> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://corelab.tech/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Hybrid Gen 5 Experiment: High-Speed Linux Storage Without the Gen 5 Heat - URL: https://corelab.tech/samsung-990-evo-plus-linux-ssd-heat-test/ - Published: 2026-04-07T12:15:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T18:25:54.000Z - Description: Can a "Hybrid" SSD outperform the flagship Gen 5 screamers? I test the Samsung 990 EVO Plus on CachyOS to see how it handles BTRFS, thermals, and 2.5GbE NAS transfers in my newest workstation. - Author: Core Lab Joe - Tags: Hardware, Linux, Gaming, #2026, #table-of-content Shortly after New Year (2026), I introduced **"**[**Dirty Snow**](https://corelab.tech/dirty-snow-ryzen-9800x3d-linux-build/)**" -** my new high-contrast (Black/White theme) Ryzen 9800X3D workstation running **CachyOS**. A CPU that fast needs to be fed data instantly, so when it came to storage, I made a choice that confused a few people. I didn't buy a screaming-hot flagship PCIe 5.0 drive like the Crucial T700\. Partly due to the rising hardware costs, but also because I picked up the newly released **Samsung 990 EVO Plus (2TB)**. At time of purchase (Sept 27, 2025) I paid $170 CAD, all in for this drive. Sadly, it's ah, FAR more expensive than this now 🥲. Had I known then, what I know now, I'd have bought 2, maybe even 3! I assumed "EVO" meant mid-tier and "PCIe 5.0" meant blazing 14,000 MB/s speeds. > I was **half** right. It turns out, this drive is a weird "Hybrid" beast that might actually be the smartest choice for a Linux daily driver, even if it doesn't break world speed records. Here is how it stacks up against my trusty (and aging) **Sabrent Rocket 4.0**, and how it handles heavy file transfers from my [OMV8 NAS](https://corelab.tech/diy-nas-server-build/). --- ## The "Hybrid" Gimmick: Decoding PCIe 5.0 x2 vs. PCIe 4.0 x4 ![A picture displaying Installation of the 2X competing NVME drives into my new workstation "Dirty Snow".](https://corelab.tech/content/images/2026/04/Installing-NVMEs-into-Dirty-Snow-1.webp) The Samsung 990 EVO Plus meeting the Gigabyte Aorus B850 Elite Ice - a perfect match for a cool-running workstation. Most flagship Gen 5 drives, like the Crucial T700, use **four lanes of PCIe 5.0** to hit those 14,000 MB/s speeds. The Samsung 990 EVO Plus does something much weirder. It can use: - **4 lanes of PCIe 4.0** (Standard Gen 4 performance) ***OR,*** - **2 lanes of PCIe 5.0** (Hybrid Gen 5 performance) The total bandwidth is roughly the same (\~8,000 MB/s theoretical), but by using only two Gen 5 lanes, the controller doesn't have to work as hard or pull as much power. This is the "secret sauce" behind why it stays so cool while still saturating the Gen 4 interface. Here's a further breakdown: ### 1\. The Newcomer: [Samsung 990 EVO Plus](https://linktw.in/JWuCwd?ref=corelab.tech) (2TB) - **The Gimmick:** It advertises "PCIe 5.0" compatibility, but it uses a unique hybrid lane configuration: it runs on **2 lanes (x2) of PCIe 5.0** OR **4 lanes (x4) of PCIe 4.0**. - **The Result:** You get the maximum bandwidth of a high-end Gen 4 drive (\~7,250 MB/s), but because it uses a controller designed for Gen 5 efficiency, it runs incredibly cool. - **Why it matters:** Real Gen 5 drives run so hot they often require tiny, screaming active cooling fans. This drive is **silent**. ### 2\. The Veteran: [Sabrent Rocket 4.0](https://linktw.in/JvqnRB?ref=corelab.tech) (1TB) ### 🤔 2TB model only available now, [currently on sale](https://linktw.in/JvqnRB?ref=corelab.tech), 47% off, lowest price in over 30 days! - **The Legacy:** One of the first solid Gen 4 drives that has served me well since 2021\. Back then I think I paid like $200 CAD for it as well! - **The Spec:** Rated for \~5,000 MB/s (Read), NVME 4.0. --- ![Picture of my new PC's (Dirty Snow) motherboard, showing the two NVME drives featured, installed.](https://corelab.tech/content/images/2026/01/NVME-s-2.webp) Dirty Snow's storage, all NVME, but this mobo has room to grow! ## Linux Benchmarking: Samsung 990 EVO Plus vs. Sabrent Rocket 4.0 Since I am running **CachyOS**, the file system matters. It's an Arch Linux distro, but VERY Linux beginner friendly! I'll likely release a post showcasing it later. Windows benchmarks don't always tell the full story here. - **File System:** BTRFS (Default CachyOS install with ZSTD compression). - **Benchmark Tool:** KDiskMark (The Linux equivalent of CrystalDiskMark). - **Kernel:** Linux-CachyOS (6.12+). - **Apps:** I'm lazy, I had like a dozen browser windows open 😝 ![Picture of the Gigabyte Aorus B850 Elite Ice motherboard installed in the case, with NVME heatsink covering the drives.](https://corelab.tech/content/images/2026/03/New-mobo-for-dirty-snow.webp) She's clean and beautiful, the Gigabyte Aorus B850 Elite Ice ### Synthetic Performance on CachyOS (KDiskMark & BTRFS) I ran the standard "Default" profile on KDiskMark. I explicitly **disabled Copy-on-Write (CoW)** for the test folder to see the raw hardware potential without BTRFS overhead. ![](https://corelab.tech/content/images/2026/01/SABRENT-Rocker-Gen-4-NVME.webp) ![](https://corelab.tech/content/images/2026/01/SAMSUNG-Evo-Hybrid-Gen-5-NVME-1.webp) **Side-by-side KDiskMark results on CachyOS: The Samsung 990 EVO Plus (Right) showing a significant lead in sequential read speeds over the Sabrent Rocket 4.0 (Left).* - **Sabrent Rocket:** \~3,842 MB/s Read / \~4,009 MB/s Write - **Samsung 990 EVO Plus:** \~6,554 MB/s Read / \~5,480 MB/s Write 🎯 ****The Verdict:** The Samsung drive dominates where it matters most: ****Read Speeds**. It is delivering nearly **double the read bandwidth (1.7x)** of the older Sabrent. For a daily driver, this is what you actually feel - faster boot times, instant shader compilation (Steam), and snappier game loads. While the Sabrent still puts up a respectable fight in write speeds, the Samsung pushes the PCIe 4.0 interface to its practical limit while running *significantly* cooler. I'm sure had I rebooted and not opened 100 apps, and did the test properly we'd see an even larger margin between the two, with '[clean' test bench](https://www.storagereview.com/review/samsung-990-evo-plus-ssd-review?ref=corelab.tech)'s pulling 7,100+MB/sec with the Samsung... --- ## Real-World Stress Test: 55GB OMV8 NAS Transfers Synthetics are fun, but I actually use **Dirty Snow** to pull massive media files from my [**OpenMediaVault 8**](https://corelab.tech/setup-omv/) **(OMV8)** NAS for testing. - **The Source:** OMV8 NAS (ZFS Pool) - **The Connection:** 2.5GbE Ethernet (Switch + Mobo) - **The Protocol:** NFS Share mounted via `/etc/fstab` - SMB would work, but I'm running all Linux here, and NFS absolutely destroys SMB performance wise... I initiated a transfer of a **55GB PC Game backup (Triple AAA title)** file from the NAS to the NVMe to see if the drive would choke. ### The 2.5GbE Bottleneck: Why Your Network Might Be Lying to You Even though the Samsung drive can write at **6,000 MB/s**, the transfer capped hard at **\~270-280 MB/s (bounced up and down a little)**. Why? **2.5 Gigabit Ethernet.** - 2.5 Gigabits = \~312 Megabytes/sec (theoretical max). - **Real World Speed:** \~280 MB/s (after TCP/NFS overhead). The drive was barely waking up. To truly stress this SSD, I would need to upgrade my entire home network to **10GbE** (which should hit \~1,100 MB/s). *Note to self: Next project - Give Dirty Snow 10GbE🤔* --- ## Thermal Performance: Staying Cool Without Active Cooling This is the real reason I bought the "Hybrid" drive. Real Gen 5 drives idle at 60°C+ and require massive heatsinks. I wanted **Dirty Snow** to be cool and quiet. I was also a little surprised when I was researching about NVME Gen 5 and realized they are so hot. Using `sensors` in the terminal, I watched the thermals during the 55GB transfer and the benchmarks. ### Temperature Showdown (Ambient 20.5°C) | Drive | Idle Temp | Load Temp | | ------------------------ | --------- | --------- | | **Sabrent Rocket** | 34°C | 48°C | | **Samsung 990 EVO Plus** | **28°C** | **39°C** | Because the Samsung uses a newer 5nm controller designed for much higher Gen 5 loads, along with a nickel coating on the controller itself, it actually runs cooler than the Sabrent Rocket! --- ## Verdict: Is the 990 EVO Plus the Best Mid-Tier King for Linux? Is the **Samsung 990 EVO Plus** a "scam" because it says PCIe 5.0 but runs at 4.0 speeds? **No. Especially with the hardware prices of 2026...** It is arguably the perfect Linux daily driver. You get the **maximum** possible speed of Gen 4, with none of the heat issues of Gen 5\. If you are building a **Ryzen 9000** system on CachyOS and want a drive that is fast, stays cool, and handles BTRFS snapshots instantly, this is the "mid-tier" king. --- ## ❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ### Why does the Samsung 990 EVO Plus advertise PCIe 5.0 but perform like a Gen 4 drive? It uses a hybrid controller that can run either 2 lanes of PCIe 5.0 or 4 lanes of PCIe 4.0, and both paths land at roughly the same real-world bandwidth, around 7,250 MB/s. Using only two Gen 5 lanes instead of four means the controller works less hard and draws less power, which is exactly why it stays cool while still maxing out a Gen 4 interface. It's not a scam, it's a deliberate efficiency tradeoff. ### Is the Samsung 990 EVO Plus actually faster than a Sabrent Rocket 4.0? In this testing, yes, particularly on reads. On CachyOS with KDiskMark, the Samsung hit roughly 6,554 MB/s read versus the Sabrent's 3,842 MB/s, about 1.7x the read bandwidth. Write speeds were closer (5,480 MB/s versus 4,009 MB/s). For a daily-driver workload, read speed is what you actually feel in boot times and load times, which is where the Samsung pulls ahead. ### Do I need 10GbE to actually benefit from a drive this fast when pulling files from a NAS? For sustained large transfers, yes. In this test, a 55GB transfer over 2.5GbE Ethernet capped at roughly 270-280 MB/s, nowhere near either drive's actual write speed, because the network was the bottleneck, not the SSD. The NVMe drive itself was barely working. Only a 10GbE upgrade would come close to stressing a drive this fast during network transfers. ### Does the Samsung 990 EVO Plus really run cooler than older Gen 4 drives? Yes, in this testing it ran cooler than the older Sabrent Rocket 4.0, not just cooler than a true Gen 5 drive. Idle and load temperatures came in at 28°C and 39°C for the Samsung versus 34°C and 48°C for the Sabrent, at the same 20.5°C ambient. The newer 5nm controller and its coating are doing real thermal work here, not just benefiting from running at a lower lane count. ### Is the Samsung 990 EVO Plus a good choice for a Linux workstation specifically? Yes, especially if you're running BTRFS with snapshots on something like CachyOS. You get effectively the same real-world throughput as a high-end Gen 4 drive, without the heat and active-cooling requirements that real Gen 5 drives need, which matters for a quiet daily-driver build rather than a benchmark rig.