Compare Crucial T705 2TB and Samsung 990 PRO 2TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in May 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Crucial T705 2TB vs Samsung 990 PRO 2TB pits two different generations against each other at 2 TB. The question isn't which is faster on paper — that's settled — it's whether the bandwidth gap shows up in your specific workload.
Hardware-wise, the Crucial T705 2TB runs on an original Phison E26 chip that defined the Gen 5 reference design. The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB pairs Samsung's Pascal controller, fabricated on the company's 8nm process.
Price separates these two meaningfully. The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB costs $109.50/TB versus $199.50/TB for the Crucial T705 2TB — a 45% 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 6,900 MB/s for the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB — a real advantage for video editors and anyone doing heavy file operations.
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 PRO 2TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. The leap from Gen 4 to Gen 5 doubles peak throughput on paper but produces single-digit-percent improvements in game load times, OS boot, and most productivity benchmarks. The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is the better default unless you have a specific workload that needs the extra lanes. 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 PRO 2TB fits without modification.
Pick the Crucial T705 2TB if you value meaningfully faster reads (14,500 MB/s), and higher sustained writes (12,700 MB/s). Crucial typically delivers the best $/TB among DRAM-equipped NVMes because Micron sells direct rather than going through brand licensing.
Pick the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if you value the lower retail price ($219 vs $399), and better $/TB economics ($109.50/TB). Samsung backs the PRO series with one of the strongest warranty experiences in consumer storage — RMAs typically process within 5 business days globally.