There's no doubt that the Samsung 990 Pro SSD is an exceptional drive - it scored 5 stars in our tests, where we called it the drive to beat. But when it comes to good value, there's a deal on the Samsung 990 2TB SSD for $330 (was $530) at Amazon.
Compared to the 990 Pro, which is selling for $410, I'd be inclined to opt for the cheaper one and save $80. It's an ideal SSD for applications, large files, photos and videos, and a quick PC storage upgrade. The main point of difference is the speeds, with the 990 hitting up to 7,250MB/s, versus the 990 Pro at 7,450 MB/s. In the real-world, for general users, that's practically invisible.
• Best for: Desktop PC builders, content creators, professionals working with large files, and anyone upgrading from a smaller or slower SSD.
• What we like: The 990 SSD boasts high-speed PCIe 4.0 performance. Its advertised sequential read speeds reach 7,250MB/s, while write speeds go up to 6,450MB/s. That's fast enough for demanding tasks, including transferring large video files.
Today's best Samsung SSD deal
Why we recommend it
While we haven't tested the 990, we have reviewed the upgraded Samsung 990 Pro, which remains one of our top-rated drives with 5 stars. If you don't need flagship-tier performance (and most people don't), the 990 is a strong pick.
Random performance is rated at up to 850,000 read IOPS and 1,200,000 write IOPS, helping the drive tackle intensive tasks involving numerous smaller files. Samsung claims up to 38% better performance per watt than the 990 Pro under its own test conditions.
You can manage the drive through Samsung Magician software, which provides firmware updates, health monitoring, and security features.
Price context & historical value
The Samsung 990's usual price is $529.99, but it's currently $200 off, bringing the price down to $329.99. That works out to approximately 38% off, or around $165 per TB.
This is not only the cheapest it's been in 30 days on Amazon, it's as affordable as it's ever been there, so we'd definitely recommend you snap it up now.
For more savings, we're tracking all the best SSD deals to help beat all the price hikes on components.
Should you buy it?
✅ Buy the Samsung 990 if...
You need 2TB of fast internal storage for a desktop, workstation, or compatible laptop. The combination of PCIe 4.0 performance and generous capacity is great, and ideal for use in a new system.
❌ Skip the Samsung 990 if...
You're working with a tight budget and can grab a rival 2TB SSD for cheaper. Also, note that this is the standard Samsung 990, not the higher-end 990 Pro. It's also an internal M.2 SSD, so your PC needs a compatible slot and you'll need PCIe 4.0 support to achieve the advertised maximum speeds.
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