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I will admit, it’s been a long time since I’ve built my own PC. When I started out, it was all about spindle speed. Then came the hybrid drives, and eventually SSDs that had the same form factor as the spinning platter predecessors. Now, of course, SSDs are a totally different animal, and are picking up heatsinks to rival your graphics card. The latest release we’ve caught wind of is the PNY CS3150.
What is the PNY CS3150?
Well, it most definitely is not a thumb drive that you’re plugging into a USB port (like this one we reviewed). No, this is for plugging in directly to the motherboard of your personal computer. Though, like those thumb drives, you’re dealing with super-speedy memory that – to my way of thinking – has more in common with the sticks of RAM that you pop in than the old-school spinning disks of yore. Provided your motherboard is configured to accept a drive like this going into the PCIe slot, you’re going to not only have a lot of on-board storage, it’s going to be blazingly fast.
Why is it so fast?
Some of why the PNY CS3150 is going to be so fast is due to the fact that it’s compliant with NVMe M.2, which can allow for up to four channels to talk to the storage. Compare that to your thumb drive, with only a single channel talking to it at once. Past that, you’re dealing with memory inside that is, well, just plain fast. How fast? Well, the specs are down below, but let’s put it this way. If your computer has a drive in it that’s more than a few years old? Putting this in, you’re going to notice a dramatic improvement in how responsive your machine is. Those speeds are also why we have not just a passive heatsink, but two fans spinning. Those will help keep the hardware cooled and performing at top speed.
How can you get one?
Undoubtedly, you’ll find the PNY CS3150 at a number of different distributors. Over on Amazon, they have two of the three options in 1 TB only – the black version is $189.99, while the RGB version is $199.99. The same goes for directly from PNY – the white option is not to be found, nor is the 2TB variant. Pricing comes in at $194.99 (in black) or $204.99 (in RGB), so you can decide where you want to pick yours up. pny.com
PNY CS3150 Product Features
- NEXT-GENERATION SPEED: Superior performance compared to NVMe Gen4 x4 solid state drives (SSD) with speeds of up to 12,000 MB/s Seq. Read and 11,000 MB/s2 Seq Write.
- PRODUCTIVITY: With lightning-fast read and write speeds, reduced load times, and better overall system responsiveness, it’s the ideal solution for PC enthusiasts, gamers, and content creators who demand the most from their computers.
- EXTREME COOLING: Unique dual-fan heatsink designed to keep your Gen5 x4 SSD running cool and prevent performance throttling, assuring consistent SSD performance in demanding situations.
- RGB SYNC with VELOCITYX: Plug-in the 9-pin (USB) power connector from the CS3150 RGB Heatsink to customize color, lighting effects and fan speeds using PNY’s Velocity-X software.
- DATA PROTECTION: TCG Opal 2.0 enabled for Hardware encryption and storage security.
Product Specifications
- PNY CS3150 M.2 NVMe Gen5 x4 Solid State Drive with Integrated Heatsink
- Interface: PCIe Gen5 Interface (NVMe Gen5 x4)
- Speed: up to 12,000 MB/s Read and up to 11,000 MB/s2 Write (vary by model)
- Capacities: 1TB, 2TB3
- Heatsink: Black, White, Black-RGB
- System Requirements:
- Black/White Heatsink: 4-pin power connector to power the built-in fans
- RGB Heatsink: 9-pin (USB) power connector to power the built-in fans and control the LEDs
- Form Factor: M.2 2280
- Capability: Desktop
- Warranty: 5-year limited warranty
