A head-to-head of Western Digital and Samsung SSDs at every tier — flagship Gen 4 and Gen 5, value NVMe and SATA — compared on price per TB and real specs.
Fastest reads / software: Samsung 990 Pro
Better sustained writes / cooler Gen 5: WD Black SN8100
Cheapest $/TB: buy whichever is lower that week
| $/TB | $/GB | Price | Capacity | Interface | Gen | Read | Write | NAND | Warranty | Cond. | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $70.00BEST | $0.070 | $139.99 | 2 TB | External | SATA | 1,050 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | — | 5 yr | New | WD My Passport SSD 2TB |
| $70.00 | $0.070 | $139.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Pro 2TB |
| $75.00 | $0.075 | $149.99 | 2 TB | 2.5 SATA | SATA | 560 MB/s | 530 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 870 Evo 2TB |
| $75.00 | $0.075 | $299.99 | 4 TB | External | SATA | 2,000 MB/s | 2,000 MB/s | — | 3 yr | New | Samsung T9 4TB Portable |
| $78.00 | $0.078 | $155.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 2TB |
| $79.99 | $0.080 | $79.99 | 1 TB | M.2 SATA | SATA | 560 MB/s | 520 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Blue SA510 1TB M.2 |
| $80.00 | $0.080 | $319.99 | 4 TB | 2.5 SATA | SATA | 560 MB/s | 530 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 870 Evo 4TB |
| $85.00 | $0.085 | $169.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN7100 2TB |
| $87.50 | $0.087 | $349.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 4TB |
| $89.98 | $0.090 | $44.99 | 500 GB | M.2 SATA | SATA | 560 MB/s | 510 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Blue SA510 500GB M.2 |
| $89.99 | $0.090 | $89.99 | 1 TB | 2.5 SATA | SATA | 560 MB/s | 530 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 870 Evo 1TB |
| $89.99 | $0.090 | $89.99 | 1 TB | External | SATA | 1,050 MB/s | 1,000 MB/s | — | 3 yr | New | Samsung T7 1TB Portable |
| $90.00 | $0.090 | $179.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,150 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Evo Plus 2TB |
| $90.00 | $0.090 | $179.99 | 2 TB | External | SATA | 2,000 MB/s | 2,000 MB/s | — | 3 yr | New | Samsung T9 2TB Portable |
| $92.50 | $0.092 | $369.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Pro 4TB |
| $99.98 | $0.100 | $49.99 | 500 GB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 4,150 MB/s | 4,150 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Blue SN580 500GB |
| $105.00 | $0.105 | $209.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,900 MB/s | 14,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN8100 2TB |
| $109.99 | $0.110 | $109.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 1TB |
| $109.99 | $0.110 | $109.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,250 MB/s | 6,500 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN7100 1TB |
| $119.99 | $0.120 | $119.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,150 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Evo Plus 1TB |
| $125.00 | $0.125 | $249.99 | 2 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 2TB |
| $129.99 | $0.130 | $129.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,450 MB/s | 6,900 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 990 Pro 1TB |
| $133.75 | $0.134 | $1069.99 | 8 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 8TB |
| $135.00 | $0.135 | $1079.99 | 8 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 4 | 7,300 MB/s | 6,300 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN850X 8TB |
| $150.00 | $0.150 | $599.99 | 4 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 13,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 4TB |
| $159.99 | $0.160 | $159.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,500 MB/s | 11,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | WD Black SN8100 1TB |
| $229.99 | $0.230 | $229.99 | 1 TB | M.2 NVMe | Gen 5 | 14,800 MB/s | 12,000 MB/s | TLC | 5 yr | New | Samsung 9100 Pro 1TB |
Western Digital (WD Black/Blue) and Samsung are the two most-searched SSD brands, and they go head-to-head at every tier. Both use in-house controllers and TLC NAND on their flagships, so the gap usually comes down to price, sustained write speed, and software. Here is how they line up on price per TB across the drives tracked here.
The closest rivalry. The Samsung 990 Pro leads on sequential reads (7,450 MB/s vs 7,300) and has the better dashboard (Samsung Magician), while the WD Black SN850X often undercuts it on price and ships in an optional-heatsink version for PS5. At 2TB, the 990 Pro ($139.99) is currently cheaper per TB than the SN850X ($155.99) — check the table, because this flips often.
The WD Black SN8100 posts the highest sustained writes (14,000 MB/s) and runs cooler than the 9100 Pro, and it is usually cheaper. Samsung counters with slightly higher peak reads and broader retail availability. For most buyers the SN8100 is the better Gen 5 value; see all Gen 5 SSDs.
For budget builds, WD Blue (SN580 NVMe, SA510 SATA) competes with Samsung 870 Evo and 990 Evo. Samsung’s 870 Evo is the benchmark SATA SSD; WD Blue NVMe is the cheaper M.2 route. Cheapest WD here is the WD My Passport SSD 2TB ($70.00/TB); cheapest Samsung is the Samsung 990 Pro 2TB ($70.00/TB).
Pick Samsung for the fastest reads, best software, and resale value (see the Samsung 990 Pro). Pick WD for better sustained writes, cooler Gen 5 operation, and usually a lower price (see the WD Black SN850X). On pure $/TB, buy whichever is cheaper that week — both are excellent.