Side-by-side: Samsung 990 PRO 1TB ($240) vs WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB ($305). $/TB winner, specs, real-world picks for September 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 — $152.50/TB on the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB versus $240.00/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 #2 of 4 Gen 4 1 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the WD_BLACK SN7100 2TB ranks #6 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives. Neither cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
Go with the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB for the lower retail price ($240 vs $305), 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 ($152.50/TB), and a higher TBW endurance rating (1,200 TBW).