Western Digital Elements SE vs Samsung 990 PRO
Western Digital Elements SE 4TB Portable USB 3.2 Gen 1
Western Digital
27 Overall Score
vs
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Samsung
98 Overall Score
What Buyers Say
Western Digital Elements SE 4TB Portable USB 3.2 Gen 1
No customer feedback yet
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
88 out of 100 low confidence 5 reviews
Users are highly satisfied with this SSD, praising its exceptional speed and reliable performance for gaming and photo editing. One user noted thermal concerns during heavy gaming, reaching 62°C without a heatsink, but overall sentiment remains very positive. The drive is easy to install and has proven durable over a year of use.
Pros
- Blazing fast speeds
- Easy installation
- Reliable performance
- Good value for refurbished price
Cons
- Thermal concerns under heavy load
- No heatsink included
Speed 5
Reliability 3
Ease of installation 2
Value for money 1
Thermal performance 1
Scores
Gaming
Workstation
Console
Budget
Laptop
Portable
Specifications
| Western Digital Elements SE | Samsung 990 PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | External | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | USB 3.2 Gen 1 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol | — | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | — | 4★ |
| External | ✓ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | No data | |
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | No data | |
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | — | TLC★ |
| DRAM Cache | — | ✓★ |
| Controller | — | Samsung |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | No data | |
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | — | 5★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | — | ✓★ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Western Digital Elements SE 4TB Portable USB 3.2 Gen 1
- Strong capacity (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Below average affordability (0th percentile)0th %ile
- Below average speed (2nd percentile)2nd %ile
- Below average random (4th percentile)4th %ile
- Below average endurance (15th percentile)15th %ile
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong feature (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong random (97th percentile)97th %ile
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong speed (94th percentile)94th %ile
- Below average affordability (23rd percentile)
Pricing
Western Digital Elements SE 4TB Portable USB 3.2 Gen 1
No current pricing available
Samsung 990 PRO 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Verdict
Winner: Samsung 990 PRO
Scores 98 overall, wins 5 of 6 usage categories and 12 of 18 specs.
