In for review is the Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD. This is an M.2 storage drive, with capacities ranging from 500 GB to 4 TB. We have the 2 TB model here with a local street price of ₱7,899 PHP.
Disclosure: Kingston sent the NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD for the purpose of this storage drive review. The company did not ask me to say anything particular about it.
Table of Contents
Technical Specifications
According to Kingston, the 2 TB variant of the NV3 SSD can achieve sequential read speeds of up to 6000 MB/s and write speeds of up to 5000 MB/s. It also provides a Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) of 2 million hours and a Terabyte Written (TBW) rating of 640 TB.
| Storage | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 2 TB (also available in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 4 TB) |
| Flash Controller | N/A |
| Flash Memory | 3D NAND |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x4 |
| Sequential Read | 6000 MB/s |
| Sequential Write | 5000 MB/s |
| Random Read | N/A |
| Random Write | N/A |
| Endurance | |
| MTBF | 2,000,000 Hours |
| TBW | 640 TB |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 80 mm |
| Width | 22 mm |
| Height | 2.3 mm |
| Weight | 7 grams |
Packaging and Accessories
As usual for budget oriented drives, the Kingston NV3 comes in a blister packaging.
Scope of delivery are as follows:
- Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD
Design, Build and Connectivity
The Kingston NV3 is a simple NVMe SSD in an M.2 2280 form factor. It doesn’t come with a heatsink nor a graphene sheet – only the usual label or sticker in this case.
The 2 TB variant of the NV3 is a single sided SSD. This means every heat generating component is at the top most part of the drive. I would assume this is also the case with lower capacity models but I cannot be certain when it comes to the 4 TB variant.
Throughput
The Kingston NV3 surpassed its rated specifications in the CrystalDiskMark benchmark, achieving sequential read and write speeds of 6159.80 MB/s and 5687.69 MB/s, respectively.
IOPS
The Kingston NV3’s highest recorded Input/Output per Second are approximately 588K for read and 672K for write at the Random 4K benchmarks. These figures are typical of PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe drives but not mind blowing results.
Access Time
The Kingston NV3 has excellent access time performance. All time low recorded are 61.73 μs for the read and 17.46 μs for the write.
File Copy
Now the file copy performance of the NV3 is great across all tested file sizes. As usual, copying simulated program files are the most taxing on the drive, with a recorded 7.19 seconds completion. Still, not bad for a budget oriented 2 TB PCIe 4.0 storage device.
Compression
As for compression, the NV3 exhibited a fairly stable read and write performance.
Cache
Now cache performance is a different story, showing erratic drops in read performance along with a quick drop in write performance. Degradation in write speed starts as soon as the drive has written around 25 GB of data. If the NV3 has an Achilles’ heel, then this is it.
Temperature
The operating temperature of the NV3 without any aid of active or passive cooling solutions is more than acceptable. Highest recorded is 68 °C which is fairly good in my book.
Final Thoughts
The Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD in its 2 TB variant offers impressive performance for its price point, particularly excelling in read and write speeds that surpass its official ratings. Its single-sided design, though lacking additional cooling solution, is also sufficient enough to avoid alarming heat output.
The NV3 also performs solidly in IOPS and access time benchmarks, showing dependable file copy performance across varying file sizes, making it a suitable choice for general use and demanding workloads alike – at least with consumer level tasks.
However, the NV3’s cache – or lack thereof, could show some room for improvement, with noticeable drops in write speed after extended use.
Overall, the Kingston NV3 is still a compelling budget option in the PCIe 4.0 SSD market, offering robust performance at a competitive price point at around $100 USD.
Kingston NV3 (2 TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD $106
Product Name: NV3 (2 TB) PCIe 4.0 SSD
Product Description: The Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD is a budget-friendly M.2 storage drive offering impressive read and write speeds, efficient file handling, and reliable performance for general use.
Brand: Kingston
Summary
Overall, the Kingston NV3 PCIe 4.0 SSD offers excellent value, with strong read and write speeds, solid file transfer performance, and efficient thermal management.
Pros
- Surpasses rated read and write speeds
- Delivers solid IOPS and access time performance
- Handles file copy tasks efficiently, with quick completion times
- Runs relatively cool even without additional cooling solutions
Cons
- Write speed experiences degradation after approximately 25 GB of continuous data transfer
- Local pricing could be a bit better
 PCIe 4.0 SSD Review){kind=link}