Kingston NV3 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2230
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
What Buyers Say
Kingston NV3 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2230
Users are overwhelmingly positive about this Kingston NV3 2230 SSD, praising its speed, compact size, and value for money. It works well in various setups including gaming laptops, external enclosures, and Raspberry Pi 5, with several noting it outperforms original drives. A few caveats exist regarding sustained write speeds under heavy loads, but overall satisfaction is high.
Pros
- Fast read/write speeds
- Compact 2230 size
- Great value for money
- Works well in various devices
- Outperforms original drives
Cons
- Sustained write speeds drop under heavy load
- Not as good as real CFExpress cards
- May drop frames in high-bitrate recording
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The WD Black SN850X is highly praised for its blazing speed, reliability, and value, often compared favorably to pricier alternatives like Samsung and Solidigm. Users report excellent performance in gaming (especially PS5) and general use, with a few concerns about potential issues mitigated by firmware updates. Overall, it's seen as a top-tier NVMe drive, especially when on sale.
Pros
- Blazing fast speeds
- Excellent value for money
- Reliable high-capacity storage
- Great for PS5
- Easy installation
Cons
- Potential firmware issues
- No heatsink included
- Pricey when not on sale
Scores
Specifications
| Kingston NV3 | Western Digital Black SN850X | |
|---|---|---|
| Drive | ||
| Capacity | ||
| Form Factor | M.2 2230 | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Protocol | NVMe | NVMe |
| PCIe Generation | 4 | 4 |
| External | ✗ | ✗ |
| Performance | ||
| Sequential Read (MB/s) | ||
| Sequential Write (MB/s) | ||
| Random Read (IOPS) | No data | |
| Random Write (IOPS) | No data | |
| Hardware | ||
| NAND | TLC | TLC |
| DRAM Cache | — | ✓★ |
| Controller | — | WD 20-82-20035-B1 |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | ||
| Warranty (years) | 3 | 5★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✗ | ✗ |
| Hardware Encryption | — | ✗ |
Pros & Cons
Kingston NV3 2TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2230
- Strong social proof (87th percentile)87th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (79th percentile)
- Strong capacity (79th percentile)
- Strong speed (78th percentile)
- Below average affordability (23rd percentile)
Western Digital Black SN850X 4TB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong random (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong user sentiment (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong capacity (93rd percentile)93rd %ile
- Below average affordability (11th percentile)11th %ile
Verdict
Scores 99 overall, wins 5 of 6 usage categories and 8 of 18 specs.