PNY XLR8 CS3140 M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The PNY XLR8 CS3140 M.2 NVMe Gen4 SSD is available now, but being a high-end item, you’re only likely to find it at the biggest retailers. The faster 2TB is currently on Amazon for £299.99, which the model I reviewed is just £175. However, that’s the version without the heatsink, the additional heatsink versions are around £20-30 more should you need them, otherwise, you’re better to save yourself the cash if your motherboard has a built-in M.2 cooling system that you would prefer.

Overview

Make no mistake, this is a seriously fast drive, and if you have a need, a need for speed, this is your answer. There are competitive drives out there though, and for around the same price, all the big-name brands have something that can pretty much go head-to-head with it give or take a little. However, this drive does have some very impressive read and write performance figures that put it ahead of many rivals.

To get the most out of this drive, you’re going to want a system that’s already pretty fast. You’ll need a recent motherboard with PCIe Gen 4 support, you’ll need to ensure your CPU is compatible to deliver on those features, and generally, the drive will perform better in systems that are equipped with other high-end components in general. Of course, it’ll also work in the PlayStation 5, but in fairness, that system is no slouch in its own right. This drive will allow you to run PS5 games natively from it too, and you may even find it runs a little fastest than the internal storage too.

The PNY XLR8 CS3140 really is the sum of its parts. It’s got a good quality controller, the Phison E18, a large DRAM DDR4 cache from SK Hynix, and high-performance Micron 96-layer 3D TLC NAND. 7,500MB/s seq. read and 5650 MB/s seq. write was promised and it certainly didn’t disappoint in that regard, so you may want to learn to read faster, as those loading screen tips will be gone in a flash.

Should I Buy One?

Tired of slow storage or simply have a craving for more ultra-fast storage? Then the PNY XLR8 CS3140 is one of the best drives on the market today. It’s the perfect addition for the PlayStation 5 or any high-end PC. Sure, it’s not cheap, but if you want the latest and greatest storage technologies and class-leading performance, you have to pay up for it.