Head-to-head · Best PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs

Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD vs WD Black SN8100

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

WD Black SN8100 comes out ahead by a clear margin (4.3 vs 4.7). The gap is mostly about Buyers who want the fastest, coolest-running Gen5 drive without a bulky heatsink — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #4 in Best PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs

Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD

4.3

$426.46as of Jun 7

The Samsung 9100 Pro returns Samsung to the top of the NVMe SSD leaderboard with PCIe 5.0 performance that PCWorld called the fastest they've tested. TechRadar praised it as a fantastic option for professional use but noted it's not ideal for gamers. The drive features 1GB of DRAM per terabyte and 236-layer TLC NAND, though reviewers noted its premium pricing makes it excessive for typical users. It's best suited for professionals who need maximum performance rather than casual consumers.

Strengths

— Fastest benchmarking NVMe SSD tested according to PCWorld
— 1GB DRAM per terabyte for fast random operations
— PCIe 5.0 x4 interface with 236-layer TLC NAND

Watch-outs

— Expensive overkill for most users according to PCWorld
— A hair off the pace in Windows file transfers

$426.46 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #1 in Best PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSDs

WD Black SN8100

4.7

$439.99as of Jun 7

The WD Black SN8100 (made by SanDisk) is the new performance benchmark for consumer PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Tom's Hardware called it 'the fastest overall consumer SSD ever made,' and StorageReview measured it topping sequential charts at up to 15 GB/s reads and 14.1 GB/s writes, 'edging out even the Crucial T705 and Samsung 9100 Pro.' Its standout trait is efficiency: the Silicon Motion SM2508 controller on a 6nm process draws far less power than the Phison E26 silicon in most rivals, so DongKnows (8.5/10) found it 'never became hotter than 85C, much less hot than the heatsink version of the Crucial T705.' Pair that with record PCMark 10 scores and a 5-year, 1,200 TBW warranty and it is the most complete drive in this group. The catches are premium, volatile pricing and the need to supply your own cooling.

Strengths

— Fastest consumer SSD tested: up to 14,900 MB/s sequential reads and ~2.3M random read IOPS edge out the Crucial T705 and Samsung 9100 PRO
— Best-in-class power efficiency, drawing only 6.5W on reads, so it runs cooler than rival Phison E26 drives
— Silicon Motion SM2508 controller on a TSMC 6nm process avoids the heat problems that plague E26-based Gen5 SSDs

Watch-outs

— Premium pricing that has been volatile during the 2026 NAND shortage
— Sold as a bare drive, so you still need motherboard or aftermarket M.2 cooling for sustained loads
— Gen5 speeds are overkill for gaming, where the gap over a good Gen4 drive is negligible

$439.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD

The Samsung 9100 PRO is the only drive in this group with a full 1GB of DRAM per terabyte, giving it superior random I/O versus the WD Black SN8100, Crucial T705, Corsair MP700 Pro SE, and Seagate FireCuda 540, and it backs that with Samsung's mature Magician software. It trails the WD Black SN8100 in peak sequential speed and efficiency, and it is more expensive than the Crucial T705. Choose it over the WD Black SN8100 if you want Samsung's ecosystem and DRAM-heavy random performance; choose the WD Black SN8100 instead for the fastest, coolest-running option overall.

WD Black SN8100

The WD Black SN8100 is the fastest drive in this group, beating the Crucial T705 and Samsung 9100 PRO in sequential throughput while drawing dramatically less power, so it runs cooler than the Corsair MP700 Pro SE and Crucial T705 without a fan. It uses a newer Silicon Motion controller, where the Corsair MP700 Pro SE, Crucial T705, and Seagate FireCuda 540 all share the same hotter Phison controller. It trades the Samsung 9100 PRO's 1GB-per-TB DRAM and Samsung's Magician ecosystem for higher peak speed and efficiency. Choose it over the Seagate FireCuda 540 if outright speed and thermals matter more than the FireCuda's data-recovery warranty.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	Samsung 9100 PRO 2TB PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD	WD Black SN8100
Interface	PCIe 5.0 x4	PCIe 5.0 x4 (NVMe 2.0)
Form Factor	2280 M.2	M.2 2280
NAND Type	236-layer TLC	SanDisk BiCS8 TLC 3D
DRAM Cache	1GB per TB	—
Capacity	2TB	—
Controller	Samsung Presto (S4LY027, 5nm)	Silicon Motion SM2508 (6nm)
Warranty	5 years	5 years / 1,200 TBW (2TB)
Sequential Read	—	Up to 14,900 MB/s
Sequential Write	—	Up to 14,000 MB/s
Capacities	—	1TB, 2TB, 4TB

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