Samsung 990 PRO 2TB ($388) vs Crucial T500 1TB ($275). $/TB analysis, performance, and use-case recommendations.
Both run on Gen 4 hardware but at different capacities: 2 TB for the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB versus 1 TB for the Crucial T500 1TB. 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 the in-house Samsung Pascal — engineered specifically for the 990 PRO at 8nm. The Crucial T500 1TB pairs an E25 controller that became the workhorse of late Gen 4 designs.
The cost difference is hard to ignore: 29% per TB (Samsung 990 PRO 2TB at $194.00/TB versus Crucial T500 1TB at $275.00/TB). Unless you specifically need the Crucial T500 1TB's peak performance, the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB delivers more storage for the money.
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB earns higher TBW ratings (1,200 vs 600 TBW) — relevant for sustained write workloads, irrelevant for everything else.
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 2TB and Crucial T500 1TB as interchangeable here and let price decide. 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 2TB nor Crucial T500 1TB fits without modification.
Market context: the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB ranks #10 of 11 Gen 4 2 TB drives we track by $/TB, while the Crucial T500 1TB ranks #4 of 4 Gen 4 1 TB drives. Neither cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is the right call if better $/TB economics ($194.00/TB), and a higher TBW endurance rating (1,200 TBW) matter to you. Among consumer SSD makers, Samsung's PRO series consistently scores highest on long-term reliability surveys (Backblaze, Puget Systems Q1 2026 data).
The Crucial T500 1TB is the right call if the lower retail price ($275 vs $388) matter to you. Crucial's T-series tends to undercut Samsung and WD on price while using comparable Micron silicon — a value play hiding in a flagship form factor.