Samsung 870 EVO 1TB
Score: 96/100
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 Samsung 870 EVO 1TB internal SSD offers top-tier SATA performance, strong endurance, and built-in hardware encryption, making it a reliable upgrade for desktops and laptops, though it is limited by the SATA interface.
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
1,024 GBbest | 1,000 GB | |
560 MB/s | 14,900 MB/sbest | |
530 MB/s | 13,500 MB/sbest | |
98,000 IOPSbest | — | |
88,000 IOPSbest | — | |
600 TBW | 700 TBWbest | |
5 yearsbest | 5 yearsbest | |
| ↓ lower better | 2.5 Wbest | — |
Click an attribute name to sort · Green = best, red = worst (relative to this comparison)
| Attribute | | |
|---|---|---|
Performance(3) | ||
Sequential Read Speed (MB/s) | 560 MB/s | 14900 MB/s |
Sequential Write Speed (MB/s) | 530 MB/s | 13500 MB/s |
Interface | SATA III | PCIe Gen5 x4 |
Storage(3) | ||
Capacity (GB) | 1024 GB | 1000 GB |
Form Factor | 2.5-inch | M.2 2280 |
Endurance (TBW) (TBW) | 600 TBW | 700 TBW |
Design & Build(2) | ||
Weight (g) | 45 g | 10 g |
Thickness (mm) | 6.8 mm | 4 mm |
Products in the top-left offer the best value (high score, low price).
Professional reviewers, notably PCMag's Editors' Choice, commend the 870 EVO as the premier SATA SSD, emphasizing its record-setting 4K random performance, robust endurance, and the added value of Samsung Magician software.
Everyday users overwhelmingly praise the drive for dramatically faster boot times, smoother multitasking, and reliable operation, often highlighting the ease of installation and the usefulness of Samsung Magician.
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.
“This drive has worked flawlessly… my computer is like a hypercar.”
“a premier option in the world of SATA SSDs”
