Home › Best 2 TB SSDs › Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB vs Crucial P310 2TB
SSD comparison · Updated October 19, 2026 · Prices verified October 19, 2026

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB vs Crucial P310 2TB

Which is better, Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB or Crucial P310 2TB? October 2026 side-by-side with prices, specs, and verdict.

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB Gen 5

Samsung · Samsung Piccolo
$370
↑ was $357 on September 21, 2026
$185.00/TB
View on Amazon →

Crucial P310 2TB Gen 4

Crucial · Phison E27T
$251
↓ was $252 on September 28, 2026
$125.50/TB
View on Amazon →
Generation
Gen 5
Gen 4
Price (USD)
$370
$251
Capacity
2 TB
2 TB
$/TB
$185.00
$125.50
Sequential read
7,250 MB/s
7,100 MB/s
Sequential write
6,300 MB/s
6,000 MB/s
Interface
PCIe 4.0x4/5.0x2
PCIe 4.0 x4
Controller
Samsung Piccolo
Phison E27T
DRAM cache
No (HMB)
No (HMB)
TBW endurance
1,200 TBW
880 TBW
Warranty
5 years
5 years
PS5 compatible
Yes
Yes

Verdict: Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB vs Crucial P310 2TB

Cross-generation comparisons reveal whether you're paying for peak speed or sustained value. Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB vs Crucial P310 2TB at 2 TB is a perfect lens for that question.

Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB runs on the dual-mode Samsung Piccolo silicon that uniquely runs PCIe 5.0 x2 or PCIe 4.0 x4. The Crucial P310 2TB pairs an E27T controller built specifically for DRAM-less Gen 4 SSDs.

At a 32% price gap, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB needs to be measurably better in your specific use case to justify the spend. For gaming and general PC use, the Crucial P310 2TB's lower $/TB tilts the value equation decisively in its favor.

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB earns higher TBW ratings (1,200 vs 880 TBW) — relevant for sustained write workloads, irrelevant for everything else.

Real-world use cases

PS5 owners get no measurable benefit from either drive's peak speed because Sony's internal NVMe controller throttles to ~5,500 MB/s; treat Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Crucial P310 2TB as interchangeable here and let price decide. Generational difference matters mainly for sequential-heavy workloads. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB's 7,250 MB/s read beats Crucial P310 2TB's 7,100 on paper, though in practice both feel identical loading games. Note for handheld gamers: M.2 2280 is the desktop/laptop standard. Steam Deck and the ROG Ally line need 2230 drives — neither Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB nor Crucial P310 2TB fits without modification.

Market context: the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB ranks #5 of 11 Gen 5 2 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the Crucial P310 2TB ranks #2 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives. That puts at least one of them near the top of the value table — a reasonable head-to-head to be choosing from.

Cheaper 2 TB alternatives to both

As of October 19, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Crucial P310 2TB on $/TB:

$67.50/TB · $135

Lexar EQ790 2TB
7,000 MB/s read · 1,200 TBW · HMB

Pick the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB if...

Lean toward the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB when a higher TBW endurance rating (1,200 TBW) top your priority list. 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.

Pick the Crucial P310 2TB if...

Lean toward the Crucial P310 2TB when the lower retail price ($251 vs $370), and better $/TB economics ($125.50/TB) top your priority list.

Best value for money

Crucial P310 2TB
$125.50/TB beats the alternative by 32%

Best for gaming

Crucial P310 2TB
Strong $/MB-s ratio for game loads, and fits the PS5 expansion slot

Best for content creators

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB
Best write-heavy profile here: 6,300 MB/s sustained, 1,200 TBW

Best for PS5

Crucial P310 2TB
PS5-compatible Gen 4 at $125.50/TB
FAQ

Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB vs Crucial P310 2TB — common questions

What's the price difference between Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Crucial P310 2TB?

The Crucial P310 2TB costs $251 (125.50 per TB), while the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB runs $370 (185.00 per TB). The gap is $119, equivalent to about 32% per TB. Prices change weekly; check current Amazon listings before deciding.

Does the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB's read advantage matter in practice?

Specs say yes (7,250 MB/s versus 7,100 MB/s). Real-world testing says rarely. Game load times and OS boots saturate well below either drive's peak read speed. The advantage shows up in sustained sequential reads — large file copies, raw video reads, dataset loads.

Is the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB or Crucial P310 2TB better for PS5?

Both are PCIe Gen 4 NVMe M.2 2280 — both meet Sony's expansion requirements. The PS5's M.2 controller caps sustained speeds at ~5,500 MB/s, so both drives saturate it equally. Pick on price — the Crucial P310 2TB at $125.50/TB is the better value. Add a heatsink (the PS5 cover provides minimal cooling) for thermal headroom.

Which has better endurance, the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB or Crucial P310 2TB?

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB carries the higher rating: 1,200 TBW versus 880 TBW on the Crucial P310 2TB. For typical consumer use this rarely matters — even 600 TBW takes 10+ years of normal writes to consume. Content creators writing 50+ GB daily should weight TBW more heavily.

Will I notice the difference between Gen 5 and Gen 4 in everyday use?

Realistically, no. Game load times, application launches, and OS boots complete before either drive maxes out its bandwidth. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB's spec advantage only manifests during sustained sequential operations — content creation pipelines, large dataset reads, scientific computing. For PC gaming and PS5 expansion, the Crucial P310 2TB delivers identical perceived performance at lower cost.

Bottom line: Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB or Crucial P310 2TB?

Default recommendation: Crucial P310 2TB. It hits the right balance of price ($125.50/TB), Gen 4 performance, and brand support for the average buyer. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB has its place if you need higher sustained write speeds, but that's a narrower use case.

Are there cheaper 2 TB SSDs than the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB and Crucial P310 2TB?

Yes. As of October 19, 2026, the Lexar EQ790 2TB ($67.50/TB) all undercut both drives on price per terabyte. Budget drives in this range are typically DRAM-less, which matters only for sustained random-write workloads — for gaming and general use they perform comparably.

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