 1400 MB/s.
Technical Specifications Comparison
| Specification | Samsung 990 PRO | Crucial T500 |
|---|---|---|
| Controller | Samsung’s Pascal (S4LV008) | Phison PS5025-E25 |
| Controller Configurations | ARM 32-bit Cortex-R8 Foundry: Samsung FinFET 8nm | ARM 32-bit Cortex-R5 Foundry: TSMC FinFET Quad-Core 12nm |
| SLC Write Cache | 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) | Yes |
| DRAM Cache | LPDDR4 DRAM 1TB: 1024 MB (1x 1024 MB) 2TB: 2048 MB (1x 2048 MB) 4TB: 4096 MB (1x 4096 MB) | LPDDR4 DRAM 500GB: 512 MB (1x 512 MB) 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) | Micron’s BB58R FortisFlash 232-layer TLC |
| Read Time (tR): | 40 µs | 61 µs |
| Program Time (tProg): | 390 µs | 600 µs |
| Encryption | AES-256, TCG Opal | TCG Opal |
Technical specifications are almost similar in both the drives. The amount and speed of the DRAM are the same. However, the SLC specifications for the T500 aren’t provided by the company. The NAND layers with the latest V8 V-NAND in the 990 Pro are 236 layers compared to the 232 layers in the T500. In terms of encryption, the T500 comes with just the TCG Opal compared to the 990 Pro, which also has the AES-256 encryption.
TBW, DWPD, MTBF, and Warranty
| Specification | Samsung 990 Pro | Crucial T500 |
|---|---|---|
| TBW (Total Bytes Written) | 1TB model: 600 TB 2TB model: 1,200 TB 4TB model: 2,400 TB | 500GB model: 300 TBW 1TB model: 600 TB 2TB model: 1,200 TB 4TB model: 2,400 TB |
| MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) | 1.5 million hours | 2.0 million hours |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
| Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Power Loss Protection | No | No |
Both the SSDs have the same amount of TBW for the matching variants, i.e. 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB. So, the DWPD will automatically be the same. The MTBF is higher in the T500, i.e. 2.0 million hours compared to the 990 Pro’s 1.5 Million hours. The warranty is the standard 5-Years limited.
Price
Conclusion: Crucial T500 vs Samsung 990 Pro: Which one should you buy?
The Crucial T500 is better in terms of performance, price, and most other aspects when compared to the 990 Pro. So, it is surely a smart pick for most users. It is much power power-efficient, cooler, and backed by Micron.
But, Samsung has its own brand value and a separate fan following. In fact, Samsung is known for its better customer support, product life, and quality. The benchmarks aren’t that far away, and in some benchmarks, like the peak sequential, raw file copying, and PS5 read/write tests, the Samsung 990 Pro performed better. So, if you are looking for an SSD specifically for PS5, the Samsung 990 Pro surely has better performance ready for you.
However, as a budget-conscious buyer, I would pick the T500 over the 990 Pro. But, if I can spend more money and brand is the main priority, I would go for Samsung anytime.
I hope this will help you make your decision!
Useful Resources:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-2tb-t500-ssd-review/2
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-990-pro-ssd-review