Side-by-side: Samsung 990 PRO 1TB ($239) vs WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB ($290). $/TB winner, specs, real-world picks for July 2026.
Both run on Gen 4 hardware but at different capacities: 1 TB for the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB versus 2 TB for the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB. Whether the larger drive's $/TB advantage justifies the higher upfront cost depends on how much you actually need.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB runs on Samsung's Pascal controller, fabricated on the company's 8nm process. The WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB pairs the SanDisk A101 — a more recent design from the WD/SanDisk lineup.
Money matters here — $145.00/TB on the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB versus $239.00/TB on the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB. That's enough of a spread that for budget-conscious builders, the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB becomes the default unless reviews of your specific workload prefer the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB.
The DRAM-vs-HMB question divides opinion: Samsung 990 PRO 1TB's on-board DRAM theoretically helps under sustained workloads, while WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB's HMB approach has matured enough that most users won't see the difference. Pick on price if everything else is similar.
Endurance leans toward the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB at 1,200 TBW (versus 600 TBW for the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB). For most consumers this never becomes a real concern — 600 TBW lasts a decade of normal writes — but heavy daily writers should weight it.
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 PRO 1TB and WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB as interchangeable here and let price decide. Heads-up — these are full-length 2280 drives. Steam Deck and most current handhelds require shorter 2230 modules, so check capacity-specific 2230 variants if that's your target platform.
Market context: the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB ranks #3 of 4 Gen 4 1 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB ranks #3 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives. One of them is genuinely among the cheapest options in its class, so this matchup includes a real value pick.
Go with the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB for the lower retail price ($239 vs $290), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip. Samsung backs the PRO series with one of the strongest warranty experiences in consumer storage — RMAs typically process within 5 business days globally.
Go with the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB for better $/TB economics ($145.00/TB), and a higher TBW endurance rating (1,200 TBW).