Samsung 990 EVO Plus Performance

We will compare the Samsung 990 EVO Plus against a few other recent consumer SSDs in our performance benchmarks.

• Samsung 990 EVO
• Samsung 990 Pro
• Crucial T500
• WD Blue SN580

For testing, we use two platforms. The consumer test platform supports PCIe Gen4/Gen5 SSDs and runs Windows 11. It is leveraged for lighter consumer-based tests such as BlackMagic DiskSpeed Test, CrystalDiskMark, and our primary platform, a Dell PowerEdge R760, which overlaps our enterprise tests. Serial Cables supplied an 8-bay PCIe Gen5 JBOF for testing for U.2/U.3, M.2, and E1.S/E3.S drives. This allows us to test all current and emerging drive types on the same test hardware. With the lack of onboard DRAM with the Samsung 990 EVO Plus, our enterprise platform used for vdbench tests will generally see slower performance than the drive inside our consumer platform running Windows 11.

Dell PowerEdge R760 Configuration

• Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6430 (32 cores/64 threads, 1.9GHz base)
• 1TB DDR5 RAM
• Ubuntu 22.04

VDBench Workload Analysis

The VDBench Workload Analysis tests are a set of synthetic workloads that help provide baseline, repeatable conditions across multiple drives. These tests fill the drive surface with data and then partition a drive section equal to one percent of the drive capacity to simulate how the drive may respond to application workloads. This differs from full entropy tests, which utilize 100% of the drive and take it to a steady state.

We will look at seven different tests, including:

• 4K Random Read: 100% Read, 128 threads, 0-120% iorate
• 4K Random Write: 100% Write, 64 threads, 0-120% iorate
• 64K Sequential Read: 100% Read, 16 threads, 0-120% iorate
• 64K Sequential Write: 100% Write, 8 threads, 0-120% iorate
• VDI Boot
• VDI Initial Login
• VDI Monday Login

Starting with the Random Read 4K test, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus peaked at 266K IOPS with 480ms latency, outperforming the EVO and WD Blue SN580 drives. However, it still lagged well behind the higher-end Samsung 990 Pro and Crucial T500.

In the Random Write 4K test, we saw erratic behavior across most drives except the 990 Pro. The EVO Plus managed 37K IOPS at 232.2ms, which, while better than the EVO and WD Blue, still wasn’t stellar.

The EVO Plus struggled for the Sequential Read 64K test, falling behind the rest of the drives. It reached only 1.56GB/s at 1,277.3ms, while even the non-plus 990 EVO doubled that speed with 3.22GB/s.

In the Sequential Write 64K test, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus performed better. It peaked at 586MB/s with a latency of 1,664.2ms, a noticeable improvement over its predecessor.

In the VDI Boot test, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus topped 42K IOPS with a latency of 829ms, outperforming the regular 990 EVO, which maxed out around 35K IOPS at 922ms and finished with over 1,000ms latency. As expected, the Crucial T500 and 990 Pro were significantly ahead in this category.

Regarding the VDI Initial Login, things got a bit more unpredictable. The 990 EVO Plus hit 18K IOPS at 414ms but faced a big spike at the end. This erratic performance also occurred with the non-plus 990 EVO, which peaked at 16K IOPS with 1,892ms latency and experienced a late spike before the test wrapped up.

For the VDI Monday Login, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus did quite well for its price range, hitting 16K IOPS with 978.5ms latency. This was a clear improvement from the non-plus 990 EVO, which only reached 11K IOPS at 1,450ms latency.

BootBench

BOOT-BENCH-1 is an OCP workload profile designed to test SSDs for server boot duty. While this role is typically for enterprise SSDs, client SSDs are often chosen for their balance of performance, capacity, and cost. This is particularly relevant for hyperscalers and system providers facing similar challenges.

Before running a read-heavy workload, the boot test fills the entire drive with writes. It involves a 32K random read async operation, a 15MiB/s synchronous 128K random write, and a 5MiB/s synchronous 128K random write/trim in the background. Starting at four jobs, it scales up to 256 during peak read operations.

Unfortunately, like the standard version of the 990 EVO, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus failed the bootbench.

CrystalDiskMark Speed Test

CrystalDiskMark is a popular drive benchmark. We tested the Samsung 990 EVO Plus inside our consumer test platform running Windows 11, using five passes with a 32GB sample file. Here, it was able to hit 7.14GB/s read and 5.76GB/s write.

This is a noticeable bump in speed over the standard Samsung 990 EVO model, which reached 5.01GB/s read and 3.75GB/s write in our review.

Blackmagic DiskSpeed Test

Lastly, we tested performance within a Windows 11 environment using the popular Blackmagic tool. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus achieved 5.47GB/s read and 4.88GB/s write speeds. This represents a solid improvement over the non-plus version, which managed only 4.26GB/s read and 3.44GB/s write, marking a 28% increase in read speed and a 42% boost in write performance.

While these gains are impressive, they fall short of Samsung’s claims. The 990 EVO Plus is specced to deliver up to 7,250MB/s read speeds for the 2TB and 4TB models—a 45% improvement over the 990 EVO’s 5GB/s. Similarly, the Plus version promises write speeds of up to 6,300MB/s, a 50% increase over the 990 EVO’s 4,200MB/s. While the real-world performance doesn’t quite reach these numbers, the upgrade still offers faster load times and smoother handling of large files.

Conclusion

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a reliable choice for anyone looking to upgrade their storage—especially those seeking a balance of performance, power efficiency, and capacity. Boasting enhanced speeds over the standard 990 EVO, along with features like Samsung’s 8th-generation V-NAND and an in-house 5nm controller, the EVO Plus is well-suited for consumers in need of dependable storage for gaming, content creation, and everyday computing tasks. Its wide range of capacity options (up to 4TB) also makes it attractive for users handling large volumes of data or running resource-intensive applications.

In terms of performance, the 990 EVO Plus delivers clear improvements over its predecessor, most notably in random read and write speeds—though its sequential read performance is not without room for improvement. While the drive puts up solid real-world results, it doesn’t always live up to Samsung’s claimed figures. For example, in our BlackMagic test, the EVO Plus achieved 5.47GB/s read and 4.88GB/s write speeds—respectable numbers, but still below the promised maximums. Even so, most users will notice a meaningful, worthwhile performance boost, particularly in everyday tasks and multitasking scenarios.

 

When it comes to pricing, the 990 EVO Plus sits at the upper end of the budget-friendly SSD market, carrying a slight premium for its performance and feature set. The 1TB model is currently available for $90, the 2TB version for $150, and the 4TB model for $345. This positions it above alternatives like the Western Digital Blue SN580, which starts at $75 for 1TB and $260 for 4TB—though the SN580 lagged far behind the 990 EVO Plus in our testing. At the same time, Samsung’s own 990 Pro offers significantly better performance at a not-too-distant price point: $109 for 1TB and $309 for 4TB when on sale. For users prioritizing pure performance at this price range, the Pro series is undoubtedly the superior choice. Even so, the EVO Plus remains an appealing option for those aiming to balance performance and cost—especially if high capacity is a top priority.

 

Ultimately, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus delivers solid speed and reliability, making it a strong choice for a wide range of users. Its power efficiency and advanced thermal management also ensure it can handle heavy workloads without compromising stability. That said, given its pricing, users who want the absolute best performance for their money may want to consider the 990 Pro. But if you’re in the market for solid all-around performance with high-capacity options, the 990 EVO Plus is a worthy addition to Samsung’s consumer SSD lineup.

 

Beijing Qianxing Jietong Technology Co., Ltd.
Sandy Yang/Global Strategy Director
WhatsApp / WeChat: +86 13426366826
Email: yangyd@qianxingdata.com
Website: www.qianxingdata.com/www.storagesserver.com

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