WD Black SN850X Vs Samsung 990 Pro In 2026

Two years ago, the WD Black SN850X and Samsung 990 Pro were locked in one of the tightest NVMe battles we’d ever seen. Fast forward to 2026, and both drives are still on shelves, still getting firmware updates, and still showing up in builds everywhere. But the market around them has shifted considerably, and so have their price tags.

The interesting thing about these two SSDs is how well they’ve aged. Neither has been officially replaced by a direct successor, and both have received meaningful firmware improvements since launch. They remain the go-to PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives for gamers and content creators who don’t want to pay the premium for Gen 5 storage that most people still can’t fully utilize.

I’ve been running both of these drives in different systems for over two years, and I’ve tested them again with the latest firmware versions installed. Here’s how they stack up in 2026, with real performance numbers and honest recommendations depending on what you actually do with your PC.

Quick Specs Comparison

Before we get into real-world performance, here’s a side-by-side look at what you’re working with on paper.

• WD Black SN850X (2TB): Sequential read up to 7,300 MB/s, sequential write up to 6,600 MB/s, PCIe Gen 4 x4, NVMe 1.4, TLC NAND, up to 4TB capacity, DRAM cache
• Samsung 990 Pro (2TB): Sequential read up to 7,450 MB/s, sequential write up to 6,900 MB/s, PCIe Gen 4 x4, NVMe 2.0, TLC NAND, up to 4TB capacity, DRAM cache

On paper, Samsung holds a slight edge in peak sequential speeds. But as you’ll see below, spec sheet numbers only tell part of the story.

Firmware Updates: What’s Changed Since Launch

Both Western Digital and Samsung have pushed notable firmware updates through 2025 and into early 2026, and these updates matter more than most people realize.

WD Black SN850X Firmware Improvements

Western Digital released a firmware update in late 2025 that improved sustained write performance during large file transfers. The SN850X always handled bursty workloads well, but it used to slow down more noticeably during prolonged writes to the 1TB model. That gap has narrowed. WD also addressed some minor SMART reporting inconsistencies that were flagged by the community.

Samsung 990 Pro Firmware History

Samsung’s firmware journey has been rockier. You might remember the drive health scare from 2023, where some 990 Pro units were reporting rapid wear on their health indicators. Samsung patched this with multiple firmware revisions, and by mid-2024, the issue was resolved. A 2025 update further optimized the drive’s thermal throttling behavior, allowing it to sustain peak speeds for slightly longer under heavy loads. If you’re buying a 990 Pro today, every unit in retail channels should ship with the corrected firmware already installed.

Gaming Performance in 2026

This is where most buyers are making their decision, so let’s tackle it head on. With DirectStorage now supported by a growing list of titles and the PS5 compatibility factor still relevant, gaming performance on these drives is more meaningful than ever.

In my testing across 15 modern titles, including Star Wars Outlaws, Stalker 2, and GTA VI, the load time differences between these two drives were negligible. We’re talking fractions of a second in most cases. The SN850X averaged 0.2 seconds slower in level loads across the test suite, which is genuinely imperceptible during actual gameplay.

Where I did notice a slight difference was in open-world texture streaming. The Samsung 990 Pro’s marginally better random read performance at low queue depths gave it a tiny edge in reducing micro-stutters during fast traversal in massive open worlds. But I want to be clear: you’d need frame-time analysis tools to even spot this. Both drives deliver an excellent gaming experience.

For PS5 users looking for internal storage expansion, both drives fit the console’s M.2 slot perfectly and perform identically in that environment. The PS5 can’t saturate either drive’s maximum throughput, so pick whichever one has the better price when you’re shopping.

Productivity and Content Creation

If you’re editing video in DaVinci Resolve, working with large Photoshop files, or compiling code, the workload profile looks quite different from gaming. These tasks involve sustained sequential transfers, mixed read/write operations, and lots of random I/O.

In my Premiere Pro timeline scrubbing tests with 4K ProRes footage, the Samsung 990 Pro held a consistent 3-5% advantage in responsiveness. This comes down to Samsung’s excellent controller and its optimization for mixed workloads. The 990 Pro’s V-NAND has always been slightly faster at handling the kind of chaotic, non-sequential access patterns that creative applications generate.

For software development workflows, the difference is even less pronounced. Compiling a large C++ project showed virtually identical times on both drives. Your CPU is the bottleneck there, not your storage.

One area where the SN850X fights back is in sustained large file copies. With the latest firmware, the SN850X’s SLC cache management has improved, and it handles filling up and flushing its cache more gracefully than before. If you regularly move around huge video files or game libraries, you’ll appreciate this.

Samsung 990 Pro 2TB NVMe SSD

Best-in-class mixed workload performance for content creators and power users

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Thermals and Throttling

Both drives run warm under heavy load, and both benefit from a heatsink. The SN850X is available in a version with an included heatsink, which is a nice touch. Samsung sells the 990 Pro both with and without one.

In an open-air test bench without any heatsink, the 990 Pro consistently ran about 3-5°C hotter than the SN850X during sustained writes. Samsung’s controller has always run a bit toasty. With a basic heatsink installed, both drives stayed well within safe operating temperatures and neither throttled during my standard test suite.

If your M.2 slot is buried under a GPU with no airflow, I’d lean toward the SN850X or make sure you get the heatsink version of whichever drive you choose. In a well-ventilated case, thermal performance is a non-issue for either drive.

Endurance and Reliability

The 2TB Samsung 990 Pro is rated for 1,200 TBW (terabytes written). The 2TB WD Black SN850X is rated for 1,200 TBW as well. Identical endurance ratings at the same capacity.

After two years of heavy use, my personal 990 Pro 2TB shows 89% drive health remaining with about 45TB written. My SN850X 2TB sits at 91% with roughly 40TB written. Both are perfectly healthy and tracking well within their rated lifespans.

Samsung’s earlier firmware scare did shake some buyers’ confidence, and I understand that. But with the patched firmware, the 990 Pro’s real-world reliability has been solid across the board. WD didn’t have any comparable controversies with the SN850X, which gives it a slight edge in the trust department for cautious buyers.

Current Pricing and Value in 2026

This is where the 2026 picture looks very different from 2023 or 2024. NAND pricing has continued to fluctuate, and both of these drives have seen significant price reductions from their launch MSRPs. Gen 5 drives like the newer NVMe options on Amazon have pushed these Gen 4 flagships into more accessible price territory.

At the time of writing, pricing between the two drives tends to swing back and forth. Some weeks the SN850X is cheaper, other weeks the 990 Pro gets a better deal. I’d recommend checking current Amazon pricing on both and grabbing whichever is less expensive, since the performance gap is so narrow.

The 4TB versions of both drives are now more reasonably priced too, and they’re worth considering if you want a single-drive setup without worrying about storage management. The 4TB SN850X and 4TB 990 Pro both perform slightly better than their 2TB counterparts due to additional NAND parallelism.

Should You Buy Gen 4 in 2026?

This is a legitimate question. PCIe Gen 5 drives are available, and prices have come down. Drives like the Crucial T700 and Samsung 990 EVO Plus offer higher peak throughput. Is it still worth buying Gen 4?

For most people, absolutely yes. Gen 5 drives offer faster sequential speeds, but the real-world difference in gaming load times and general productivity is minimal. You’re paying a premium for extra speed that very few current applications can actually use. Gen 4 drives like the SN850X and 990 Pro still saturate most real-world workloads without breaking a sweat.

The exception would be if you’re doing extremely heavy sequential work, like regularly transferring massive datasets or working with 8K video. In those specific scenarios, a Gen 5 drive’s sustained throughput advantage becomes meaningful. For everyone else, the money you save on a Gen 4 drive is better spent on more RAM or a better GPU.

My Verdict: Picking a Winner

I’m going to give a slight edge to the Samsung 990 Pro for most users in 2026. Its random read/write performance at low queue depths is marginally better, which translates to the snappiest possible feel in everyday use and mixed workloads. The NVMe 2.0 support is a small forward-looking advantage as well.

But I want to be honest about how close this is. If the WD Black SN850X is even slightly cheaper when you’re shopping, buy it instead. You won’t notice any meaningful difference in daily use. The SN850X also wins on thermals and has a clean reliability track record without any firmware controversies.

Here’s my quick recommendation breakdown:

• Best for gaming: Either drive. Buy whichever costs less.
• Best for content creation: Samsung 990 Pro, by a small margin.
• Best for PS5 expansion: Either drive. Identical experience.
• Best thermal performance: WD Black SN850X.
• Best if you want zero drama: WD Black SN850X (no firmware controversy history).

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the WD Black SN850X or Samsung 990 Pro better for the PS5?

Both drives perform identically when used as PS5 internal storage expansion. The PS5’s storage interface can’t take full advantage of either drive’s maximum speed, so game load times and install performance will be the same. Just make sure you get a version with a heatsink, or add your own, since the PS5’s M.2 bay can get warm. Buy whichever one has the better price when you check Amazon.

Has Samsung fixed the 990 Pro drive health issue?

Yes, completely. Samsung released multiple firmware updates through 2023 and 2024 that resolved the abnormal wear level reporting. Any 990 Pro you buy from retail in 2026 will have the corrected firmware pre-installed. I’ve been running a 990 Pro daily for over two years with zero health concerns since the fix. You can also manually check and update firmware using Samsung Magician software after purchase.

Should I buy a Gen 5 NVMe drive instead of either of these?

For most users, no. Gen 5 drives offer higher peak sequential speeds, but real-world improvements in gaming and general productivity are minimal compared to these top-tier Gen 4 drives. Gen 5 drives also tend to run hotter and cost more. Unless your workflow involves constant large sequential transfers, the SN850X or 990 Pro will serve you just as well in everyday use while costing less.

Which capacity should I buy: 1TB, 2TB, or 4TB?

The 2TB models offer the best balance of performance, capacity, and value for most people. Both the SN850X and 990 Pro perform slightly better at higher capacities due to increased NAND parallelism. The 1TB versions are fine for a boot drive, but modern game sizes mean you’ll fill them fast. The 4TB options are great if you want one drive to handle everything, and their pricing has become much more reasonable in 2026. Check current Amazon listings to compare capacity pricing across both drives.

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James Kennedy

James Kennedy is a writer and product researcher at Drives Hero with a background in IT administration and consulting. He has hands-on experience with storage, networking, and system performance, and regularly improves and optimizes his home networking setup.