Samsung's first gen 5 SSD is slower than most PS5 SSDs, but that might be okay

HardwareSSD Hard DrivesSamsung’s first gen 5 SSD is slower than most PS5 SSDs, but that might be okayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

HardwareSSD Hard DrivesSamsung’s first gen 5 SSD is slower than most PS5 SSDs, but that might be okayWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Samsung 990 EVO box in front of Blue lighting

In 2023, we saw the dawn of PCIe Gen 5 SSDs in the mainstream market. This time last year, the first few drives were trickling their way into Asian markets, and as motherboard compatibility started to become a bit more common, bigger brands started taking a crack at them.

Now, we have a few models that are widely available. ADATA’s Legend 970 has its own cooling fan built into its heatsink, and the Crucial T700 Pro has reviewed well but has been met with mixed reports from consumers. These Gen 5 SSDs are still in their early days, and their volatility when it comes to size, cooling, and speeds means they’re still only perched to become thebest SSDs for gaming.

However,Samsunghas now thrown its hat in the ring, yesterday announcing the Samsung 990 Evo, the first-ever hybrid interface SSD. Sporting 4x PCIe Gen 4 lanes and 2x PCIe Gen 5 lanes, it can work with both architectures while offering the same bandwidth to either.

Essentially, when the 990 EVO is connected to PCIe Gen 5 systems, it will connect with its speedy two lanes automatically, but there will be no performance drop compared to its four Gen 4 lanes. With that in mind, the 990 EVO can even be used with compatible laptops. This clever design will also reduce power demands and temperatures, which Gen 5 SSDs are known to struggle with.

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Samsung 990 EVO sitting in front of its box, showing its small size

This is certainly an interesting approach to take with the blazing-fast architecture of PCIe 5.0, and it seriously bucks the trends we’ve seen so far.

For reference, an everyday Gen 4 NVMe drive, like one of thebest PS5 SSDsfor example, is capable of read speeds of up to 7,400MB/s. Gen 5’s heavily boasted speeds are over the 1GB/s mark, so fairly ridiculous. The new 990 EVO is much more subdued, however, with quoted read speeds of 5,000MB/s regardless of whether you grab it in 1TB or 2TB shape.

Before that sparks a fit of gamer rage at Samsung, I’ll add that this isn’t a drive that’s trying to target the uppermost echelon ofgaming PCs. This is Samsung’s EVO range, which offers slightly more reserved speeds, authentic homecooked architecture, but more reasonable prices. Indeed, if you compare speeds directly, the 980 PRO and 990 Pro drives are both faster than this new EVO option, but if you try to get hold of either, you’re still looking at upwards of $80 for 1TB worth of 2-year-old architecture. I haven’t been given US prices for the new 990 EVO, but in the UK, it’ll set you back £100.99 for 1TB and £169.99 for the 2TB model.

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For a drive that’s somewhere in between a Gen 4 and Gen 5 SSD, its price does reflect that somewhat. To be completely honest with you though, this could offer up some serious value when it comes to futureproofing.

Image1of2(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Image1of2(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Image1of2

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

Samsung 990 EVO sitting next to a Crucial T700 Pro, showing the size disparity between the two

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

(Image credit: Future / Duncan Robertson)

A Samsung 990 EVO box next to a Crucial T700 Pro with its obnoxious heatsink size

I’m someone who reviews memory and storage devices for work, and even with access to a few beefy gaming PCs, I’ve had a serious struggle trying to test out Gen 5 SSDs because of their limited motherboard compatibility and obnoxious heatsinks. If you don’t need the absolute best speeds out there in a solid-state drive just now but know you’ll want to upgrade your motherboard and PC at some point, the 990 EVO might be the perfect springboard for you to make that transfer.

We wouldn’t recommend putting a drive like this, nor any Gen 5 drive inside your PS5 anyway. As some YouTubers have found,Sony’s system doesn’t like them, and Gen 5 SSDs are not backwards compatible with Gen 4 M.2 bays.

Regardless, I’m more interested in the architecture of a drive like this, because it shows that there is more than one approach to tackling new technology. While this is technically Samsung’s first Gen 5 SSD, I’m certain that when the first PCIe 5.0 “PRO” model arrives, it’s going to be a lot more stable than the rivals we’ve seen already because the brand has taken a more measured approach to begin with.

What’s more, I applaud Samsung for offering consumers a generational springboard thanks to clever technical innovation. That’s something we don’t often see when it comes to thebest CPUs for gaming, or indeed thebest RAM for gaming.

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Today’s best Samsung SSD dealsSamsung 980 Pro$98.15ViewSee all pricesSamsung T9$171.98$134.84ViewSee all pricesSamsung 980 PRO 2TB$425.54$294.44ViewSee all pricesSamsung 990 Pro$117ViewSee all pricesSamsung T7 Shield$109.99ViewSee all pricesSamsung 990 Pro 4TB$249.99$169.99ViewSee all pricesSamsung 970 Evo$99.89ViewSee all pricesSamsung 970 Evo 1TB$83.59ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best Samsung SSD dealsSamsung 980 Pro$98.15ViewSee all pricesSamsung T9$171.98$134.84ViewSee all pricesSamsung 980 PRO 2TB$425.54$294.44ViewSee all pricesSamsung 990 Pro$117ViewSee all pricesSamsung T7 Shield$109.99ViewSee all pricesSamsung 990 Pro 4TB$249.99$169.99ViewSee all pricesSamsung 970 Evo$99.89ViewSee all pricesSamsung 970 Evo 1TB$83.59ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

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Looking for something more portable? Check out thebest external hard drives for gaming, thebest PS5 external hard drives, and thebest Xbox Series X hard drives.

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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

2

Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

3

Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

4

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

5

Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

1

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

2

Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3

Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Nicola Coughlan as Joy in Doctor Who Christmas special Joy to the World

1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

1

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

2

Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

3

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

4

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5

Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

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