Which is better, WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB or Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB? September 2026 side-by-side with prices, specs, and verdict.
A like-for-like comparison: both drives target the same buyer segment at the same Gen 5 2 TB class. The interesting question becomes which manufacturer's implementation aged better.
Hardware-wise, the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB runs on SMI's SM2508 silicon, which became the default Gen 5 controller for power-conscious flagships. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB pairs Samsung's Piccolo controller — DRAM-less with PCIe 4.0/5.0 dual-mode support.
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB's $185.00/TB pricing edges out WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB's $220.00/TB by about 16%. Not transformative, but a real difference at 2-4 TB capacities where it adds up.
On sequential reads the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB pulls ahead by 7,650 MB/s (14,900 MB/s versus 7,250 MB/s). That matters for moving large files but rarely shows up in game loads.
Write speeds skew toward the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB: 11,000 MB/s sustained against 6,300 MB/s. Content creators feel this; gamers do not.
WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB bundles a DRAM cache chip; Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB is DRAM-less. This sounds like a big deal but reviewers have been arguing for years about whether it actually matters in consumer use. For most workloads, no.
Heading to a PlayStation 5? Both drives drop into the console's M.2 bay and report identical real-world benchmarks since the PS5 caps storage at PCIe 4.0 speeds. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB wins this matchup on $/TB. Video editors will gravitate toward the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB for its write headroom (11,000 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 11 Gen 5 2 TB drives, and by price per terabyte the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB currently sits #9 while the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB sits #4. Neither is a value leader right now — if $/TB is your priority, check the cheaper alternatives below before committing.
As of September 7, 2026, these tracked drives undercut both the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB and Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB on $/TB:
Lean toward the WD_BLACK SN8100 2TB when meaningfully faster reads (14,900 MB/s), higher sustained writes (11,000 MB/s), and a dedicated DRAM cache chip top your priority list.
Lean toward the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB when the lower retail price ($370 vs $440), and better $/TB economics ($185.00/TB) top your priority list. The 990 EVO Plus uniquely supports both PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2 modes — useful flexibility if you might upgrade motherboard generations.