Kingston NV3 1TB
Score: 92/100
PNY CS3250 1TB
Score: 100/100Rankings
The PNY CS3250 1TB Gen5 NVMe SSD delivers near-theoretical PCIe 5.0 speeds with integrated DRAM, a large pSLC cache, and strong endurance, making it ideal for gamers, content creators, and AI workloads. Its lack of an included heatsink and the typical gap between advertised and real-world performance are the main trade-offs.
The Kingston NV3 1TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD delivers flagship-class PCIe 4.0 speeds in an ultra-compact package, ideal for handheld gaming consoles and small-form-factor PCs, though reliability concerns have been noted.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
1,024 GBbest | 1,000 GB | |
6,000 MB/s | 14,900 MB/sbest | |
4,000 MB/s | 13,500 MB/sbest | |
320 TBW | 700 TBWbest | |
5 yearsbest | 5 yearsbest | |
2,000,000 hoursbest | 1,500,000 hours | |
| ↓ lower better | 2.8 gbest | 10 g |
| ↓ lower better | 0 °Cbest | 0 °Cbest |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Performance(3) | ||
Sequential Read Speed (MB/s) | 6000 MB/s | 14900 MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 4000 MB/s | 13500 MB/s |
Interface | PCIe 4.0 NVMe | PCIe Gen5 x4 |
Storage(5) | ||
Capacity (GB) | 1024 GB | 1000 GB |
Form Factor | M.2 2230 | M.2 2280 |
NAND Type | 3D NAND | TLC |
Endurance (TBW) (TBW) | 320 TBW | 700 TBW |
MTBF (hours) | 2000000 hours | 1500000 hours |
Design & Build(2) | ||
Weight (g) | 2.8 g | 10 g |
Thickness (mm) | 2.3 mm | 4 mm |
Professional reviewers praise the NV3 as a high-performance, future-ready upgrade for handheld consoles and SFF PCs, noting its near-rated Gen 4 speeds and solid reliability, but caution that current handheld hardware caps achievable bandwidth and that the drive performs poorly in external enclosures.
Everyday users largely appreciate the speed boost, compact fit, and responsive support, though a minority report early failures, data loss, and disappointing external-drive performance.
Professional reviewers consider the PNY CS3250 a flagship-class Gen5 SSD that delivers near-top speeds, solid endurance, and useful security features, though they note that real-world performance typically trails the advertised peak and the lack of an included heatsink may limit sustained workloads.
Everyday users praise the drive's lightning-fast boot and load times, its impact on 4K video editing, and the ease of installing it as a PS5 expansion, while common concerns revolve around BIOS configuration, thermal throttling without a heatsink, and the usual discrepancy between advertised and actual usable capacity.
“fast installation and excellent real-world speed”
“smooth gameplay and quick boot times”
“Kingston's RMA process is fast and efficient”
