Introducing the Kingston NV3 NVMe SSD
Kingston’s NV2 NVMe SSD has been a popular budget choice, providing an impressive price/performance ratio in its market segment. Now, Kingston has quietly added its replacement, the NV3, to its website. This new addition entails a host of upgrades over the NV2, making it an exciting option for users seeking budget-friendly, high-performance storage solutions.
Performance Improvements and Specifications
The NV3 boasts significant performance enhancements compared to its predecessor. While the NV2 came with multiple variations featuring different controllers and NAND types, Kingston has yet to reveal specific details about the NV3’s controller or NAND. However, the company mentions that the NV3 will utilize 3D NAND technology and offer sequential read speeds of up to 6,000 MB/s for the 1 TB and larger SKUs, a substantial improvement over the NV2’s 3,500 MB/s limit.
Write speeds are also impressive, peaking at 5,000 MB/s for the 2 TB and 4 TB SKUs, nearly double the performance of the NV2’s 2 TB variant. The 1 TB SKU sees a similar doubling in write speed compared to its NV2 counterpart. Although the 500 GB SKU receives a more modest performance boost, it still benefits from a decent uplift, contributing to the overall enhanced performance of the NV3 lineup.
Product Availability and Pricing
Initially, Kingston will launch the NV3 in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB SKUs, with the 4 TB SKU expected to arrive in Q4 of this year. Endurance remains the same as the NV2, starting at 160 TBW for the 500 GB SKU and doubling with each increase in size, reaching up to 1280 TBW for the 4 TB variant.
While Kingston has not officially announced the NV3’s release, some online retailers claim they can ship it within four to five days, indicating an imminent launch. Starting prices are reported at $50 for the 500 GB SKU, $70 for the 1 TB SKU, and $139 for the 2 TB SKU, placing the NV3 slightly above the current retail prices of the NV2. However, considering the improved performance, this price increase is justifiable. All SKUs come with a three-year warranty, ensuring reliable performance and customer satisfaction.
