Compare Samsung 990 PRO 4TB and TeamGroup MP44 4TB: prices, speeds, $/TB. Which to buy in July 2026? Full spec breakdown.
Both the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB and TeamGroup MP44 4TB sit in the Gen 4 category at 4 TB, so the matchup turns on controller efficiency, cache topology, and current pricing rather than raw class differences.
Hardware-wise, the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB runs on Samsung's Pascal controller, fabricated on the company's 8nm process. The TeamGroup MP44 4TB pairs the MaxioTech MAP1602 — a DRAM-less Gen 4 controller dominating the value tier across TeamGroup, Lexar, and others.
Price separates these two meaningfully. The TeamGroup MP44 4TB costs $128.25/TB versus $206.25/TB for the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB — a 38% premium that needs justification in real benchmarks, not just spec-sheet bragging.
The Samsung 990 PRO 4TB carries a dedicated DRAM chip for FTL (Flash Translation Layer) mapping; the TeamGroup MP44 4TB relies on HMB (Host Memory Buffer), borrowing 64 MB from system RAM. The practical gap shows up only under sustained random write loads.
For PS5 expansion, both are PCIe Gen 4 M.2 2280 drives that meet Sony's minimum spec (7,400 MB/s read). The console can't take advantage of speeds beyond that, so save money by choosing the TeamGroup MP44 4TB. Video editors will gravitate toward the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB for its write headroom (6,900 MB/s sustained). Project saves and proxies move faster, which compounds across a workday. 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: we track 6 Gen 4 4 TB drives, and by price per terabyte the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB currently sits #6 while the TeamGroup MP44 4TB sits #2. That puts at least one of them near the top of the value table — a reasonable head-to-head to be choosing from.
As of July 27, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB and TeamGroup MP44 4TB on $/TB:
Pick the Samsung 990 PRO 4TB if you value 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.
Pick the TeamGroup MP44 4TB if you value the lower retail price ($513 vs $825), and better $/TB economics ($128.25/TB). The TeamGroup MP44 4TB wins on $/TB because it pairs DRAM-less MAP1602 silicon with low-margin distribution. Performance is fine for OS and gaming, weaker only on sustained random writes.