Last Gen Standing

The world of storage drives has been evolving rapidly, and now we're stepping into the PCIe 5.0 era.

But don’t rush to discard your PCIe 4.0 solid state drives (SSD) just yet. Many PCs are still not compatible with PCIe 5.0 drives, especially if you are not running the newest generations of Intel or AMD processors. For those still on the older interface and need a top-notch speed upgrade, Samsung’s 990 Pro is a stellar choice.

Launched late last year, the 990 Pro might be among the last notable PCIe 4.0 SSDs to hit the market, and are available in 1TB and 2TB capacities. Samsung has positioned the 990 Pro as the “ultimate” SSD for creators, gamers, and tech aficionados. Despite being overkill for many, its relatively attractive price tag in 2023 makes it a strong recommendation for anyone with even a humble budget for storage. Samsung officially retails the 1TB version at $199, and the 2TB model at $349 locally, but you can often find it on sale at online retailers like Amazon. For example, we found the 2TB going for just $257.

Samsung also offers a custom heatsink version, but that does not seem to be available here. It’s unlikely you will need it anyway, as most if not all modern motherboards already come with SSD heatsinks and thermal pads, so the added cost for Samsung’s heatsink might not even be necessary unless you intend to use it as a storage expansion for the PlayStation 5.