Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB NVMe SSD: speeds, PCIe support and who it suits

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is an M.2 NVMe solid-state drive for desktop PCs and laptops. This listing is the 2TB model (MZ-V9S2T0B/AM). Samsung rates it at sequential speeds of up to 7,250MB/s for reads and 6,300MB/s for writes, and says it works with both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 connections. Here is what that means for an upgrade.

M.2 2280 and NVMe

M.2 2280 describes the physical shape: a small gum-stick board, 22mm wide and 80mm long, that plugs straight into a motherboard or laptop slot with no cables. NVMe is the protocol that lets the drive talk over PCIe lanes, which is far faster than the older SATA connection. The drive measures about 3.2 x 0.9 x 0.1 inches.

PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2

A PCIe link has a generation and a lane count. PCIe 4.0 x4 means four lanes at fourth-generation speed, and PCIe 5.0 x2 is two lanes at fifth-generation speed. Both offer roughly the same bandwidth, which is why Samsung says the drive suits either. This makes it usable in a wide range of systems, including newer ones with a Gen 5 slot that shares lanes. Samsung notes that you should confirm your own system's PCIe support with your Intel or AMD platform documentation to reach the full speed. In an older Gen 3 slot, it typically runs more slowly.

What the speed figures mean

Sequential speed measures large, continuous transfers such as copying video files or installing big games. Samsung states that its figures were measured with Intelligent TurboWrite active, on a test system with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, DDR5 memory and Windows 11 Pro, and that results vary with firmware, hardware and configuration. Day-to-day, the difference between a fast Gen 4 drive and a slower one is most visible in big copies and loading times, while ordinary tasks feel similar.

Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 and HMB

TurboWrite uses part of the drive as a fast write buffer for large files. HMB, or Host Memory Buffer, lets the drive borrow a little system memory for its mapping tables instead of carrying its own DRAM chip, a design that typically keeps the drive simple and efficient.

Thermal control and software

Samsung says a nickel-coated controller lets the drive use less power for similar performance, and cites a 73% increase in MB/s per watt. Lower power draw generally means less heat, which can help in laptops and compact builds. Samsung Magician software handles firmware updates, extra encryption and drive health monitoring, according to the brand.

Who it suits

It suits people upgrading from a SATA SSD or hard drive, adding fast storage to a gaming PC or workstation, or refreshing a laptop whose M.2 slot supports NVMe.

What to check before you buy

• Slot type: confirm that your device has a free M.2 2280 slot that supports NVMe.
• PCIe generation: check what your slot supports to know the speeds you'll see.
• Capacity: this is the 2TB version; the 990 EVO Plus line also comes in other sizes.
• Heat: see whether your motherboard or laptop provides a heatsink or airflow for the drive.
• Software: Magician is for managing the drive; check which operating systems it supports.

The short version

• A 2TB M.2 2280 NVMe SSD for PCs and laptops.
• Up to 7,250MB/s reads and 6,300MB/s writes, as rated by Samsung.
• Supports PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2.
• Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0, HMB and a nickel-coated controller aimed at lower power use.
• Samsung Magician software for updates and monitoring.

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