Samsung is relaunching its affordable SSD hard drive model, with the 990 EVO which can reach, we are promised, a speed of 5000 MB/s. Which is not entirely true, but it is all about even excellent value for money.
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Samsung’s SSD 990 EVO, released in Canada this month, is what we call a “DRAM-free” SSD. These are generally cheaper hard drives since they do not have internal RAM, which makes them less efficient, in theory. Considered slower, they would also be less effective in multitasking since they must use the computer’s RAM. Samsung has been trying to undermine this reputation since 2019, first with its SSD 970 EVO then in 2021 with the SSD 980.
So here we are with the new version of this DRAM-free concept, the SSD 990 EVO, which we were able to test for almost two months. First basic observation: it has never faltered, which is the least we can do but reassures us a little about this architecture. Experts estimate that their lifespan is shorter. We have not yet noticed this with our Samsung SSD 980 installed in 2021, which is normal, the lifespan of these devices being on average seven years.
As for speed, let’s call on an independent arbiter, CrystalDiskMark software. By averaging three tests, it obtains a speed of 3495 MB/s in reading, 2884 in writing. These are not quite the 5000 MB/s reading and 4200 MB/s writing promised by Samsung in its press release. It actually slightly exceeds its predecessor, the SSD 980, which shows little evolution of the model. But let’s be fair, it offers more than satisfactory speed, in the upper average of mid-range models. And we are of course in another universe compared to the good old mechanical HDDs, which struggled to obtain 500 MB/s, but very far from high-end models, like the Crucial T705 ($535) which reaches 14,500 MB /s.
As for multitasking, this Samsung SSD replaced another disk which had DRAM. We noticed no difference in our computer’s ability to manage games, videos and several software programs simultaneously. Obviously, the processor power and RAM of the computer itself are crucial here, as is the hard drive. Note in passing that the SSD 990 EVO is a small plate, of the NVMe M.2 type, and that our computer, an MSI Pulse GL66, offers two internal ports of this type. The transfer was disconcertingly easy, with the Macrium Reflect Free software.
We like less
The price jump seems very high to us between the 1 TB model, at $169.99, and the 2 TB at $279.99.
One buys ?
This is an interesting choice for the average user who wants to increase the storage memory of their computer with a rather efficient NVMe SSD, without being ruinous like the best models from Seagate or the Pro range from Samsung. These are obviously much more efficient, offer heat sinks which make them compatible with consoles but are much more expensive. That said, there are NVMe SSD drives on the market offering even better value for money, notably manufactured by WD and Corsair. But they are not Samsung.