- Which is faster, the Crucial T710 or the Samsung 9100 PRO?
- On paper they are nearly tied for reads: 14,900 MB/s for the Crucial versus 14,800 MB/s for the Samsung. The Samsung publishes a 13,400 MB/s sequential write, while Crucial lists random write at 2.3M IOPS instead, so writes are hard to compare directly.
- Is the Samsung 9100 PRO worth the extra money?
- At $249.99 versus $211 for the Crucial, you pay about $39 more. You get a much larger ratings base and a published shock rating. If you just want fast Gen5 reads, the Crucial covers that for less.
- Do both come with a heatsink?
- Yes. Both list a heatsink, which matters for Gen5 drives that throttle without one. Check that your motherboard's M.2 slot has clearance for a heatsinked drive.
- Which is better for gaming?
- Both list gaming as the top use case and both are far faster than games need. The Samsung's larger ratings base makes it the safer known quantity; the Crucial saves money with no real gaming downside.
- Which has the better cache?
- The Crucial states a 2GB LPDDR4-4266 cache. Samsung says only that the 9100 PRO has a DRAM cache without giving the size, so the Crucial's figure is the one you can check.
- Which holds its price better?
- The Samsung moved only from $249.99 to $259.99 in the recent window. The Crucial ranged from $211 to $272.99, so its price is more volatile and worth watching before you buy.
