So although I will potentially have a 2TB 970 Evo Plus spare in a few months for my new FW13 (whenever that comes) I am still considering buying a new 2TB drive to eke out a bit more battery life and generate less heat compared to the Evo Plus. Also wanted to take advantage of the current low SSD prices that have probably bottomed out (although I thought that 6 months ago, too… go figure). I’m not sure even Black Friday deals will better some current prices since these days so many Black Friday “sales” are artificial and based on prices that crept up in the prior weeks. Still, I can also return anything I do buy if a better deal does come up later this month.

So with three factors in mind (in order of priority: battery life, heat, speed) what would you choose from the following previous- and current-generation 2TB drives that are currently available for under $130: SK Hynix P31, SK Hynix P41, Samsung 980 Pro, Samsung 990 Pro

I’m strongly considering the Hynix P31 or the 980 Pro since they’ll probably run cooler that the newest generation, be plenty fast enough, and be more power efficient (especially the Hynix). What the Samsung has going for it over the Hynix is speed and on-chip encryption, but I have an OEM version of that drive as the boot drive in my current Thinkpad and it tends to run hotter than I expected.