Samsung 990 EVO 2TB vs Silicon Power UD90 2TB
The site holds no current price for at least one of these, so what follows compares specifications alone.
| Specification | Samsung990 EVO 2TB | Silicon PowerUD90 2TB |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity (GB) | 2000 | 2000 |
| Sequential read (MB/s) | 5000 | 5000 |
| Sequential write (MB/s) | 4200 | 4800better |
| Current best price | — | — |
| Price per TB | — | — |
| Endurance (TBW) | 1200 | 1200 |
| Warranty (years) | 5 | 5 |
| DRAM cache | No | No |
| NAND type | tlc | tlc |
| Controller | Samsung Piccolo controller | Phison E21 |
How these two compare
Sequential throughput
Samsung 990 EVO 2TB is rated 5000 MB/s read and 4200 MB/s write; Silicon Power UD90 2TB, 5000 MB/s read and 4800 MB/s write. These are peak sequential rates over PCIe — the speed you would see copying one large file. For boot, app launches and everyday feel, random access matters more than this headline figure.
Endurance
The makers warrant 1200 TBW on Samsung 990 EVO 2TB and 1200 TBW on Silicon Power UD90 2TB — how much writing each is rated to take before the endurance clause lapses. Most desktop workloads never come close, so read the two against each other rather than as a limit you are likely to reach.
DRAM cache
Samsung 990 EVO 2TB is DRAM-less; Silicon Power UD90 2TB is DRAM-less. A DRAM cache holds the drive's mapping table — the index of where each block physically sits — so the controller places and finds data without an extra flash lookup. A DRAM-less drive borrows a little system memory (HMB) or a slice of its own flash instead, and is likelier to slow once a long run of random writes outlasts its fast cache.
NAND, controller and warranty
NAND: Samsung 990 EVO 2TB uses TLC and Silicon Power UD90 2TB uses TLC. The tier is bits per cell — SLC, MLC, TLC and QLC from one to four — trading density against endurance and sustained-write speed: QLC is cheapest per gigabyte, TLC the mainstream balance, and the denser the cell the sooner sustained writes taper. On the controller: Samsung 990 EVO 2TB uses the Samsung Piccolo controller, and Silicon Power UD90 2TB uses the Phison E21. It is the chip handling error correction, wear-levelling and where each write lands — much of how a drive holds up under load — even if the part number on its own tells you little. On the cover: Samsung 990 EVO 2TB carries a 5-year warranty, Silicon Power UD90 2TB carries a 5-year warranty. The length is the maker's own vote of confidence, and on an SSD it tends to track the endurance rating — a longer warranty usually meaning more rated writes.
Which to buy
With a price missing for at least one side, there is no cost verdict to give. What separates two otherwise-similar drives is up in the sections above — sustained and random behaviour, whether there is a DRAM cache, the flash tier and the warranty — so weigh those against what your build needs.
Common questions about this pair
- Which is faster, Samsung 990 EVO 2TB or Silicon Power UD90 2TB?
- Samsung 990 EVO 2TB is rated 5000 MB/s read and 4200 MB/s write; Silicon Power UD90 2TB, 5000 MB/s read and 4800 MB/s write. These are peak sequential rates over PCIe — the speed you would see copying one large file. For boot, app launches and everyday feel, random access matters more than this headline figure.
- Should you buy Samsung 990 EVO 2TB or Silicon Power UD90 2TB?
- With a price missing for at least one side, there is no cost verdict to give. What separates two otherwise-similar drives is up in the sections above — sustained and random behaviour, whether there is a DRAM cache, the flash tier and the warranty — so weigh those against what your build needs.