Compare Samsung 990 PRO 2TB and Crucial P310 4TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in July 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Both run on Gen 4 hardware but at different capacities: 2 TB for the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB versus 4 TB for the Crucial P310 4TB. 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 2TB runs on Samsung's 8nm Pascal controller, the silicon powering the 990 PRO line. The Crucial P310 4TB pairs Phison's E27T — a four-channel Gen 4 controller for HMB designs.
Price separates these two meaningfully. The Crucial P310 4TB costs $129.75/TB versus $194.00/TB for the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB — a 33% premium that needs justification in real benchmarks, not just spec-sheet bragging.
The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB carries a dedicated DRAM chip for FTL (Flash Translation Layer) mapping; the Crucial P310 4TB relies on HMB (Host Memory Buffer), borrowing 64 MB from system RAM. The practical gap shows up only under sustained random write loads.
On warranty endurance the Crucial P310 4TB carries 1,760 TBW against Samsung 990 PRO 2TB's 1,200 TBW. Both will outlast typical use, but the gap matters if you're doing professional content work.
For PlayStation 5 builds, the console's internal M.2 slot tops out around 5,500 MB/s sustained, so both Samsung 990 PRO 2TB and Crucial P310 4TB hit the same wall — pick whichever is cheaper at the moment you buy. Heavy write workloads — video editing, RAW photo libraries, backup operations — favor the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB's 6,900 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.
Market context: the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB ranks #10 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the Crucial P310 4TB ranks #3 of 6 Gen 4 4 TB drives. Neither is a value leader right now — if $/TB is your priority, check the cheaper alternatives below before committing.
Pick the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB if you value the lower retail price ($388 vs $519), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip. Samsung's PRO line has the longest track record for firmware reliability — over a decade of consumer SSDs with global RMA support.
Pick the Crucial P310 4TB if you value better $/TB economics ($129.75/TB), and a higher TBW endurance rating (1,760 TBW).