Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
SanDisk WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB 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
SanDisk WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
The WD Black SN8100 is overwhelmingly praised for its blazing Gen5 speeds, with users reporting double the performance of previous Gen4 drives and boot times of just a few seconds. Reviewers highlight excellent heat management, easy installation, and reliability, though many note the high price as a significant drawback. Overall, it's seen as a top-tier upgrade for those with compatible hardware and budget.
Pros
- Blazing Gen5 speeds
- Excellent heat management
- Easy installation
- Reliable performance
- Great for gaming
Cons
- High price
- Requires Gen5 motherboard
- Pricey for many
Scores
Specifications
| Kingston NV3 | SanDisk WD_BLACK SN8100 | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✗ | — |
| Reliability | ||
| Endurance (TBW) | ||
| MTBF (hours) | No data | |
| Warranty (years) | 3 | 5★ |
| Features | ||
| Heatsink | ✗ | — |
Pros & Cons
Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong social proof (87th percentile)87th %ile
- Strong affordability (76th percentile)
- Strong endurance (70th percentile)
- Strong speed (70th percentile)
- Below average feature (15th percentile)15th %ile
- Below average capacity (26th percentile)
SanDisk WD_BLACK SN8100 4TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280
- Strong speed (100th percentile)100th %ile
- Strong random (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong social proof (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Strong endurance (95th percentile)95th %ile
- Below average affordability (8th percentile)8th %ile
Pricing
Kingston NV3 500GB PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 offers 5.8x better value for money
Verdict
Scores 90 overall, wins 5 of 6 usage categories and 9 of 16 specs.