Kingston A400
Score: 71/100
Crucial P3 Plus 1TB
Score: 73/100Rankings
The Crucial P3 Plus 1TB is a budget-oriented PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD that offers blazing sequential read speeds and a large pSLC cache for fast burst writes, delivering strong first-impression performance. Its DRAM-less design and limited random IOPS cause latency and throttling once the cache is depleted, making it less suitable for sustained heavy-write workloads. It is best for gamers and general users who want Gen4 speeds without a premium price.
The Kingston A400 240 GB SSD is a budget-friendly 2.5-inch SATA drive offering up to 500 MB/s read speed and very low power draw. Its write speed caps at 350 MB/s and endurance is limited to 80 TB TBW. Ideal for users upgrading older laptops or desktops who need a cost-effective OS drive.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
240 GB | 1,000 GBbest | |
500 MB/s | 5,000 MB/sbest | |
350 MB/sbest | — | |
— | 164,000 IOPSbest | |
— | 65,000 IOPSbest | |
80 TB | 220 TBbest | |
— | 1,500,000 hoursbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 0.279 Wbest | — |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Connectivity(1) | ||
Interface | SATA III | PCIe Gen4 x4 |
Performance(2) | ||
Sequential Read Speed (MB/s) | 500 MB/s | 5000 MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 350 MB/s | 3600-4200 MB/s |
Storage(1) | ||
Storage Capacity (GB) | 240 GB | 1000 GB |
General(1) | ||
Warranty (years) | 3 years | 5 years |
Reliability(2) | ||
Total Bytes Written (Endurance) (TB) | 80 TB | 220 TB |
Mean Time Between Failures (hours) | 1000000-2000000 hours | 1500000 hours |
Design & Build(3) | ||
Form Factor | 2.5 inch | M.2 2280 |
Weight (g) | 41 g | 5.8 g |
Dimensions (L×W×H) (mm) | 7.1 x 69.9 x 100.1 mm mm | 80.01×2.29×22.10 mm mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers and editors praise the Kingston A400 240GB for its impressive speed uplift over mechanical drives, rugged build quality, and excellent value at a low price. However, they caution that its write speed ceiling, modest 80 TB TBW endurance, and inconsistent MTBF figures make it less suitable for heavy-write or enterprise scenarios.
Everyday users overwhelmingly appreciate the noticeable boost in boot times, quieter operation, and straightforward installation, often describing the drive as feeling truly ten times faster than their old HDDs.
Professional reviewers commend the P3 Plus for its impressive sequential throughput and aggressive pricing, especially the 64K write performance that outpaces many QLC competitors. However, they consistently point out its weak random IOPS, high latency, and the drawbacks of a DRAM-less architecture, which cause sustained write speeds to tumble once the cache is exhausted. Overall, they view it as a solid budget Gen4 option for bursty workloads but not a contender for performance-critical or heavy-write scenarios.
Everyday users love the noticeable speed boost in booting, app loading, and large file transfers, often describing the experience as "very snappy" and a "massive jump" from SATA or HDD setups. Recurring complaints focus on performance throttling after the cache fills, heat concerns without a heatsink, and disappointment with random small-file speed, especially for VDI or database-type tasks.
