PNY 1TB SSD PCIe 5.0 NVMe M.2 2280

The PNY CS2150 is the budget Gen5 drive that actually delivers. Near-flagship speed, cool temps, and a price that makes the expensive drives look silly.

The numbers are legit. 10,200 MB/s sequential read and 8,300 MB/s write put this drive in the 95th percentile for speed in our database, which is basically 'the absolute best right now' territory. What surprised us is how well it holds up without a DRAM cache. One owner reported temps maxing out around 32°C with a standard motherboard thermal pad, which is cooler than a lot of Gen4 drives we've tested. Random performance is more middle of the pack, so don't expect it to crush heavy mixed workloads, but for booting, gaming, and large file transfers, it flies.

The Samsung 990 PRO is the obvious rival, and it's faster in random workloads thanks to its DRAM cache, but it costs noticeably more. The Crucial T500 is another strong Gen4 alternative that gets close in real-world use for less money. Against other Gen5 drives like the Lexar NM1090 PRO or Micron T710, the CS2150 holds its own on sequential speed while undercutting them on price. The trade-off is clear: you give up DRAM and some random performance, but you keep most of the headline speed and a chunk of cash.

At around $200 USD for 1TB, this is the cheapest PCIe 5.0 drive we've seen that doesn't feel like a compromise. You're getting roughly 95% of the performance of drives that cost 20-25% more. That's a win. The catch is that PCIe 4.0 drives are still cheaper and fast enough for most tasks, so if you don't have a Gen5 slot or don't care about bleeding-edge speed, save your money. But if you want Gen5 without the premium price, this is the one.

The PNY CS2150 is the budget PCIe 5.0 drive that makes you wonder why you'd pay more. You're getting 10,200 MB/s reads and 8,300 MB/s writes, which puts it in the top tier of Gen5 drives we've tracked, without the usual early-adopter tax. It's DRAM-less, sure, but for a boot drive or game library, most people won't notice the difference. The real story here is value: near-flagship speed at a price that undercuts the big names.

If you're on a PCIe 4.0 motherboard or just want the best value for everyday use, this isn't your drive. A good Gen4 drive like the Crucial T500 will feel nearly identical in real-world tasks and cost less. And if you're doing heavy mixed workloads like video editing with lots of small file transfers, the DRAM-less design will hold you back. Go get a Samsung 990 PRO instead.

If you have a PCIe 5.0 slot and want the fastest boot drive without spending flagship money, the PNY CS2150 is an easy recommendation. It's fast, cool, and reliable enough for daily use. Just know what you're getting: a DRAM-less drive that excels at sequential workloads but won't win any random I/O awards. For gamers, creators, and anyone who wants Gen5 speed on a budget, this is the smart buy.