Compare Samsung 990 PRO 1TB and WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in July 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Both the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB and WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB sit in the Gen 4 category at 1 TB, so the matchup turns on controller efficiency, cache topology, and current pricing rather than raw class differences.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB runs on the in-house Samsung Pascal — engineered specifically for the 990 PRO at 8nm. The WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB pairs WD's G2 controller — manufactured by SanDisk and tuned for low-latency gaming workloads.
If this purchase is for a PS5 storage expansion, the comparison flattens — Sony's PCIe Gen 4 controller normalizes both Samsung 990 PRO 1TB and WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. For content creators routinely rendering 4K or 8K video, the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB's 6,900 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 Samsung 990 PRO 1TB nor WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB fits without modification.
Zoom out from this pair for a moment. Among the 4 Gen 4 1 TB drives we track, the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB ranks #3 by $/TB and the WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB ranks #2. Neither is a value leader right now — if $/TB is your priority, check the cheaper alternatives below before committing.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 990 PRO 1TB and WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB on $/TB:
Among consumer SSD makers, Samsung's PRO series consistently scores highest on long-term reliability surveys (Backblaze, Puget Systems Q1 2026 data).
Pick the WD_BLACK SN850X 1TB if you value the lower retail price ($220 vs $239), and better $/TB economics ($220.00/TB). Among Gen 4 flagships, the SN850X strikes a sweet spot — premium silicon at sub-Samsung pricing, with WD's established RMA process to back it up.