Samsung has officially launched the standard Samsung 990 SSD, a new entry-level M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 drive designed to navigate the current memory market crisis. Positioned as a budget-friendly option below the premium 990 PRO and 990 EVO, this drive implements several hardware compromises to offer acceptable performance at a lower price point.

The most significant change in the base Samsung 990 is its transition to QLC (Quad-Level Cell) NAND flash memory, which stores 4 bits of data per cell. In comparison, its higher-end siblings utilize TLC (Tri-Level Cell) NAND. QLC flash is generally slower and has a shorter lifespan than TLC. Additionally, this model adopts a DRAM-less design, lacking the dedicated physical cache commonly used in premium drives to speed up data mapping and retrieval.

To mitigate these hardware reductions, Samsung has optimized its proprietary Piccolo-Q controller. Operating on the PCIe 4.0 x4 interface in a standard M.2 2280 form factor, the SSD is available in 1 TB and 2 TB capacities.

• 1 TB Model: Delivers sequential read speeds up to 7,150 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,450 MB/s. Random performance reaches up to 700,000 IOPS (read) and 1.1 million IOPS (write). It has a durability rating of 400 TBW (Terabytes Written).

• 2 TB Model: Delivers sequential read speeds up to 7,250 MB/s and write speeds up to 6,450 MB/s. Random performance reaches up to 850,000 IOPS (read) and 1.2 million IOPS (write). It features an 800 TBW lifespan rating.

The QLC-based durability is noticeably lower than the TLC-equipped 990 EVO Plus, which offers 600 TBW for the 1 TB variant and 1,200 TBW for the 2 TB model. Reflecting this reduced lifespan, Samsung has packaged the basic 990 with a 3-year warranty, down from the 5-year coverage standard across the rest of the lineup.

The Samsung 990 is now available in international markets like Australia and Singapore. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $270 for the 1 TB model and $530 for the 2 TB model. We don’t have official word yet when these new SSDs will hit the selves in the US market.