Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB ($280) vs Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB ($419). $/TB analysis, performance, and use-case recommendations.
Both run on Gen 5 hardware but at different capacities: 1 TB for the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB versus 4 TB for the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB. Whether the larger drive's $/TB advantage justifies the higher upfront cost depends on how much you actually need.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB runs on Samsung's in-house Presto controller, designed specifically for the 9100 PRO series. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB pairs the dual-mode Samsung Piccolo silicon that uniquely runs PCIe 5.0 x2 or PCIe 4.0 x4.
The cost difference is hard to ignore: 63% per TB (Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB at $104.75/TB versus Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB at $280.00/TB). Unless you specifically need the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB's peak performance, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB delivers more storage for the money.
Read speeds favor the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB: 14,700 MB/s versus 7,250 MB/s for the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB, a 51% advantage. Sequential-heavy workloads notice; transactional workloads don't.
The Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB writes about 53% faster (13,400 MB/s vs 6,300 MB/s). Whether that matters depends entirely on what you write to the drive — gameplay capture and large project saves benefit, browsing and gaming do not.
Cache architecture differs: Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB has DRAM hardware, Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB uses HMB. For OS, gaming, browsing — indistinguishable. For databases, large file ops, or 4K video editing — DRAM has a small but consistent edge.
On warranty endurance the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB carries 2,400 TBW against Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB's 600 TBW. Both will outlast typical use, but the gap matters if you're doing professional content work.
If this purchase is for a PS5 storage expansion, the comparison flattens — Sony's PCIe Gen 4 controller normalizes both Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB and Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. Heavy write workloads — video editing, RAW photo libraries, backup operations — favor the Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB's 13,400 MB/s sustained write speed. Both drives use the 2280 form factor, which is too long for Steam Deck or ROG Ally — you'd need a 2230 variant if either manufacturer offers one, or a dedicated handheld-format drive instead.
The Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB is the right call if the lower retail price ($280 vs $419), meaningfully faster reads (14,700 MB/s), higher sustained writes (13,400 MB/s), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip matter to you. Samsung's PRO line has the longest track record for firmware reliability — over a decade of consumer SSDs with global RMA support.
The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB is the right call if better $/TB economics ($104.75/TB), and a higher TBW endurance rating (2,400 TBW) matter to you. Among Samsung's lineup, the 990 EVO Plus is the only consumer drive that physically supports dual-generation PCIe — same hardware, different bus speed depending on platform.