Even cheaper! Matching Umart and CentreCom. Take your pick!
Umart: https://www.umart.com.au/product/kingston-1tb-nv2-2280-nvme-…
CentreCom: https://www.centrecom.com.au/kingston-snv2s1000g-1tb-pcie-40…
CamelCamelCamel.
Will this work with old MacBook Pro 💻? Say between 2013-2015
No
With the appropriate adapter it might well work.
That's a big Nah from me.
Yes, this shouldn't be a first choice for a main storage device. But as a secondary storage device for non critical and frequently backed up information, it is fine. Especially so if you use it in older devices that only have PCIe 3 M.2 slots. This will perform fine in those environments and you can't beat the price.
Problem is, every time NV2 price was lowered a bit, it was soon followed by other NVMe SSDs dropping prices. PNY and other brands had lowered their cost effective PCIe gen 3 x4 range of SSDs and are actually cheaper than this.
Unless you intend to use it on PS5, this is really a PCIe gen 3 x4 SSD in terms of performance.
Yep, but that isn't necessarily a problem. If all you need is PCIe gen 3 performance and understand the compromises that go in to a budget product like this, it can still be an appropriate choice.
If you expect fast PCIe Gen 4 NVME SSD speeds, or need more confidence in the lifespan of the device, then this isn't for you.
@airtime: As an owner of multiple NV2 SSDs, I will explain the problems:
@netsurfer: Is there better value options in M.2 format as well? The only spare slot i have available in my machine is a M.2 on the back of the motherboard. I need a drive for games storage (steam library) and have been looking at this for a while waiting on a good sale.
So ok for a games/steam library drive? I've got a spare M.2 on the back of my motherboard and thinking this could be a good option to solve my storage issues for games.
Yeah I'll wait for a quality drive to get cheaper
Yeah, time to HODL till 2027 and an 8TB Samsung PCIe 8.0 is $88
I'm in
my samsung nvme 970 evo plus runs hot too, usually above 50 oC
Works in ps5 with additional heatsink.
Yes, it does.
2tb is also reduced to $149
Kingston - NV2 M.2 PCIe 4.0 NVMe 2TB, Solid State Drive https://amzn.asia/d/60U6Cyx
Not as good as previous deal with heatsink
I have a couple of these (1TB) versions and they aren't too bad. The performance is decent for normal day-to-day stuff. I admit I haven't done a ton of big file transfers, only some 3 or 4 gigs at a time so YMMV there.
I would however definitely recommend a heatsink or some active cooling as they do run hot. I have one NV2 in a TB4 40Gps enclosure (Acasis) on my Mac Mini. When testing with Black Magic software the enclosure was getting very toasty so I can only imagine what the temps on the drive were getting up to. Maybe it's a PCIe gen 4 thing? My other NVMe drives are all gen 3.
But for $69 I think it's worth taking a punt on these especially if you are an average user or on a budget.
How much is your Acasis? Is it really TB4 or TB3 being sold as TB4 (since technically, there is no speed improvement between TB3 and TB4 for SSD/storage transfer).
With TB3/TB4, the limit is PCIe gen 3 x4 so even if you use a PCIe gen 4 x4 SSD like NV2, it has to operate in PCIe gen 3 x4 mode. Furthermore, even if operated on PCIe gen 4 x4 mode, for NV2, it cannot actually beat SN570 (even though SN570 is only PCIe gen 3 x4). The 2TB version of SN570 is much harder to beat with 900GB of dynamic SLC cache initially.
NV2 is a bit frustrating, the Phison E21 version is crippled, the SMI version is quite ordinary. There is no reason to have E21 version configured to only operate in PCIe gen 3 x4 like performance even in PCIe gen 4 x4 mode. Then, there is also QLC lottery.
My Acasis is TB4 spec but yes, essentially the same as TB3. https://www.amazon.com.au/Acasis-Enclosure-Aluminum-External… I think from memory I paid $190 AUD delivered directly from Acasis with a discount coupon. Orico also sells a decent TB4 Enclosure https://www.amazon.com.au/ORICO-Enclosure-Compatible-Thunder… I believe they both use the Intel JHL7440 controller chip. With the NV2 i'm getting 2700 Mbps read and 1600 Mbps write in this enclosure. A half-decent PCIe gen 3 m.2 will max out the enclosure transfer speed though. TBH, unless you are moving a ton of data around, a $40 USB 3.1 gen 2 drive is really all you need.
JHL7440 is Thunderbolt 3. It is the better one of the Thunderbolt 3 chipsets (second gen).
JHL8440 is the first gen Thunderbolt 4 chipset, but it is hard to find an enclosure with that chipset. Cannot say I am impressed with first gen Thunderbolt 4 chipset from Intel (honestly, Intel slacked off on Thunderbolt 4). The upcoming true USB 4.0 chipset enclosures (based on early results) appear better in storage transfer speed.
Below is my result for NV2 1TB (Phison E21 version) on Mac M1 Pro [2891 max read, 2295 max write]:
https://files.ozbargain.com.au/upload/25097/101783/nv2-phiso…
SMI version's result through Thunderbolt is slightly inferior. Anyway, I expect your enclosure to give better results than mine, especially on Windows based systems.
NV2 seems to struggle a fair bit in 4K random writes (via Thunderbolt). In general, its 4K random read/write performance isn't good (inferior to mainstream 970 Evo Plus (but I guess that one does have DRAM)). NV2 cannot beat SN570 either though (SN570 is DRAMless).
Had a $15 Amazon credit from an earlier OzB deal, got this for $54
Thanks, ordered one for my new m720q that im going to use as a proxmox box
Hmm Kingston were on a good thing with the A2000 (predictable hardware, ddr, good endurance) then they offered a cheap all you can eat NV2 range that reviews seem to be critical as the parts can change (you might get TLC, might get QLC), half the TBW compared to other for the price rounded off with a nice dash of overheating.
If you're going to buy off Amazon spend the extra $3 and get the Silicon Power P34A60 1TB NVMe PCIe SSD for $72 - your computer will probably thank you…
Why would I buy a Gen 3 drive with 1/2 the speed of the Kingston?
For such a low cost budget drive the 5 years vs 3, double TBW, predictable internals and cooler running are the selling point. As for speed, double the speed doesn't mean twice as fast loading (at least not yet until directstorage becomes more common).
I'm sure people will be happy with either, but for me usability period is more important than speed.
Commie deal 👍🏼
Perfect timing.
It's down to $65
Got 1 from Amazon. Thanks OP!