Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The Kingston NV3 SSD generally receives positive feedback for its ease of installation, speed, and reliability in everyday use. However, several users note that the price has increased significantly, making it less of a value than before. Some Q&A responses highlight that it lacks DRAM and may slow down during sustained writes, but it's considered adequate for typical desktop and gaming use.
Pros
- Easy installation
- Fast performance
- Reliable in daily use
- Good value at normal price
- Works well for OS storage
Cons
- Price increased significantly
- No DRAM (uses HMB)
- Slows down during sustained writes
- 500GB capacity may be limiting
Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The Samsung 9100 Pro is generally praised for its blazing-fast Gen5 speeds, with several users noting a noticeable improvement over Gen4 drives like the 990 Pro. However, one verified buyer reported a complete failure after less than two weeks, which is a significant concern. Most reviewers recommend it for high-end builds, especially with a heatsink, but caution that the speed boost may not be worth it for everyone.
Pros
- Blazing fast Gen5 speeds
- Noticeable improvement over Gen4
- Works with PCIe 4.0 boards
- Compatible with PS5 (with heatsink)
- High-quality build
Cons
- Reported failure within 2 weeks
- Requires heatsink for best performance
- Speed difference not noticeable for everyday tasks
- Not worth upgrading from Gen4 for some
Scores
Specifications
| Kingston NV3 | Samsung 9100 PRO | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 5.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | 5★ |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | — | TLC★ |
| DRAM Cache | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Controller | — | In-House Controller |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | ||
| Warranty (years) | 5 | 5 |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✓★ |
Pros & Cons
Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong social proof (87th percentile)87th %ile
- Strong affordability (77th percentile)
- Strong endurance (70th percentile)
- Strong speed (70th percentile)
- Below average feature (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average capacity (26th percentile)
Samsung 9100 PRO 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong social proof (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong random (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong speed (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong feature (97th percentile)97th %ile
Verdict
Scores 94 overall, wins 5 of 6 usage categories and 11 of 18 specs.