There is a huge price difference between the Samsung 990 Pro and WD Black SN850X. However, the 990 Pro’s performance isn’t very far off from the SN850x. The decision can easily be made by keeping an eye on your budget. In my opinion, the Samsung 990 Pro’s high price tag doesn’t justify its few performance benefits over the SN850x.
The Samsung 990 Pro definitely has great NAND specifications, with a 176-layer TLC V-NAND flash and a much more powerful controller. When we compare them side by side, the WD Black SN850X lacks in most areas. However, it has the serious advantage of a lesser price tag. You can get the SN850X for around 20 to 25$ less than the 990 Pro.
Is the higher price of 990 Pro worth it? Well, this depends on your requirements, budgets, and overall usage. Let’s compare everything in this article and come a decision.
Theoretical Specifications
| Specification | Samsung 990 Pro | WD Black SN850X |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 (NVMe 2.0) | PCIe 4.0 (NVMe 1.4) |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| NAND Flash | TLC V-NAND (176-Layers) | BiCS5 TLC (112-Layers) |
| Capacity Options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| Sequential Read Speed | Up to 7,450 MB/s | Up to 7,300 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | Up to 6,900 MB/s | Up to 6,300 MB/s |
| Random Read IOPS | Up to 1,600K | Up to 1,200K |
| Random Write IOPS | Up to 1,550K | Up to 1,200K |
| Software | Samsung Magician | WD Dashboard |
| More Information | Datasheet | Datasheet |
Looking at the specifications and theoretical performance, the Samsung 990 Pro offers better things. The random performance which is the most important for daily is higher with the 990 Pro. However, the real-performance can only be tested through the benchmarks.
Benchmark Scores Comparison
The benchmark scores are gathered and compared from external sources like PCMag and TomsHardware. The links to the original pages are at the end of the article. However, I take full responsibility for the accuracy of these scores.
CDM Sequential Read/Write Scores Comparison
CDM is the best synthetic benchmarking software for SSDs. It comes with the inbuilt benchmark profiles for different tasks. For these tests, the default benchmark mode is used. The results are as follows for both sequential and random read/write performance.
CDM Random Read/Write Scores Comparison
There is a minimal difference in the performance. However, the Samsung 990 Pro wins with a slight margin in both sequential and random read/write tests. This different is hard to decide your decision but, still the Samsung 990 Pro has won in this round.
PCMark 10 Overall Storage Test Scores
The PCMark 10 Storage test simulate the real-world scenarios for SSDs that reflects the everyday usage. These simulations may include running games, accessing large files, random read/write operations, opening apps, etc. A higher overall PCMark 10 score means a better performance in everyday tasks.
3DMark Storage Test
Unlike the PCMark 10 test, the 3DMark storage test simulates the gaming-related tasks and checks any SSD/HDD’s performance in those environments. This again is a synthetic benchmark that may include simulating tasks like game loading, game-saving/installation/updating, streaming, and patching games. A better 3DMark Storage test means a better gaming performance. Although, SSDs have no direct impact on the FPS, but still, they can help improving the overall gaming experience.
Impressively, the SN850X has got better 3DMark scores most likely because of its optimization for gaming. The SN850X has got a separate game mode but these benchmarks are without this mode turned On. Still, it manages to beat the Samsung 990 Pro by good numbers. So, this is going to be a great benefit for all the gamers out there.
Adobe Creative Cloud Program Launching Time (PCMark 10)
File Copy Test (PCMark 10)
The benchmark results are mixed and we can’t clearly declare a single winner. Although the Samsung 990 Pro offers good raw read/write performance, the SN850X has a great score when it comes to real-world applications. Again, the margins are not very huge and both compete really well but, we can’t say either of these has better performance in all the areas.
Power Consumption and Temperatures
The Samsung 990 Pro is much more power-efficient as compared to the WD Black SN850X. Again, the margins are thin but when it comes to the power consumption, a little spike in temperature can result in throttling, performance drops, and whatnot. So, Samsung has got this advantage but surely both drives come in the heatsink versions which can easily eliminate these heating issues if there are any. The Samsung 990 Pro has got a low power mode as well which might be the reason for its great average power efficiency.
TBW, Warranty, and Endurance
Both drives come with a 5-year limited warranty. Also, the TBW ratings are the same. The WD Black SN850X has more MTBF i.e. 1.75 Million Hours compared to the 990 Pro’s 1.5 Million hours.
| Specification | Samsung 990 Pro | WD Black SN850X |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity Options | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB | 1TB, 2TB, 4TB |
| TBW (Total Bytes Written) | 1TB model: 600 TB 2TB model: 1,200 TB 4TB model: 2,400 TB | 1TB model: 600 TB 2TB model: 1,200 TB 4TB model: 2,400 TB |
| MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) | 1.5 million hours | 1.75 million hours |
| Warranty | 5 years | 5 years |
| Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to 70°C | 0°C to 85°C |
| Non-Operating Temperature | -45°C to 85°C | -40°C to 85°C |
| Power Loss Protection | No | No |
| Additional Endurance Feature | Low Power Mode | Game Mode 2.0 for optimized gaming performance |
Price
Which one to choose? WD Black SN850X or Samsung 990 Pro
In my opinion, the WD Black SN850X is best considering its competitive performance and lower price. It has similar benchmark results and is even better than the Samsung 990 Pro and still manages to save you 15 to 20 bucks. It has a separate Game Mode 2.0 which helps minimize stuttering and catering in specific gaming environments.
However, the Samsung 990 Pro has much a little better performance and good thermal efficiency and power management. The 990 Pro has better SLC-Caching (TurboWrite 2.0) which offers benefits if you use your drive for heavy write operations. Another considerable benefit could be the NVMe 2.0.
All in all, I would recommend choosing the WD Black SN850X anytime because of its lower price and performance. However, if you want to go for the best and have enough budget, I would recommend the Samsung 990 Pro.
I hope this helps!
Resources and Benchmarks:
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/wd-black-sn850x
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/samsung-ssd-990-pro-with-heatsink
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/samsung-990-pro-ssd-review