Samsung 990 SSD arrives as an efficiency-focused, value PCIe 4.0 drive

Samsung has added a new drive to its consumer storage line-up, the Samsung 990 SSD, a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 drive available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. Rather than chasing headline speeds, this one is pitched squarely at the sweet spot of performance, power efficiency and value — and for photographers and video editors weighing up storage for an editing rig, that balance is often more useful than raw peak numbers. You can find it on the official Samsung 990 SSD product page.

Performance is respectable for a mainstream Gen4 drive. The 2TB model manages sequential reads of up to 7,250 MB/s and writes of up to 6,450 MB/s, with the 1TB version reading at up to 7,150 MB/s. Random performance runs to 850K read and 1,200K write IOPS on the 2TB, which is the sort of throughput that keeps large RAW libraries and high-resolution video timelines responsive. It won’t trouble Samsung’s flagship 990 PRO, still less the PCIe 5.0 drives at the top of the range, but that isn’t the point of it.

The real story is efficiency. Samsung is calling this its most power-efficient SSD yet, claiming up to 38% better power efficiency than the 990 PRO, with reviewers noting draw of around 4 watts under load. For anyone editing on a laptop out in the field, that translates to a cooler machine and potentially longer battery life during demanding exports — a genuinely practical benefit rather than a spec-sheet boast. Samsung’s Magician software is on hand for drive-health monitoring, data migration and performance tuning.

There are trade-offs to be aware of, as you’d expect at this price. This is a DRAM-less design built around Samsung’s in-house controller and latest V-NAND, and write endurance is lower than the PRO line, rated at 400 TBW for the 1TB and 800 TBW for the 2TB. It’s also worth a gentle grumble about the name: the 990 family now includes the 990 PRO, 990 EVO, 990 EVO Plus and simply the 990, which does little to help buyers work out what sits where. For creators who want dependable, efficient Gen4 storage without paying flagship money, though, it looks a sensible option, and we’d happily put it through its paces for editing and offload duties.

Samsung 990 SSD: Specifications

Interface: PCIe 4.0 NVMe, M.2 2280 form factor. Capacities: 1TB and 2TB. Design: DRAM-less, Samsung in-house controller and latest V-NAND. Sequential read: up to 7,250 MB/s (2TB) / 7,150 MB/s (1TB). Sequential write: up to 6,450 MB/s. Random performance: up to 850K read / 1,200K write IOPS (2TB); up to 700K read / 1,100K write IOPS (1TB). Endurance: 400 TBW (1TB) / 800 TBW (2TB). Power efficiency: up to 38% improvement over the 990 PRO; around 4W under load. Software: Samsung Magician (health monitoring, data migration, optimisation). Warranty: three years.

Samsung 990 SSD: Price and availability

The Samsung 990 SSD is rolling out globally from mid-July 2026, with US pricing set at $269.99 for the 1TB model and $529.99 for the 2TB. UK pricing is yet to be confirmed; we will update this story once it is available.