Samsung has unveiled the 990 EVO SSD, a hybrid storage solution that supports both Gen5 & Gen4 with prices starting at $124.99 US.
Samsung Expands Flexibility, Performance & Efficiency With Its New 990 EVO SSD, Supports Both Gen5 & Gen4 Interfaces
Samsung’s latest 990 EVO SSD can be utilized on two different PCIe configurations, either PCIe 4.0 x 4 or PCIe 5.0 x 2. As you can probably infer, there is no change in the bandwidth of the storage; hence, its industry application, at least for now, is uncertain.
Samsung does say that the hybrid functionality is targeted at making the SSD compatible with a “wide variety of systems while maintaining optimal performance”, which means that consumers would have an open choice on what type of PCIe interface to mount the SSD on, hence catering all sorts of standards.
Samsung SSD 990 EVO Specifications
| Category | Samsung SSD 990 EVO | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 / 5.0 x2 NVMe 2.02 | |
| Form Factor | M.2 (2280) | |
| Storage Memory | Samsung V-NAND 3-TLC | |
| Controller | Samsung In-house Controller | |
| Capacity | 1TB | 2TB |
| Sequential Read/Write Speed | Up to 5,000 MB/s, Up to 4,200 MB/s | |
| Random Read/Write Speed (QD32) | Up to 680K IOPS, 800K IOPS | Up to 700K IOPS, 800K IOPS |
| Management Software | Samsung Magician Software | |
| Data Encryption | AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0, Encrypted Drive (IEEE1667) |
|
| Total Bytes Written | 600TB | 1200TB |
| Warranty | Five-year Limited Warranty | |
Apart from the hybrid PCIe functionality, Samsung’s 990 EVO SSDs are equipped with top-notch specifications, which makes it a great option in the price segment when it is released. The SSD comes with sequential read and write speeds of up to 5,000 MB/s and 4,200 MB/s, respectively, which is certainly not the highest, but it is indeed in the optimal range. Moreover, the SSD has random read and write speeds of 700K IOPS and 800 IOPS, respectively, marking a decent bump from the firm’s previous release in the EVO lineup.
Moving on to other features, the 990 EVO has Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology onboard, and it can be categorized as a replacement for the DRAM functionality since the 990 EVO doesn’t have a DRAM onboard. In addition, the SSD has Samsung’s V6 TLC NAND flash chip mounted, which allows it to achieve the mentioned read/write speeds and delivers a performance bump of up to 43% from the company’s 970 EVO Plus SSD. Samsung has also made some improvements in the power department as well since the new 990 EVO is expected to deliver a 70% improved performance efficiency from its predecessor.
In terms of pricing, the 990 EVO will be available for $124.99 for the 1TB model and $209.99 for the 2TB model, which does put it somewhere in the competitive price segment. Overall, the only “flashy” feature the 990 EVO comes with is the hybrid PCIe interface, which could mark a transition to the future, but for now, it isn’t very useful unless someone wants to leverage a PCIe 5.0 interface.
News Source: Samsung Newsroom
