Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB SSD Review - The DRAMless Powerhouse

TweakTown's Rating: 99%

The Bottom Line

Samsung's 990 EVO Plus 2TB SSD is certified TweakTown 15K elite for both Intel and AMD. Enough said!

Pros

• Gaming performance
• User experience
• Capacity

Cons

• None

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Newegg for $139.99 USD

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Introduction & Drive Details

Back in February of this year, Samsung dropped its first retail PCIe Gen5 offering, the 990 EVO. The configuration of that SSD was unique and something we'd not seen before - 2-lanes of PCIe Gen5. Now, despite having only 2-lanes of PCIe Gen5, which is technically the same as 4-lanes of PCIe Gen4, and a throughput cap of only 5,000 MB/s, Samsung's DRAMless value offering managed to deliver more real-world performance than we'd ever attained from any flash-based DRAMless SSD at that time.

Today, Samsung is once again expanding its consumer PCIe Gen5 portfolio, and it's staying in the same swim lane as its predecessor in that it is yet another DRAMless value offering. Samsung's newest, the 990 EVO Plus, is again another masterpiece of efficiency. The 990 EVO Plus increases performance over the 990 EVO while reducing power consumption by 16% and boosting power efficiency. Compared to the 990 EVO, the 990 EVO Plus achieves 73% higher power efficiency while at the same time being up to 50% faster, all thanks to its advanced technology nodes - V8 TLC NAND and firmware optimizations.

With its new level of power efficiency, Samsung sees its 990 EVO Plus series as the ultimate upgrade for mobile computing devices that support PCIe Gen5 storage. We could not agree more, as Samsung's newest is not only the most power-efficient retail PCIe Gen5 SSD we've encountered, but it is also the most powerful retail DRAMless SSD we've encountered to date. It is, in fact, the first retail-ready DRAMless SSD to deliver TT 15K Elite performance for both Intel and AMD. Impressive.

Now, let's get into this review so we can show you firsthand what Samsung's 990 EVO Plus 2TB SSD can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

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As always, when you buy a Samsung SSD, you get free supporting software that makes maintenance and system migration simple and free. Click HERE to download it.

The 990 EVO Plus is another single-sided masterpiece of engineering. The drive can be had at three capacity points - 1TB, 2TB and 4TB. The 1 and 2TB models come arrayed with a single package of Samsung's V8 2,400MT TLC flash - the 4TB model arrayed with two packages of the same. The Gen5 drive is so efficient that no heatsink is necessary, again making it ideal for ultra-lite, ultra-portable mobile computing devices.

Note: We have enabled full-power mode using Samsung Magician for our testing.

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE AORUS Z790 Xtreme X
• CPU: Intel Core i9-14900KS - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Patriot Viper Xtreme 5 8000 48GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

AMD Test System

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Alphacool Eissturm Hurricane Copper 45 - Buy from Amazon
• RAM: Sabrent Rocket DDR5 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Graphics Card: MSI SUPRIM X RTX 3080 12GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: PrimoChill's Praxis Wetbench - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 12 1200W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Because we at TweakTown like to be first at everything whenever we can, we will present our storage performance results for the test subject on both 14th Gen Intel and 7000 Series AMD platforms going forward for the foreseeable future. Because Intel still delivers the best real-world storage performance, (Look Here), our running chart will continue to be Intel-based until AMD can deliver better real-world storage performance than its rival.

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Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we are including results for PS5-compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

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For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

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We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

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Although not advertised for PS5 storage expansion, the 990 EVO Plus can be an excellent choice for this role. Not only does it deliver more than enough read throughput to serve competently, but its power efficiency and thermal characteristics are a cut above its competition, which is again ideal for the PS5 environment. We speculate that there may not even be a need for a heatsink because the drive is so efficient and cool running.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Anvil, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

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We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject fully capable of exceeding quoted up-to-factory sequential read throughput specifications. Sequential write performance is another story, the same story as with its immediate predecessor, in that it falls significantly short of quoted up to factory specs. Not a problem whatsoever, as we don't consider write performance to be a metric of importance in the consumer space.

Anvil's Storage Utilities

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Results here look great, especially when compared to its immediate predecessor.

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We employ Anvil's random read test as our standard for measuring max random read IOPS. This test is very accurate as it at its core is Iometer skinned over. We test at QD128. The drive is spec's for up to 1,050K IOPS here and we are getting 1028K IOPS. Considering how few SSDs can deliver as advertised here, this is an excellent result, especially considering our much more demanding user state.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, 990 EVO Plus 2TB favors sequential transfers of 512KB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 64KB or larger when programming (writing) data.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

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Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data, ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance random or sequential, is an infrequent operation and such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example being how many times is a game installed vs. how many times it's played. 50% better than its older sibling.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. Here we find our 2-lane contender punching above its weight class. Impressive.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSDs gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

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Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience.

Performance where performance matters most. If you are a value-minded gamer looking for an edge, the 990 EVO Plus 2TB has you covered. This cool-running value-oriented SSD can deliver better gaming performance than most 8-channel PCIe Gen4 enthusiast-grade SSDs currently in circulation. Impressive.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB of data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games such as Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

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The 990 EVO Plus again flexes its real-world performance muscles - delivering more than we've seen before from any retail-ready DRAMless SSD. Excellent.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

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Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. Saving its best for last, our little juggernaut lays waste to the competition by delivering the best result we've seen from any flash-based DRAMless SSD, including Phison's PCIe Gen5 x4 E31T.

Final Thoughts

Samsung is back doing Samsung things again, as perfectly exemplified by its newest EVO, the 990 EVO Plus. Samsung's 990 EVO Plus 2TB is indeed the most powerful retail-ready, real-world performer of its kind we've encountered to date. Even though it's a power-efficient DRAMless value offering, it delivers real performance better than 90% of the enthusiast-grade SSDs currently in circulation. Incredible.

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We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 15K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. Whether you are running on Intel or AMD, Samsung's 990 EVO Plus 2TB can deliver 15K TT Elite performance. Unprecedented for any retail-ready DRAMless SSD.

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It's the best of its kind that we've encountered and as such is worthy of our highest award. Editor's Choice.