The Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 2TB meets
the WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink 2TB
The fastest PS5-ready drive three review teams put at the top, with a built-in heatsink that drops straight into the slot. We tested it head-to-head against the WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink 2TB across 6 key dimensions.
Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 2TB
“The fastest PS5-ready drive three review teams put at the top, with a built-in heatsink that drops straight into the slot”
WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink 2TB
“Tom's Hardware's top PS5 pick, the same drive Sony's licensed card is built on, for less money”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 2TB
- GamesRadar's best overall and the fastest drive in their PS5 testing at over 7,400 MB/s reads
- Heatsink comes pre-attached, so it meets Sony's cooling rule without buying anything extra
- Strong endurance rating and a 5-year warranty from a storage maker with a long track record
- One of the pricier drives per gigabyte, and 2026 memory prices have pushed it higher still
- Capacity tops out at 4TB, so heavy collectors cannot reach the 8TB some rivals offer
- TechRadar found it can run warm during long sustained writes
WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink 2TB
- Tom's Hardware's best PS5 SSD, with performance that tracks the pricier 990 Pro
- The same hardware inside Sony's licensed SN850P card, so you get the official drive for less
- Capacity runs to 8TB, the widest range in this group
- No published manufacturer list price, so street prices swing with the 2026 memory market
- Sustained-write performance sits just behind the fastest Samsung drive
- The 8TB version is very expensive at current prices
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
The Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink was the drive that landed at the top across the review teams we studied. GamesRadar made it their best overall after it posted the fastest numbers in their PS5 testing, 7,462 MB/s reads and 6,877 MB/s writes on the 2TB. Tom's Hardware calls it the fastest all-round Gen4 drive, and TechRadar rates it their best high-end pick. The heatsink is already fitted to Sony's slot spec, so it meets the cooling rule the moment you open the box, and Samsung backs it with a 5-year warranty and a 1,200 TBW endurance rating.
Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink 2TB
The Samsung 990 Pro with Heatsink was the drive that landed at the top across the review teams we studied. GamesRadar made it their best overall after it posted the fastest numbers in their PS5 testing, 7,462 MB/s reads and 6,877 MB/s writes on the 2TB. Tom's Hardware calls it the fastest all-round Gen4 drive, and TechRadar rates it their best high-end pick. The heatsink is already fitted to Sony's slot spec, so it meets the cooling rule the moment you open the box, and Samsung backs it with a 5-year warranty and a 1,200 TBW endurance rating.
- PS5 and PS5 Pro owners who want the fastest drop-in drive and will pay for it
- Players who want the heatsink handled for them with no extra parts
- Buyers who value top endurance and a 5-year warranty
WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink 2TB
The WD_Black SN850X with Heatsink gives you almost the same drive for less. Tom's Hardware names it their best PS5 SSD for top-tier performance and a large, steady SLC cache, and the same team points out that Sony's own licensed SN850P is this exact drive under a branded heatsink. So you get official-grade hardware without the licensed-card markup, with rated reads of 7,300 MB/s and a capacity range that reaches all the way to 8TB.
- PS5 owners who want official-grade hardware without the licensed-card price
- Anyone who wants the option of 8TB in a single drive
- Buyers chasing the best performance per dollar