Despite a challenging market and a less-than-stellar specification sheet, Samsung's new 990 SSD has demonstrated a peculiar aptitude for reducing game load times. While its synthetic benchmarks and warranty period might give potential buyers pause, its performance in real-world gaming scenarios, particularly with the 1TB model, positions it as a surprisingly capable option for gamers.
The Samsung 990 arrives with a DRAM-less design and QLC NAND flash, specifications that typically suggest a focus on cost savings over peak performance. This is further underscored by its PCIe 4.0 interface, which, while still fast, is outpaced by newer PCIe 5.0 drives. The drive offers sequential read speeds of up to 7,250MB/s and write speeds of up to 6,450MB/s. In terms of synthetic performance, its random 8 queues/8 threads scores in CrystalDiskMark were reported at 2,878MB/s for reads and 3,974MB/s for writes, placing it in budget-grade territory according to the review.
Compounding these concerns is the drive's warranty. Unlike the standard five-year coverage offered on many SSDs, including Samsung's own 990 Pro, the 990 is limited to a three-year warranty. Furthermore, the pricing, especially for the 2TB model at £430, is considerably higher than the 2TB 990 Pro, which is available for £289 despite offering better synthetic read and write speeds. The 1TB 990, however, is priced at £220, making it more competitive with older single-terabyte drives.
Where the Samsung 990 truly shines is in its impact on game loading. In testing, the 1TB 990 achieved a load time of just 6.3 seconds in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. This performance matches the fastest PCIe 5.0 drives, such as the WD Black SN8100, and narrowly edges out premium drives like the 990 Pro and the WD Black SN850X, which recorded load times of 6.5 seconds. This specific capability suggests the drive is exceptionally well-suited for the demands of game asset streaming and loading.
Given the potential concerns around its warranty and synthetic performance, the review advises caution, particularly regarding the higher-capacity models. However, for those prioritizing game load times and opting for the 1TB variant, the Samsung 990 presents a compelling, albeit niche, case for inclusion in a gaming PC.