Samsung's brand-new 2TB 990 Evo hybrid launched at $210 just over a week ago and has already received a significant discount. You can pick up the currently unique 2TB Samsung 990 Evo M.2 SSD at Amazon for $159. What makes the drive unique is that it is the world's first hybrid PCIe 4.0 x4 and 5.0 x2 SSD, able to run PCIe 5.0 in 2 lanes, or the more common PCIe 4.0 in 4 lanes. But don't expect top-notch speeds. The speed of the drive remains the same whichever way you go, with performance up to 5,000/4,200 MB/s for sequential read/write throughput.
So unless you really find the hybrid interface appealing, the Samsung 990 Pro is probably the better buy. The 2TB Samsung 990 Pro is available for exactly the same $159 price at Newegg . While it lacks the PCIe 5.0 lanes, this PCIe 4.0 SSD boasts rea speeds of 7,450 and write speeds of 6,900 MB/s.
So what's the appeal of the newer 990 Evo? Its hybrid PCIe design features an efficient 5nm controller, and Samsung’s refined 2nd-gen 133-Layer V6P TLC NAND flash, with a single-sided design. This makes the 990 Evo a better option for devices where space is a premium, such as laptops or the PlayStation 5 console. It should use less power and generate less heat than the 990 Pro.
