SSD family comparison · Updated July 27, 2026 · Prices verified July 27, 2026

Samsung 990 PRO vs WD Blue SN5000

Samsung 990 PRO vs WD Blue SN5000 at every capacity: prices, $/TB, speeds, endurance. Which to buy in July 2026 — full family comparison.

Verdict: Samsung 990 PRO vs WD Blue SN5000

This page compares the Samsung 990 PRO and WD Blue SN5000 product families across all capacities we track. Per-capacity pricing changes the verdict more often than specs do, so start with the capacity table and then check the spec differences below.

On paper, the Samsung 990 PRO family leads on sequential read (7,450 vs 5,500 MB/s). In practice, both saturate typical consumer workloads — the speed gap matters mainly for sustained multi-GB transfers.

Per-terabyte economics favor the WD Blue SN5000: $147.50/TB at its best capacity, against $194.00/TB for the Samsung 990 PRO. If budget drives the decision, the WD Blue SN5000 is the default.

The cache design differs: Samsung 990 PRO carries on-board DRAM, WD Blue SN5000 borrows system RAM via HMB. This matters for database-style workloads and long video-editing sessions, not for everyday use.

Samsung 990 PRO vs WD Blue SN5000: price by capacity

CapacitySamsung 990 PROWD Blue SN5000
1 TB$239 · $239.00/TB
2 TB$388 · $194.00/TB$295 · $147.50/TBFull comparison →
4 TB$825 · $206.25/TB

Spec comparison (2 TB models)

Generation
Gen 4
Gen 4
Interface
PCIe 4.0 x4
PCIe 4.0 x4
Sequential read
7,450 MB/s
5,500 MB/s
Sequential write
6,900 MB/s
5,000 MB/s
Controller
Samsung Pascal
SanDisk
DRAM cache
Yes
No (HMB)
Warranty
5 years
5 years
PS5 compatible
Yes
Yes

Samsung 990 PRO vs WD Blue SN5000 — common questions

Which is cheaper per TB, Samsung 990 PRO or WD Blue SN5000?

As of July 27, 2026, the WD Blue SN5000 family offers the better $/TB: its best configuration is $147.50/TB versus $194.00/TB for the Samsung 990 PRO. The exact winner varies by capacity — see the capacity table for per-size pricing.

Which capacity of the Samsung 990 PRO or WD Blue SN5000 should I buy?

2 TB is the sweet spot for most builds: better $/TB than 1 TB and better availability than 4 TB+ during the 2026 NAND shortage. Check the capacity table above — the per-TB winner can flip between capacities.

Are the Samsung 990 PRO and WD Blue SN5000 PS5 compatible?

Both families are PCIe NVMe M.2 2280 and work in the PS5 expansion slot. The PS5 caps sustained speeds at ~5,500 MB/s, so pick on price, not peak speed, and add a heatsink.