Samsung 990 1TB SSD falls to $189.99 amid memory price squeeze

What the deal offers

Samsung's 1TB 990 SSD is currently listed on Amazon at $189.99, down from a list price of $229.99, according to Tom's Hardware. That works out to roughly 19 cents per gigabyte, which the publication notes is a notable saving at a time when discounts on fast internal storage have become scarce.

The discount comes amid an ongoing shortage of NAND flash and DRAM memory that has pushed storage prices up across the industry. Tom's Hardware suggests that anyone who has delayed a storage upgrade may find this a reasonable window to buy.

Specifications and design

The 990 is a PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive, a fast storage standard that connects directly to a computer's motherboard. Samsung launched it earlier this year with a 1TB model priced at $269.99 and a 2TB version at $529.99, so the current sale price sits well below the original launch figure.

The drive uses Samsung's V9 QLC NAND flash memory and a controller without dedicated DRAM. Samsung rates it for sequential reads of up to 7,150 MB/s and writes of up to 6,450 MB/s, figures that cover gaming, everyday computing and moving large files.

It comes in a single-sided M.2 2280 form factor, the standard stick shape for internal SSDs. Tom's Hardware says this should make it compatible with most desktop motherboards, laptops and mini-PCs. Samsung backs the drive with a three-year warranty and rates it for up to 400TB of written data.

How it performs

Tom's Hardware tested the 2TB version of the drive and found it delivered solid all-round performance, especially in gaming and everyday use. In some tests it matched the Samsung 990 EVO Plus, though it trailed rivals such as the Crucial P310 and WD Blue SN5100 during file transfers.

One strength the reviewers highlighted is a large write cache, a buffer that lets the drive sustain high speeds before slowing down. In testing it held nearly 6,100 MB/s for more than 57 seconds before performance dropped. Power efficiency was not a strong point, but the publication judged it a competent budget PCIe 4.0 drive.

Who should consider it

The deal is aimed at three groups, according to Tom's Hardware: people building a new PC, gamers expanding their libraries, and anyone replacing an older SATA drive, an older and slower storage standard. Upgrading from SATA or a hard drive should bring visibly faster boot times, quicker application loading and better overall responsiveness.

At $189.99 the 1TB 990 is also positioned as a way to add game storage without a large outlay. Buyers should weigh the three-year warranty, which is shorter than the five-year cover Samsung offers on some higher-end drives, against the current price. Availability and pricing on Amazon can change quickly during the memory shortage, so the deal may not last.