Samsung 990 PRO 2TB ($388) vs TeamGroup MP44L 2TB ($293). $/TB analysis, performance, and use-case recommendations.
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB and TeamGroup MP44L 2TB are direct competitors — same generation, same capacity. Choose by controller behavior under sustained load, DRAM/HMB cache strategy, and $/TB economics.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB runs on Samsung's 8nm Pascal controller, the silicon powering the 990 PRO line. The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB pairs MaxioTech's MAP1602 silicon, the default choice for budget Gen 4 drives in 2024-2026.
The cheaper drive — TeamGroup MP44L 2TB at $146.50/TB — saves you $47.50 per TB versus the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB. Worth it if you're capacity-constrained; either works if you just want one fast drive.
Read speeds favor the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB: 7,450 MB/s versus 5,000 MB/s for the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB, a 33% advantage. Sequential-heavy workloads notice; transactional workloads don't.
The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB writes about 35% faster (6,900 MB/s vs 4,500 MB/s). Whether that matters depends entirely on what you write to the drive — gameplay capture and large project saves benefit, browsing and gaming do not.
Cache architecture differs: Samsung 990 PRO 2TB has DRAM hardware, TeamGroup MP44L 2TB uses HMB. For OS, gaming, browsing — indistinguishable. For databases, large file ops, or 4K video editing — DRAM has a small but consistent edge.
If this purchase is for a PS5 storage expansion, the comparison flattens — Sony's PCIe Gen 4 controller normalizes both Samsung 990 PRO 2TB and TeamGroup MP44L 2TB to roughly equal in-game load times. The cheaper drive is the smart pick. 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.
How do these two fit the wider Gen 4 2 TB field? Out of 11 tracked drives, the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is #10 on $/TB and the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB is #5. Neither cracks the top of the value table, so it's worth glancing at the alternatives below before picking either.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 990 PRO 2TB and TeamGroup MP44L 2TB on $/TB:
The Samsung 990 PRO 2TB is the right call if meaningfully faster reads (7,450 MB/s), higher sustained writes (6,900 MB/s), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip matter to you. Samsung's PRO line has the longest track record for firmware reliability — over a decade of consumer SSDs with global RMA support.
The TeamGroup MP44L 2TB is the right call if the lower retail price ($293 vs $388), and better $/TB economics ($146.50/TB) matter to you. Budget-tier drives like the TeamGroup MP44L 2TB have closed the gap with premium NVMes — the MAP1602 controller is genuinely competitive for everyday workloads at half the price.