Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2000GB

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus uses a 5nm in-house controller paired with Samsung’s 8th Generation V-NAND (236-layer TLC). It employs a DRAM-less architecture with Host Memory Buffer (HMB), supports a hybrid PCIe Gen4 x4 / PCIe Gen5 x2 interface, and relies on Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 (dynamic SLC caching) for sustained write bursts; thermal design includes a nickel-coated controller and a heat spreader label.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 / PCIe Gen 5.0 x2 (Hybrid Support)
• Sequential Performance: Up to 7250 MB/s Read / 6300 MB/s Write
• Controller: Samsung "Piccolo" Proprietary Controller (5nm process)
• NAND Flash: Samsung V8 TLC (Triple-Level Cell)
• DRAM Cache: N/A (Supports Host Memory Buffer - HMB)
• Encryption: AES 256-bit Full Disk Encryption, TCG/Opal V2.0
• Physical Layout: Single-sided PCB M.2 2280

Hardware Alternatives

• Lexar NM790 2000GB / TEAMGROUP MP44Q 2000GB: These drives are the primary architectural rivals, utilizing a DRAM-less design with high-layer-count NAND to achieve near-saturation of the PCIe 4.0 bus and similar peak throughput.
• Western Digital WD_BLACK SN770 2000GB: Western Digital’s proprietary DRAM-less alternative with an in-house controller and no DRAM; architecturally similar in concept.
• Samsung 990 PRO 2000GB: The "Big Brother" in the product stack, sharing similar NAND technology but using a more powerful controller with dedicated LPDDR4 DRAM for superior random I/O consistency and sustained write performance.