Affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD
Crucial P5 Plus
More sizes available
Samsung 980 Pro
The Crucial P5 Plus PCIe 4.0 SSD has a price-performance ratio that’s hard to beat, especially when compared to the Samsung 980 Pro. It trades for blows when it comes to speed and has a similar warranty and TBW rating, but it costs a lot less.
From $85 on Amazon
Positives
- Agile read and write speeds
- Useful programs included Acronis
- Five year warranty and strong TBW rating
- Very competitive prices
- Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
Negatives
- Does not contain antipyretic
- Can find better reviews of TBW
- Faster SSD Disks Can Get Higher Prices
- high energy consumption
Samsung 980 Pro is a high-end PCIe 4.0 SSD available in sizes ranging from 250GB to 2TB. It offers similar performance in a number of benchmark tests, and its TBW rating and warranty are the same as the Crucial P5 Plus, but it costs more.
From $110 on Amazon
Positives
- great performance
- Five years warranty, strong TBW rating
- Low power consumption
- More capacity options
- Hardware-based AES 256-bit encryption
Negatives
- Does not contain antipyretic
- Costs more than the Crucial P5 Plus
- Can find better reviews of TBW
- Faster SSD Disks Can Get Higher Prices
The Crucial P5 Plus and Samsung 980 Pro are two of the best SSDs you can buy, with the PCIe 4.0 standard that can positively affect the performance of your PC. Both are available in size up to 2TB, but the Samsung drive only comes in at 250GB while the P5 Plus starts at 500GB.
Decisive comparison of the P5 Plus with the Samsung 980 Pro: Technical Specifications
Here is a look at the initial specifications that each of these SSDs consist of.
category | Crucial P5 Plus | Samsung 980 Pro |
---|---|---|
Form | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
nand | 176L 3D TLC | 1xxL 3D TLC V6 V-NAND |
Foreman | Micron DM02A1 | Samsung Elpis |
user interface | PCIe 4.0×4.0 . slot NVMe 1.4 |
PCIe 4.0×4.0 . slot NVMe 1.3c |
cache memory (DRAM) | 1 GB LPDDR4 (1 TB) 2 GB LPDDR4 (2 TB) |
512 MB LPDDR4 (250/500 GB) 1 GB LPDDR4 (1 TB) 2 GB LPDDR4 (2 TB) |
durability | 500 GB: 300 TB 1 TB: 600 TB 2 TB: 1200 TB |
250 GB: 150 TB 500 GB: 300 TB 1 TB: 600 TB 2 TB: 1200 TB |
reading speed | 6,600 MB/sec | 7000 MB/sec |
Writing speed | 5000 MB/sec | 5000 MB/sec |
encryption | hardware-based 256 bit AES |
hardware-based 256 bit AES |
Guarantee | 5 years | 5 years |
dollars per gigabyte | 500 GB: $0.17 1 TB: $0.13 2TB: $0.13 |
250 GB: $0.32 500 GB: $0.28 1 TB: $0.16 2TB: $0.145 |
Decisive comparison of the P5 Plus with the Samsung 980 Pro: Design, Features, and Performance
Source: Windows Central
The Crucial P5 Plus and Samsung 980 Pro are both M.2 2280 drives designed for laptops and desktop computers. Either one will also work if you have a PS5. Both use the PCIe 4.0 specification, an update over PCIe 3.0 that allows for faster data transfer rates. Not only can this increase Windows boot times, but it can also increase load times in games or transfer speeds for large files like video. PCIe 4.0 drives generally consume less power, which is especially important in a laptop.
To take full advantage of any of these drives, you’ll need a computer that can also handle PCIe 4.0. Many of the best Windows laptops have already made the leap, and there’s a good chance that the new high-end PC you’re buying today will come with PCIe 4.0. Two SSDs will work in a PC that beats PCIe 3.0, but you’ll only get lower speeds. If you’re still working with a PC that uses PCIe 3.0 and don’t plan on upgrading anytime soon, there are a bunch of other affordable storage options in our Best Solid State Drives roundup.
Source: Windows Central
The Crucial P5 Plus uses a Micron DM02A1 controller while the 980 Pro uses Samsung’s Elpis controller. They have similar DRAM cache sizes, and both offer 256-bit AES hardware-level encryption. If you work with sensitive data, this feature helps keep everything secure without affecting performance. There is no additional encryption software that overwhelms everything else which means faster writing to the drive. Neither of these motors come with a heatsink, but you can add one after the fact if you notice the temperatures are too high for your liking.
In my crucial P5 Plus review, I ran a bunch of benchmarks to see how it compares to other SSDs, including the Samsung 980 Pro. In CrystalDiskMark, the 980 Pro advanced in reading speed but lagged behind in writing speed. On ATTO Disk Benchmark, the P5 Plus was again ahead in writing speed but lagged in read speed. The 980 Pro is priced at 7000MB/s while the P5 Plus is priced at 6600MB/s, so that makes sense.
In our Samsung 980 Pro review, our former editor Richard Devine noted that the 500GB version he tested won’t perform as well as the larger capacities. It probably won’t be noticeable in everyday use, but it’s something to take note of. Both drives come with branded management software to help you monitor the tabs on your SSD. Samsung also offers its own data migration software, while bundles are crucial in Acronis True Image for copying your data to the new SSD.
Storage durability is measured in terabytes written (TBW), which indicates how much you can write to a drive before it runs out. The P5 Plus and 980 Pro both have the same TBW rating distributed via a five-year warranty. For 1TB models, a rating of 600TB equals about 329GB of data written Per day over the warranty period. You can find better TBW ratings on something like the XPG Gammix S70, but most users would never come close to passing this rating.
Decisive comparison of the P5 Plus with the Samsung 980 Pro: sizes and price
Source: Windows Central
However, for most people their decision comes down to the price. The Samsung 980 Pro comes in 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes. The smallest drive starts around $80 depending on where you buy it. At the time of writing, Best Buy had the best price. A 500GB capacity is about $110 at Amazon, while the 1TB model is about $160 at most retailers. 2TB models make a big jump, coming in at around $290.
The Crucial P5 Plus is available in 500GB, 1TB and 2TB sizes. If you want a smaller drive, you will have to use Samsung. However, the place of Crucial’s triumph is its prices. A 500GB drive starts around $85, just a few dollars more than a Samsung 250GB drive. The 1TB P5 Plus model costs about $135, while the 2TB model costs about $240. That’s a lot cheaper than the 980 Pro, and anyone looking to build a new custom PC or upgrade a laptop on the cheap will be able to take advantage.
The Samsung 980 Pro’s read speeds are faster than the P5 Plus’s, but the write speeds are falling behind. In the end, both drives are incredibly fast. If you’re upgrading from PCIe 3.0, one of these SSDs will make a noticeable difference. While the slight velocity differences between these two specific thrusters are certainly something to take into consideration, the pricing is also notable.
Affordable PCIe 4.0 SSD
Crucial P5 Plus
The Crucial’s P5 Plus lacks a 250GB size, and its read speeds aren’t quite as fast, but it’s much less expensive and still delivers high-end PCIe 4.0 performance.
More sizes available
Samsung 980 Pro
Samsung 980 Pro is available in more sizes and faster reading speeds. You’ll pay more, but it’s the right call for those who want the best performance.
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