Compare Crucial T705 2TB and Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in May 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Both the Crucial T705 2TB and Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB sit in the Gen 5 category at 2 TB, so the matchup turns on controller efficiency, cache topology, and current pricing rather than raw class differences.
Hardware-wise, the Crucial T705 2TB runs on an original Phison E26 chip that defined the Gen 5 reference design. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB pairs Samsung's Piccolo — a DRAM-less controller with flexible PCIe generation support.
Price separates these two meaningfully. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB costs $114.50/TB versus $199.50/TB for the Crucial T705 2TB — a 43% premium that needs justification in real benchmarks, not just spec-sheet bragging.
In the read department, the Crucial T705 2TB leads by roughly 7 GB/s. The difference is more academic than practical for typical use, but it does matter for video editors moving multi-GB project files.
Write performance separates them too. The Crucial T705 2TB sustains 12,700 MB/s writes versus 6,300 MB/s for the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB — a real advantage for video editors and anyone doing heavy file operations.
The Crucial T705 2TB carries a dedicated DRAM chip for FTL (Flash Translation Layer) mapping; the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB relies on HMB (Host Memory Buffer), borrowing 64 MB from system RAM. The practical gap shows up only under sustained random write loads.
If this purchase is for a PS5 storage expansion, the comparison flattens — Sony's PCIe Gen 4 controller normalizes both Crucial T705 2TB and Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. For content creators routinely rendering 4K or 8K video, the Crucial T705 2TB's 12,700 MB/s sustained write is the deciding factor — multi-GB project files land noticeably faster than on the alternative. Note for handheld gamers: M.2 2280 is the desktop/laptop standard. Steam Deck and the ROG Ally line need 2230 drives — neither Crucial T705 2TB nor Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB fits without modification.
Pick the Crucial T705 2TB if you value meaningfully faster reads (14,500 MB/s), higher sustained writes (12,700 MB/s), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip. Crucial typically delivers the best $/TB among DRAM-equipped NVMes because Micron sells direct rather than going through brand licensing.
Pick the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB if you value the lower retail price ($229 vs $399), and better $/TB economics ($114.50/TB). Samsung designed the 990 EVO Plus around the Piccolo controller's dual-PCIe support — a hedge against both Gen 4 holdouts and Gen 5 early adopters.