Hardware

Published on January 22nd, 2023 | by James Wright

PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD Review

PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD Review James Wright
Score

Summary: The PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4x4 SSD provides exceptional value for money and impressive performance as well.

4.5

Speed & Space


The PNY CS2241 M.2 NVMe Gen4 x4 Solid State Drive is an excellent choice for a mainstream performance upgrade in an NVMe Gen4 enabled desktop or laptop computer. Upgrade to the latest in NVMe technology and experience the enhanced performance of up to 5,100 MB/s seq. read and 4,200 MB/s seq. write speeds. Experience faster boot times, quicker application launches, and improved overall system performance using the CS2241 Gen4 technology.

PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD Review

As the market for NVMe increases, this means better options for end-users that includes faster technology and more importantly, affordably priced devices as the healthy competition continues. This is where the latest NVMe from PNY comes into play, the CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD that comes in four sizes (500GB, 1TB, 2TB, 4TB) with an excellent 5-year limited warranty.

Like other NVMe units, the PNY CS2241 has a very small form factor and as mentioned boasts fast read and write speeds.

The official speeds from PNY include sequential read speeds of up to 5100MB/s and sequential write times of 4200MB/s thanks to its NAND components and PCie Gen4x4 interface.

Although it is not the fastest NVMe on the market, it’s perfectly priced for those on a limited budget which makes it perfect for both desktops and notebooks and still delivers performance for faster load times and quicker applications, including of course gaming.

Courtesy of PNY, we were given the opportunity to review their 2TB model that has a retail cost of $306.90UD (Jan 2023) with the other sizes prices at $108.90 (500GB), $185.90 (1TB) and $548.90 (4TB).

PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD Specification

  • Usable Capacities: 500GB/ 1TB/ 2TB/ 4TB
  • NAND Components: 3D NAND Flash Memory
  • Interface: PCIe Gen4x4
  • Form Factor: M.2 2280
  • Product Dimensions (L×W×H): 22 x 80 x 4 mm (Max)
  • Weight: 6.6g
  • Max Sequential Read*
    500GB: Up to 4,700MB/s
    1TB: Up to 5,100MB/s
    2TB, 4TB: Up to 5,000MB/s
  • Max Sequential Write*
    500GB: Up to 1,700MB/s
    1TB: Up to 3,200MB/s
    2TB, 4TB: Up to 4,200MB/s
  • TBW: 500G: 160, 1TB: 320, 2TB: 640, 4TB: 900
  • PCIe Link Power Management: PS0/ PS1/ PS2/ PS3/ PS4, APST, ASPM, L1.2
  • Operating Temperature: 0°C to 70°C
  • Storage Temperature: -40°C to 85°C
  • Certifications: BSMI, CE, FCC, KCC, REACH, RoHS, VCCI
  • MTBF: 1,500,000 Hours
  • Error Correction Code: LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) ECC Algorithm
  • Product Health Monitoring: Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T)
  • Full End-to-End Data path protection: Supported
  • Performance Optimization: TRIM (requires OS support)
  • Warranty: 5-Year Limited Warranty or TBW*

Courtesy of PNY, we were given the opportunity to review their 2TB model that has a retail cost of $306.90AUD (Jan 2023) with the other sizes prices at 108.90AUD (500GB), 185.90 (1TB) and $548.90 (4TB).

Installation is also simplicity at its best as the NVMe simply plugs into a spare PCIe gen 4×4 slot. The motherboard then automatically detects a new NVMe that then allows the operating system (e.g. Windows 10/11) to format the drive for use.

Benchmarking

For benchmarks on the PC, we tested the PNY CS2241 with an Intel Core i9 11900K CPU, ASUS motherboard with 32GB of Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 Memory. Our first test was CrystalDiskMark which is an open source disk drive benchmarking tool for Microsoft Windows and has been designed to test the performance of solid-state storage. This test mirrored the advertised speeds of PNY with a read of 5092MB/s and a write of 3219MB/s.

Another similar test was AS SSD Benchmark and again, this program scored similar to PNY’s marketing speeds (5230MB/s read / 3229BM/s write) that highlights this NVMe as excellent entry level unit which considerably faster speeds than the stock standard SSDs that can be up to 7 times faster.

Real-world tests such boot times of Windows 10 scored the drive at just under 10 seconds. Gaming equally as good with titles such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, Horizon Zero Dawn and Red Dead Redemption not missing a beat and provided exceptional smooth gaming.

Final Thoughts?

The PNY CS2241 M.2 2280 NVMe Gen 4×4 SSD provides excellent value for money, particularly for those looking to upgrade on a budget but with the space to go!

Recommended!

Features and Benefits

• Sequential Read of up to 5,100 MB/s and Write of up to 4,200 MB/s
• Faster boot up, quicker application launch, and improved overall system performance
• Reliable storage
• Low power consumption, cool and quiet operation
• Backed by a 5 year limited warranty or TBW & live US tech support

https://www.pny.com.tw/en/products-detail/CS2241-M2-GEN4X4-SSD/


About the Author

james@impulsegamer.com'



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