Samsung 990 review: a lower-spec SSD that’s weirdly great for games
Samsung has launched the 990, a budget-oriented PCIe 4.0 SSD that delivers surprising gaming performance despite modest specifications. The drive features DRAMless architecture and QLC NAND, positioning it as Samsung’s more affordable entry in the PCIe 4.0 market alongside the premium 990 Pro.
The 990’s synthetic benchmarks are unimpressive by mainstream standards, posting budget-grade read speeds of 2,878MB/s and write speeds of 3,974MB/s in CrystalDiskMark testing. More notably, Samsung departs from tradition by offering only a three-year warranty instead of its standard five-year coverage, reflecting the drive’s positioned market segment.
Despite these specification limitations and warranty reduction, the review identifies a compelling paradox: the 990 proves surprisingly effective for gaming workloads. This counterintuitive finding suggests real-world gaming performance may substantially exceed synthetic benchmark results, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious gamers seeking storage expansion.
The reviewer humorously notes the challenging timing of the launch in the current hardware market, comparing it to launching a new business during a volcanic eruption. Nevertheless, the 990 appears positioned as a practical choice for cost-sensitive consumers prioritizing actual gaming performance over synthetic speed metrics, particularly for PC gaming library expansion.