Samsung 990 EVO 2TB
Score: 87/100
Western Digital WD Blue SN5000 500GB
Score: 89/100Rankings
The WD Blue SN5000 500 GB is a budget-friendly PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD delivering strong 5,000 MB/s reads and respectable endurance, ideal for mainstream upgrades. Its DRAM-less design keeps power low, though write performance and thermal handling lag behind premium models.
The Samsung 990 EVO 2TB offers a balanced mix of high random performance, strong power efficiency and modern PCIe flexibility, making it ideal for laptops and compact PCs. Its DRAM-less design keeps costs and power low, though heavy write workloads may see a slowdown once the cache is depleted.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
2,000 GBbest | 500 GB | |
5,000 MB/sbest | 5,000 MB/sbest | |
4,200 MB/sbest | 4,000 MB/s | |
700,000 IOPSbest | 460,000 IOPS | |
800,000 IOPSbest | 770,000 IOPS | |
1,200 TBWbest | 300 TBW | |
5 yearsbest | 5 yearsbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 5.5 Wbest | 6.3 W |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Performance(4) | ||
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 4200 MB/s | 4000 MB/s |
Random Read IOPS (IOPS) | 700000 IOPS | 460000 IOPS |
Random Write IOPS (IOPS) | 800000 IOPS | 770000 IOPS |
Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 / PCIe 5.0 x2 | PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 |
Storage(3) | ||
Capacity (GB) | 2000 GB | 500 GB |
NAND Type | 133-layer V-NAND TLC | TLC |
Endurance (TBW) (TBW) | 1200 TBW | 300 TBW |
Power & Energy(1) | ||
Active Power Consumption (W) | 5.5 W | 6.3 W |
Design & Build(2) | ||
Weight (g) | 9 g | 5.7 g |
Thickness (mm) | 2.38 mm | 2.54 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers praise the 990 EVO for its flexible dual-mode PCIe support, strong power efficiency and solid random performance, while noting that raw sequential speeds lag behind flagship models and sustained writes are not class-leading.
Everyday users rate the drive highly, highlighting easy installation, fast boot times and noticeable gains over older SATA or PCIe 3.0 SSDs, with occasional complaints about the lack of a heatsink and DRAM-less architecture.
“Excellent random 4K performance for a DRAM-less SSD, outperforming older models like the 980 PRO in some benchmarks.”
“Users consistently rate the drive highly (4.8-5.0 stars across platforms), praising its ease of installation and fast boot times.”
“The single-sided design fits perfectly in my mini-PC and stays cool.”
Professional reviewers view the SN5000 as a solid upgrade from SATA and PCIe 3.0 SSDs, highlighting its TLC NAND, dynamic SLC cache, and budget-friendly pricing. While they commend its value and lack of a required heatsink, they caution that real-world pricing and the drive's lower write performance keep it from challenging premium offerings.
Everyday users generally praise the drive for fast boot times, reliable operation, and the long warranty, but many complain about fulfillment errors, unresponsive seller support, and occasional heat buildup during intensive tasks.
