Samsung 990 PRO Prices UK: Which Capacity Should You Buy?

The SSD to buy

Our pick is Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB. Our 2 TB choice for a well-equipped Gen4 gaming or everyday PC.

The alternative is Samsung 990 PRO 4 TB. Choose this larger capacity for more installed games, media and projects.

Samsung 990 PRO 2 TB: PCIe 4.0 NVMe, M.2 2280; no heatsink stated. Use the included cooler only where it fits. If no cooler is included, plan suitable motherboard cooling for the installation.

Samsung 990 PRO 4 TB: PCIe 4.0 NVMe, M.2 2280; heatsink included. Use the included cooler only where it fits. If no cooler is included, plan suitable motherboard cooling for the installation.

Our Samsung choice for an ordinary Gen4 PC

The 990 PRO is the Samsung drive we would choose for a capable PCIe 4.0 desktop or compatible laptop when the local total is sensible. It is suitable for Windows, applications, a game library and active creative files. For many buyers, enough capacity and the right physical variant matter more than changing to a newer generation.

A 2 TB model is our normal new-PC starting point when that capacity is offered. Choose 1 TB for a smaller active collection and tighter budget, or 4 TB for a substantial library that needs the extra room. Do not buy a smaller drive solely to get a premium family name if your files will immediately fill it.

When the 9100 PRO is worth choosing instead

The 9100 PRO uses PCIe 5.0, whereas the 990 PRO uses PCIe 4.0. Choose the newer model for repeated large transfers on a computer with a suitable Gen5 connection and cooling. Copying from a slow source or using an older connection prevents the system from using the full transfer potential of the faster SSD.

For ordinary desktop work and games, a large premium for Gen5 is not our first spending choice. The quoted maximum sequential speed does not mean Windows opens twice as fast or games gain twice the frame rate. If the newer drive costs nearly the same and the installation is suitable, it can be a reasonable new purchase. Replacing a working 990 PRO is a different question.

Capacity makes the clearest everyday difference

Choose the size that fits the installed games, active projects and room for growth. A larger SSD can save repeated uninstalling and moving files. That convenience is often more visible than a higher peak transfer number. For a machine with only one practical storage slot, buying enough capacity initially is especially helpful.

The 1 TB, 2 TB and 4 TB variants are different products with capacity-specific specifications. Do not apply a larger model's advertised write figures or endurance to every smaller version. For buying purposes, select the required size first and compare complete variants, including whether the heatsink is supplied.

Choose the right cooling version

Use a bare drive with an appropriate motherboard SSD heatsink or in a compatible laptop where the larger factory heatsink would not fit. Choose the manufacturer-heatsink version for a compatible desktop or console installation that needs it. A heatsink is a physical cooling part; it does not add storage capacity.

After installation, use Samsung's official software and support guidance for supported health and firmware checks. Keep a separate backup of valuable files. A premium SSD is still a single device that can fail, and a warranty does not restore your photographs or projects. The sensible purchase includes a place for that backup, not just a more expensive working drive.

Buy the internal drive your computer accepts

These are M.2 2280 NVMe drives: small internal modules about 80 mm long. Buy one for a computer that accepts that size and type. A 2.5-inch SATA bay or a SATA-only M.2 socket is a different connection. For a machine without a suitable free internal slot, choose an appropriate external SSD or a supported replacement of its existing drive.

For a desktop with an existing SSD heatsink, the fitting bare-drive variant is usually the simple choice. For a laptop, choose the physical version the laptop accepts rather than a bulky desktop heatsink. The right model name, capacity and physical version need to describe the same product. Do not buy an accessory-only heatsink thinking it contains an SSD.

More game space or a replacement system drive?

If the current Windows drive is healthy and there is a suitable free slot, our simple choice is to add storage and keep the original drive. Install large games or active project files on the new SSD. This gives more space without making a Windows migration a compulsory part of the purchase.

If only one slot is available, a larger replacement may be necessary. Allow for a suitable temporary connection or a fresh installation when planning that replacement. Keep the original data until the new setup and independent backup are working. The purpose of buying more capacity is useful room for your files, rather than creating a migration project without need.

A useful capacity example

Fifteen games averaging 100 GB already use about 1.5 TB before Windows, applications and updates. A 2 TB drive can therefore become tight for a buyer who wants all of them available together. That buyer should choose 4 TB if the budget and device support it. Someone keeping only a few active titles may be comfortable with 2 TB.

Use the same reasoning for media. Working video, exported versions and project cache can occupy space together. The biggest file alone does not describe the whole collection. Choose enough room for the files that stay on this SSD, including growth. More expensive peak performance is a poor substitute for capacity that prevents the drive becoming full.

What else belongs in the storage budget

A working SSD and a backup perform different jobs. Keep an independent copy of photographs, projects and other files you cannot replace. Two partitions on one SSD are still one physical device. Buying a premium brand or a longer warranty does not recover the only copy of a lost project.

For an ordinary personal PC, buy this consumer drive for its intended desktop or laptop use. A server requiring documented hardware protection during power loss is a different purchase and can call for enterprise storage. Do not assume a gaming SSD provides that feature. Put the necessary backup or protection into the budget before paying for a speed premium you may not use.