Samsung 990 PRO 2TB vs WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink

Researched, not hands-on tested.How we review ›

both judged against NVMe SSDs at a similar price

The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB scores 7.4/10 overall, ahead of the WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink at 7.1/10.

The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB leads on endurance and software.

They score the same on performance, warranty and efficiency and thermals.

Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

7.4/10verdict: wait for deal

The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is for people who want a fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive for a workstation, development machine or homelab host. It suits those who value responsiveness and a five-year warranty and who will pay a premium for them. Buyers should plan for cooling, because owners report it runs warm under sustained load.

Typically about £329 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink

7.1/10verdict: wait for deal

The SN850X 1TB without a heatsink is for buyers who want a fast PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 drive for a desktop or a PS5. It suits people who already have a motherboard heatsink or good case airflow. It is less suited to anyone who needs Linux or macOS drive tooling or has no cooling for the drive.

Typically about £178.99 in the UK when we researched itCheck price at Amazon UK

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Scores, criterion by criterion

Criterion	Weight	Samsung 990 PRO 2TB	WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink
Performance	35%	8/10	8/10
Endurance	20%	8/10	7/10
Warranty	15%	9/10	9/10
Efficiency and thermals	15%	5/10	5/10
Software	15%	6/10	5/10
Overall		7.4/10	7.1/10

Specifications

Spec	Samsung 990 PRO 2TB	WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink
Interface	PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0	PCIe 4.0 x4
Sequential read	7,450 MB/s	7,300 MB/s
Sequential write	6,900 MB/s	6,300 MB/s
Endurance (2TB)	1,200 TBW	600 TBW
Form factor	M.2 (2280)	M.2 2280
Warranty	5 years limited	5-Year Limited Warranty

Strengths and weaknesses

Samsung 990 PRO 2TB

+ Rated 7,450 MB/s sequential read and 1,550K random write IOPS
+ 1,200 TBW endurance at 2TB
+ Five-year limited warranty
− Runs warm under sustained load, per owner reports
− Heatsink version is a separate SKU that costs extra
− Owners report a price premium over competing drives

Skip it if:

Buyers choosing mainly on lowest price
Anyone with a poorly cooled slot who doesn't want to buy the heatsink version
Buyers who need published sustained-write or power-draw figures before committing

Read the full Samsung 990 PRO 2TB review ›

WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink

+ Rated 7,300 MB/s read and 6,300 MB/s write
+ 5-year limited warranty
+ Owners report easy installation and PS5 compatibility
− Owners report it runs hot without a heatsink
− WD_BLACK Dashboard is Windows only
− Owners note a price premium over cheaper drives

Skip it if:

Buyers with no heatsink or airflow for the M.2 slot, who may prefer the heatsink version
Linux or macOS users who want vendor firmware tooling
Budget buyers who would rather pay less for a cheaper drive

Read the full WD_BLACK SN850X NVMe SSD, 1TB, without heatsink review ›

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