Samsung 990 EVO Plus for PS5 Review

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a fast, efficient NVMe SSD that makes a good choice for expanding your PS5 or PS5 Pro storage. It offers read speeds well above Sony’s recommended minimum, comes from a well-established storage brand, and is available in capacities up to 4TB.

However, there is one important detail: the standard 990 EVO Plus does not include a full heatsink. You’ll need to install a compatible aftermarket heatsink before fitting it inside your console. Once that’s taken care of, it delivers the performance needed for a smooth PS5 gaming experience.

After considering its specifications, PS5 transfer tests, reliability features, and overall practicality, I consider it a strong option, provided you find it at a competitive price.

1. Specifications and PS5 compatibility

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD supporting PCIe 4.0 x4 and PCIe 5.0 x2. Although it supports two interface configurations, the PS5 uses its PCIe 4.0 interface.

Here are the main specifications relevant to console owners:

Compatibility rating: ★★★★★

Its advertised read speed comfortably exceeds Sony’s recommended 5,500 MB/s for an additional PS5 SSD. The physical dimensions are also suitable for the console’s M.2 expansion slot.

Remember that the advertised speeds are manufacturer figures obtained under specified conditions. Actual performance inside a PS5 will depend on the console and the workload.

2. PS5 performance: How fast is it?

Specifications are useful, but what matters most is how the SSD performs when you install games, load levels, and move large files between storage drives.

Independent PS5 testing published by Games.ch reported a console storage test result of approximately 6,251 MB/s for the Samsung 990 EVO Plus. In its file-transfer tests, the drive copied 101.3GB of game data in approximately 41 seconds and transferred a 129.6GB game in around 54 seconds.

These are strong results, although transfer times can vary depending on the games, console software, and test conditions.

My PS5 performance ratings

These are practical assessment ratings, not official Sony scores or measurements from a separate test conducted for this article.

3. Game loading times: Will it make games faster?

This is where expectations matter. The 990 EVO Plus is fast enough to handle PS5 games without being a meaningful storage bottleneck in normal use. However, you should not expect every game to load noticeably faster than it does from the console’s built-in SSD.

Modern PS5 games are designed around fast SSD storage. Once an expansion drive meets the console’s performance needs, differences in loading times between reputable SSDs can be small.

My advice: Don’t pay a large premium for an SSD simply because its advertised speed is higher. A good, compatible Gen4 SSD can already provide an excellent PS5 experience.

4. Cooling and heatsink requirements

This is the most important thing to know before purchasing the 990 EVO Plus for your console. The standard model does not include the full heatsink Sony recommends for M.2 expansion storage.

You should purchase a compatible aftermarket M.2 heatsink and install it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure the complete assembly meets Sony’s dimensional limits: no more than 11.25mm in total height, including the SSD and cooling solution.

Samsung’s built-in thermal design does not replace the need for a suitable PS5 heatsink. Proper cooling helps the SSD manage heat during demanding transfers and extended use.

Cooling rating: ★★★★☆ with a suitable heatsink installed.

5. Reliability, endurance and warranty

Samsung uses its V-NAND TLC flash memory and an in-house controller in the 990 EVO Plus. The drive also uses Host Memory Buffer (HMB) rather than dedicated onboard DRAM, a design that helps balance cost and performance.

Samsung specifies a five-year limited warranty, with rated endurance varying by capacity:

• 1TB: 600TBW
• 2TB: 1,200TBW
• 4TB: 2,400TBW

TBW means terabytes written, or the rated amount of data that can be written over the drive’s specified endurance period. These ratings are reassuring for ordinary gaming use, where most owners are unlikely to approach them under typical conditions.

Reliability rating: ★★★★★

6. Is the Samsung 990 EVO Plus worth the money?

The 990 EVO Plus makes the most sense when you want a quality SSD from Samsung and can get it at a reasonable price. It offers more than enough read performance for the PS5, and the available 2TB and 4TB capacities are particularly attractive for players with large libraries.

However, it isn’t automatically the best-value choice. Some less expensive Gen4 SSDs can provide a very similar gaming experience. You should also include the cost of a compatible heatsink when comparing prices.

If a Samsung 990 PRO with a factory-installed heatsink is available for a small additional cost, it may be worth comparing the two. But don’t assume that paying more for a flagship model will noticeably improve your PS5 loading times.

Final verdict: Should you buy it for PS5?

The Samsung 990 EVO Plus is a capable SSD for expanding the storage of a PS5 or PS5 Pro. It combines strong sequential read speeds, useful capacity options, a five-year limited warranty, and impressive game-transfer results.

Its main disadvantage is the missing heatsink, which adds an extra purchase and installation step. Its price is another consideration, especially because PS5 games generally don’t benefit much from moving beyond the performance of an already suitable SSD.

My final rating: ★★★★☆ 4.5/5

I would recommend the Samsung 990 EVO Plus if you find a good deal and don’t mind installing a separate heatsink. For most gamers, though, the smartest purchase is the compatible SSD that offers the storage capacity they need at the best overall price, rather than the drive with the highest numbers on its box.