Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare
PCIe 3.0 · 3500/3300 MB/s · 2TB
XPG MARS 980 STORM
PCIe 4.0 NVMe · PassMark #62
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare takes it — here’s why.
In our weighted Specdex score, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare lands at 86 and XPG MARS 980 STORM at 70. That puts Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare ahead by 16 points — a decisive margin driven mostly by its strengths in the categories below.
Pick Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare if…
- ✓M.2 NVMe
- ✓Competitive per-GB cost
- ✓TBW scales with capacity
Pick XPG MARS 980 STORM if…
- ✓Capable NVMe drive at PassMark rank #62
Winner by scenario
Derived from the sub-score breakdown · not a separate testValue for money
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bareSpecdex score per dollar at MSRP
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare more score per dollar ($140 vs $200).
Score breakdown
Specs side-by-side
| Spec | Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare | XPG MARS 980 STORM |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 | — |
| Capacity | 2TB | — |
| Read/Write | 3500/3300 MB/s | — |
| PassMark Disk Score | — | 74,315 |
| PassMark rank | — | #62 of 100 consumer SSDs |
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare
- +M.2 NVMe
- +Competitive per-GB cost
- +TBW scales with capacity
- −Thermals on Gen 5 drives
- −DRAM-less models slower under sustained load
- −Require heatsinks in many systems
XPG MARS 980 STORM
- +Capable NVMe drive at PassMark rank #62
- −DRAM-less controllers on lower-tier variants may throttle under sustained writes
- −Newer drives out-perform this generation on sequential + random 4K
FAQ: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare vs XPG MARS 980 STORM
Which is better, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare or XPG MARS 980 STORM? +
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare scores 86 on our weighted rubric — ahead by 16. Your best pick depends on the sub-scores above.
Is Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare worth the price? +
At $140, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare delivers a Specdex score of 86 — strongest in read.
Is XPG MARS 980 STORM worth the price? +
At $200, XPG MARS 980 STORM delivers a Specdex score of 70 — strongest in passmark_disk.
Does Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare or XPG MARS 980 STORM last longer? +
Based on our long-term update and support ratings, both ship with multi-year support. Battery and reliability scores are visible in the breakdown above.
Which is the better value, Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare or XPG MARS 980 STORM? +
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB · bare — more score per dollar ($140 vs $200). Specdex score per dollar at MSRP.