Samsung SSD 990 1TB — PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280
7,150 MB/s readPCIe 4.0 x4 · NVMe 2.0400 TBWM.2 2280, no heatsink
The Samsung SSD 990 (MZ-V9V1T0BW) is a 1 TB M.2 2280 NVMe drive on PCIe 4.0 x4, rated by Samsung at up to 7,150 MB/s sequential read and 6,450 MB/s write — a Gen4 upgrade for a desktop or laptop that needs a fast system drive without paying for a flagship. It is the plain 990, launched by Samsung in July 2026, and it sits below the 990 EVO Plus and 990 PRO: no DRAM cache on the drive, a 3-year warranty, and 400 TBW of rated endurance at this capacity. In practical terms, 1 TB holds Windows, a full Office and Adobe install and a few large games with room to spare, and loads them at Gen4 speed.
Compatibility — check before buying:
Needs an M.2 2280 slot that supports NVMe. Some older laptops and budget boards have M.2 slots that accept SATA drives only — this drive will not be detected in one of those. Check your manual for “NVMe” or “PCIe” next to the M.2 slot. PCIe 3.0 slots work, but slower: the drive runs, limited by the Gen3 link to roughly half its rated speed. No heatsink is fitted. That suits laptops and boards with their own M.2 cover; for a PlayStation 5, Sony requires a cooling structure such as a heatsink, which you would need to add. In the box: Samsung does not list the contents — M.2 mounting screws normally come with the motherboard or laptop, not with the drive. Tell us your laptop or motherboard model and we will confirm the fit before you order.
Best For
✓ Upgrading a laptop from SATA or a small Gen3 drive
✓ A fast Windows boot drive in a new desktop build
✓ Game libraries that load noticeably faster than from SATA
✓ Content caches and project files for photo editing
✓ Cloning an old drive with Samsung Magician
✓ Office machines that need Gen4 speed at a sensible price
Key Features
Gen4 speed where it counts
Samsung rates the 1 TB model at up to 7,150 MB/s sequential read and 6,450 MB/s write, with random performance of up to 700K IOPS read and 1,100K IOPS write. That is full PCIe 4.0 x4 territory: boot, app launches and large file copies are limited by what you do with the data, not by the drive.
400 TBW and a 3-year term
Samsung publishes 400 TBW of endurance for this capacity — writing 100 GB every single day would take more than ten years to reach it. The warranty is 3 years or 400 TBW. Note the difference from the 990 EVO Plus and 990 PRO, which carry 5-year terms.
HMB instead of on-board DRAM
The drive uses Host Memory Buffer: instead of its own DRAM chip it borrows a small slice of system memory for its mapping tables. That keeps the drive cheaper and more power-efficient, and in everyday use you will not notice it. Samsung rates average power at 4.0 W reading and 3.7 W writing, with 3 mW in device sleep — kind to a laptop battery.
Encryption and Samsung Magician
Samsung lists AES 256-bit full-drive encryption with TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE 1667 (Encrypted Drive) support, so it works with BitLocker hardware encryption on supported systems. Samsung Magician adds firmware updates, health monitoring and data migration from your old drive.
Technical Specifications
| Identification |
| Brand |
Samsung |
| Series |
Samsung SSD 990 |
| Part Number |
MZ-V9V1T0BW |
| EAN / GTIN |
8806099020699 |
| Product Type |
Internal SSD, M.2 2280 NVMe |
| Performance |
| Sequential Read |
Up to 7,150 MB/s |
| Sequential Write |
Up to 6,450 MB/s |
| Random Read |
Up to 700K IOPS |
| Random Write |
Up to 1,100K IOPS |
| Cache |
HMB (Host Memory Buffer) — no DRAM chip on the drive; it uses a small part of system memory |
| Interface & Form Factor |
| Interface |
PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol |
NVMe 2.0 |
| Form Factor |
M.2 2280 (M-key) |
| Dimensions |
Max 80.15 x 22.15 x 2.38 mm |
| Weight |
Max 9.0 g |
| Heatsink |
None fitted |
| Storage |
| Capacity |
1 TB |
| NAND Flash |
Samsung V-NAND — Samsung does not publish the cell type for this model |
| Controller |
Samsung in-house controller |
| Features |
| Encryption |
AES 256-bit full-drive encryption, TCG Opal 2.0, Encrypted Drive (IEEE 1667) |
| Management |
TRIM, S.M.A.R.T. and garbage collection |
| Software |
Samsung Magician — firmware updates, drive health and data migration |
| Power & Reliability |
| Average Power |
4.0 W read / 3.7 W write |
| Idle Power |
55 mW typical |
| Device Sleep |
3 mW typical |
| Operating Temperature |
0 to 70 °C |
| Shock |
1,500 G, 0.5 ms |
| MTBF |
1.5 million hours |
| Endurance |
400 TBW |
| In the Box |
| Included |
The SSD. Samsung does not publish a full box list for this model |
| Not included |
Heatsink, M.2 screw, cloning cable or enclosure |
| Warranty |
| Warranty |
1-Year Warranty (Singular) |
| Manufacturer Term |
Samsung publishes a 3-year limited warranty or 400 TBW, whichever is reached first, on this model. Singular’s direct warranty is 1 year; beyond that we assist you with the manufacturer’s warranty process for its full duration. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the Samsung SSD 990 fit my laptop?
If your laptop has an M.2 2280 slot that supports NVMe, yes. The two things that stop it are a SATA-only M.2 slot, which will not detect an NVMe drive at all, and a laptop that takes a shorter 2230 or 2242 drive. Send us the exact laptop model and we will check the slot type and length before you order.
What is the difference between the 990, 990 EVO Plus and 990 PRO?
The 990 is the newest and simplest of the three: PCIe 4.0 x4, no DRAM on the drive, a 3-year warranty and 400 TBW at 1 TB. The 990 EVO Plus carries a 5-year term and higher endurance, and the 990 PRO adds on-board DRAM for heavy sustained workloads. For a system drive in a laptop or office PC, the 990 is enough; for constant large writes, look higher.
Can I use it in a PlayStation 5?
It meets the PS5 requirement for a PCIe 4.0 M.2 drive, but Sony also requires a cooling structure such as a heatsink, and this drive ships without one. You would need to fit a separate M.2 heatsink. If you would rather have one drive that is ready to go, tell us and we will suggest a heatsink model.
Does no DRAM make it slow?
Not in everyday use. The drive uses Host Memory Buffer, borrowing a small amount of system RAM for its lookup tables, which is how most modern mainstream NVMe drives work. Where DRAM drives pull ahead is long, sustained heavy writing — large video exports all day, for example. For boot, applications and games you will not notice the difference.
Singular Expert Insight
The plain Samsung 990 is the drive to buy when you want Samsung’s Gen4 speed and software in a laptop or office build and do not need a 5-year term. At 1 TB it reads at up to 7,150 MB/s, which is effectively the ceiling of PCIe 4.0, and its HMB design keeps power low — useful in a laptop, where the drive is always on. Be clear about what you give up against the 990 EVO Plus: two years of warranty and 200 TBW of endurance at the same capacity. Against the 990 PRO, on-board DRAM for heavy sustained writes. And do not confuse the part numbers: MZ-V9V is this 990, V9E the 990 EVO, V9S the EVO Plus and V9P the PRO. Tell us what the drive is going into and we will tell you honestly whether the extra for the bigger models is worth it.
Buyer’s Guide
Buy it if
You need a 1 TB NVMe system or game drive for a laptop or desktop with an M.2 2280 NVMe slot, you want up to 7,150 MB/s reads and Samsung Magician, and a 3-year / 400 TBW term covers how you use it.
Skip it if
Your M.2 slot is SATA-only or takes 2230/2242 drives. Skip it too if you write hundreds of gigabytes a day — video, VMs, databases — where a DRAM drive with a 5-year term is the better tool, or if you want a heatsink in the box for a PS5.
Also consider
Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB for a 5-year warranty and higher endurance. Samsung 990 PRO for on-board DRAM and sustained heavy workloads. A 2 TB drive if 1 TB will be full within a year — Samsung publishes higher speed and 800 TBW for the 990 at 2 TB.