Fast and large storage is now a necessity due to the increasing size of files and the abundance of media that needs to be stored. There is no denying that there are many cloud storage options available but physical personal storage is a safer option. Samsung launched the 990 EVO Plus SSD storage in Malaysia in November last year and in our opinion it not only offers large storage but more importantly it is fast.
Specifications
Name Samsung SSD 990 EVO Plus
PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 NVMe 2.0 interface
Design Factor M.2 (2280)
Samsung V-NAND 3-bit TLC Storage Memory
Samsung controller
Size 1TB 2TB 4TB
Read/Write Speed 7,150 MB/s
6,300 MB/s 7,250 MB/s
6,300 MB/s
7,250 MB/s
6,300 MB/s
Samsung Magician Software Control Software
Data Encryption AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0,
Encrypted Drive (IEEE1667)
Total Writable Bytes 600TB 1200TB 2400TB
1TB price: RM519
2TB: RM879
4TB: RM1599
5 Year Warranty
Reviewed from the perspective of a PlayStation 5 console user. This is because my issue with the console I bought five years ago was that it had too little storage while video games are now getting bigger. Installing games that exceed 100GB is now the new norm. The need to delete old games first before installing new games is something that shouldn't happen if larger storage is offered by the manufacturer.
The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is an updated version of the 990 EVO that was launched early last year. It supports four PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes or two PCIe Gen 5.0 lanes. With an M.2 (2280) design, this SSD is compatible with not only the PlayStation 5 but also many PCs and portable SSD storage enclosures on the market.
The process of installing an SSD to the PS5 is as simple as unscrewing a few screws. The only issue is that the 990 EVO Plus does not come with a built-in heat sink. This is different from the WD Black SN850P offering. But I found the price of the heat sink on the market for the PS5 to be affordable and when combined the price still makes the 990 EVO Plus cheaper. If you want to save a few tens of ringgit, the 990 EVO Plus is a good choice.
After installation I found the first time formatting process to be fast. After being detected by the PS5, the transfer process could be done without restarting the console. I transferred all the storage from the PS5 to the 990 EVO Plus of several hundred GB in just a few minutes.
Through the PS5 built-in test system, the 990 EVO Plus can perform read speeds of up to 6079 MB/s which is even lower than the 7250 MB/s advertised by Samsung. The write speed is up to 6,300 MB/s with real-world performance around 5,700MB/s.
Even so, this is still fast enough to be used on the PlayStation5 and PlayStation 5 Pro which require at least 5500 MB/s read speeds. It is a requirement for games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Spider-Man 2 which feature fast jumping to any location on the map without any noticeable loading process.
During the review period I transferred and installed all the games to the 990 EVO Plus with the PS5's built-in storage currently used for the operating system and applications. There was no difference in performance when Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Spider-Man 2 were installed on these two different storages.
What I noticed was that more and more games can be installed on the console without having to delete them first. The PS5 (Gen 1) built-in storage that I have is only 667GB. I could only dream of installing Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty Black Ops 6, Black Myth Wukong, The Witcher 3, Hitman World of Assassinations and The Last of Us: Part 1 simultaneously before.
Conclusion
The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is our SSD of choice for gaming because it offers fast performance at a more affordable price than the 990 Pro. For console use it is more than satisfactory and works well throughout the review period. No issues running games that require a fast SSD
Most interestingly, I find that after three months of launch, the selling price is now available at a lower price than the original price of RM519 (1TB), RM879 (2TB) and RM1599 (4TB). You are paying more for a Samsung product that has a reputation for performance and a warranty of up to five years. The only drawback of the 990 EVO Plus in my opinion is that it does not come with a built-in heat sink like its closest competitors
Pros
Fast performance.
No issues using games that require a high-performance SSD on the PS5.
Five-year warranty.
Cons
Does not come with a built-in heat sink.