Samsung 990 SSD Surfaces with 7,250 MB/s Read Speeds

Samsung has briefly listed a new '990' PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD on its Canadian website, revealing specifications that position it as a high-performance, DRAM-less alternative to its existing 990 EVO and 990 PRO lines. This appearance gives PC builders and upgraders concrete data on sequential speeds and endurance ratings before the drive hits retail shelves. The listing provides a rare window of confirmed technical details for a mid-tier storage option that aims to balance cost and performance.

New drive offers high sequential speeds and 800 TBW endurance ratings

The new drive utilizes a Samsung in-house controller and Samsung V-NAND memory to deliver its performance metrics. It relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology for cache management rather than a dedicated DRAM chip, a design choice that distinguishes it from the higher-end PRO series. Samsung listed the product as an 'entry level NVMe' at resellers like SHI before removing the page from its official site.

Samsung 990 SSD Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 4.0 NVMe
• Cache Technology: HMB (Host Memory Buffer)
• Controller: Samsung in-house
• NAND Type: Samsung V-NAND
• 1TB Sequential Read: 7,150 MB/s

The 1TB model offers up to 7,150 MB/s sequential read speeds and 6,450 MB/s sequential write speeds. The larger 2TB variant pushes sequential reads to 7,250 MB/s while maintaining the same 6,450 MB/s write speed. Random read performance for the 2TB model reaches up to 850K IOPS, and random write performance hits 1,200K IOPS.

Samsung rates the endurance of the 1TB model at 400 TBW with a three-year limited warranty. The 2TB model carries a higher endurance rating of 800 TBW under the same warranty terms. These specifications suggest the drive is designed for heavy workloads despite its DRAM-less architecture.

Official pricing and launch dates remain unconfirmed by Samsung, and the brief appearance of the product suggests it is not yet ready for general retail release. Reseller prices observed during the listing appear to be placeholder B2B figures rather than final retail costs. We looked at Redditor Orders One Samsung 990 PRO earlier while tracking Samsung storage launches.

The Samsung 990 SSD provides specific performance and endurance data for a new mid-range NVMe option, even though its commercial availability is still pending. Buyers can now evaluate its technical capabilities against competing drives from other manufacturers while waiting for official pricing and release information.