Before drawing a line under the past and a generation that will have seen SSD speeds really explode when Sony imposed PCI Express 4.0 models for its PS5, Samsung gives us a last model in the form of a tribute to this generation which will have undoubtedly marked a turning point in the race for debits. Does the 990 Pro live up to expectations and its predecessors? The answer right away.
Summary
- Samsung 990 Pro NVME M.2 SSD Overview and Features
- XXL performance
- And so, what is this Samsung 990 Pro worth in practice?
Samsung 990 Pro NVME M.2 SSD Overview and Features
Successor to the 980 Pro (Gen 4) and 970 Pro (Gen 3), the Samsung 990 Pro NVME M.2 SSD was originally intended to be the spearhead of Gen 5 in PCI Express 5.0. For the occasion, and as usual, the Korean manufacturer has developed an in-house controller soberly called “Pascal”. Everything seemed ready on Samsung’s side to fully launch Gen 5 except that… in the meantime, shortages of many electronic components, as well as COVID, slowed down production, and therefore adoption, by the general public at this time. new generation.
In this context, Intel has thus decided to leave its latest 13th generation processors compatible with both PCI Express 4.0 and 5.0, hardly pushing for a change of motherboard in the immediate future. Releasing a Gen 5 SSD (much more expensive therefore) in the immediate future made no sense and the 990 Pro finally backtracked to satisfy everyone by being content with PCI Express 4.0 but sublimating it one last time.
| Specifications | |
| Compatibility | PC (M2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4), PS5 |
| Reading speed | Up to 7450 MB/s |
| write speed | Up to 6900 MB/s |
| IOPS (inputs-outputs per second) | 1,550,000 IOPS |
| Endurance | Up to 600 TB |
| Guarantee | 5 years |
| Starting price | 199.99€ |
Buy a Samsung 990 Pro NVMe M.2 SSD on Amazon
XXL performance
We are not going to dwell on the design of this 990 Pro, it looks like two drops of water to its elders, the 980 Pro and 970 Pro, same size (22 mm wide for 80 mm long), same thinness , brief, you will have no problem integrating this model absolutely everywhere, whether in a PC or in a PS5.
For the Sony console precisely, if a “Heatsink” version is good
referenced
on the Samsung site dedicated to semiconductors, no trace of the latter in shops or online sales sites. However, and contrary to what Sony claims, it is quite possible to use this SSD as it is because it is perfectly compatible with the PS5. The label affixed above and below the SSD is heat sinking and the dynamic temperature management protects the SSD from possible overheating.
Afterwards, if you really want to put the odds on your side, adding a small additional physical heatsink will in any case cost you hardly more than 8 euros. A reasonable investment if you are afraid that Sony will limit the performance of your SSD.
And so, what is this Samsung 990 Pro worth in practice?
on the left the 990 Pro, on the right the 980 Pro
As you can see on the screens above or below, during our various performance tests under CrystalDiskMark or the in-house Samsung Magician software, the symbolic bar of 7000 MB / s is clearly exceeded since we reach the XXL performance of 7121 MB / s in reading (7450 MB / s announced) and especially 6852 MB / s for an announced theoretical speed of 6900 MB / s.
On copies of files, whether on a single file or a folder with multiple files, we navigate between 2.5 and 3 GB / s in a fairly constant way. On the temperature side, we recorded 26 degrees at rest and a peak of 53 degrees under full load. Again, that’s all good.
Finally, a quick word on the Samsung Magician software, which is still just as complete and easy to use. Not only will you be able to update the firmware when needed, but also run diagnostics or choose to optimize performance based on your usage. Simple, complete and effective.
Buy a Samsung 990 Pro NVMe M.2 SSD on Amazon
Conclusion
Strong points
- Extreme performance
- Don’t get too hot
- PC and PS5 compatible
Before the arrival and generalization of the PCI Express 5.0 models, Samsung offers us, with this 990 Pro, the best to end the PCI Express 4.0 range in style. The symbolic bar of 7000 MB / s is fully exceeded here, where its predecessor, the 980 Pro, already excellent, had to be satisfied with real figures around 6500 MB / s. No reservations, whether to boost a PC or increase storing your PS5 (in Heatsink version or with a third-party heatsink), you will offer your machine the best possible road companion.
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