Kingmax PX4480 500GB — PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD Review (2026)
The Kingmax PX4480 500GB is the entry-level capacity of Kingmax's Phison E16-powered PCIe 4.0 lineup, offering decent read speeds but noticeably lower write performance than the 1TB and 2TB models.
Controller & Memory
The Kingmax PX4480 500GB uses the Phison PS5016-E16 controller with 3D TLC NAND and a DRAM cache. It's a PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe 1.3 drive in the M.2 2280 form factor.
The 500GB model is the slowest in the PX4480 lineup: rated at 5,000 MB/s reads and 2,500 MB/s writes, with 500K read IOPS and 400K write IOPS. The 1TB and 2TB models are significantly faster at 4,300–4,400 MB/s writes. This is a common pattern — smaller capacities have fewer NAND dies in parallel, limiting write throughput.
The PX4480 line is available in 500GB, 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities. The 500GB model is rated at 300 TBW endurance. The 1TB has 600 TBW, the 2TB has 1,200 TBW, and the 4TB has 2,400 TBW.
Kingmax backs the PX4480 with a 3-year warranty — shorter than the 5-year standard from most competitors. The drive is rated for 2 million hours MTBF.
The PX4480 supports AES 256-bit encryption, LDPC ECC, end-to-end data protection, and SLC caching. It's a straightforward Phison E16 design with no major differentiators beyond the Kingmax branding.
Key rivals include the ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite 500GB (similar performance, 5-year warranty), the Corsair MP600 Core 500GB (similar tier), and the WD Black SN750 500GB (PCIe 3.0, but faster writes).
Storage Comparisons:
PX4480 Performance & Benchmarks
The Kingmax PX4480 500GB is rated at up to 5,000 MB/s sequential reads and 2,500 MB/s sequential writes over PCIe 4.0 x4. Random 4K performance reaches up to 500,000 IOPS reads and 400,000 IOPS writes. Those sequential numbers put it at the lower end of the PCIe 4.0 spectrum — the Phison E16 reference design typically delivers closer to 5,000 MB/s reads, and the 500GB capacity here is the main bottleneck on writes.
Kingmax PX4480 500 GB vs M.2 4.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 SSDs in our database. The highlighted bar is the drive on this page — click any other bar to open that drive.
- Patriot Viper PV593 1 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 2 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV593 4 TB: 14,500 MB/s read, 14,000 MB/s write
- Patriot Viper PV573 2 TB: 14,000 MB/s read, 12,000 MB/s write
- Kingmax PX4480 500 GB (this drive): 5,000 MB/s read, 2,500 MB/s write
The write speed gap between capacities is significant: the 1TB and 2TB PX4480 models achieve 4,300–4,400 MB/s writes, nearly double the 500GB variant. This is a common pattern with Phison E16 drives, where smaller capacities have fewer NAND packages to write to in parallel. For everyday use — OS boots, app launches, game loads — the difference is imperceptible. It only shows up during large sequential transfers.
The PX4480 uses an SLC caching layer for burst writes, which handles short spikes well. Once the cache exhausts, writes fall back to the direct-to-TLC speed of roughly 2,500 MB/s — adequate but not competitive with later PCIe 4.0 drives like the Samsung 980 Pro. The Phison E16 controller is known to run warm under sustained load; Kingmax applies a copper heat spreader label, but a motherboard M.2 heatsink is recommended for heavy workloads.
Compared to other first-gen PCIe 4.0 E16 drives like the Gigabyte Aorus Gen4 or the Corsair MP600, the PX4480 is competitively positioned on read speeds but lags on writes at this capacity. Independent reviews place it in the middle of the pack for real-world file copy and game install benchmarks.
Kingmax PX4480 vs Competitors
See how the PX4480 stacks up against other M.2 4.0 x 4 drives in our database:
Compare with rival drives:
Endurance, TBW & Warranty
Kingmax backs the PX4480 500GB with a 3-year limited warranty and a 300 TBW endurance rating. The 3-year warranty is shorter than the 5-year standard offered by most competitors. At 30 GB of writes per day, the 300 TBW rating gives roughly 27 years of theoretical endurance.
Kingmax PX4480 500 GB Specifications
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 500 GB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Phison PS5016-E16 |
| Memory type [?] | 3D Nand |
| DRAM [?] | DDR4 Cache |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 5000 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 2500 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 500000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 400000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 300 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 2 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 3 |
Verdict: Is the PX4480 Worth It in 2026?
The Kingmax PX4480 500GB is a budget PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive that makes sense only at a significant discount. The 3-year warranty and 2,500 MB/s write speed are the main drawbacks. For a similar price, the ADATA XPG Gammix S50 Lite 500GB offers a 5-year warranty and better write performance. If you're set on the PX4480, the 1TB model is a much better value with significantly higher write speeds.
+ Pros
- 5,000 MB/s reads — competitive Gen4 performance
- 300 TBW endurance
- Phison E16 controller with 3D TLC NAND
- AES 256-bit encryption support
- Cons
- 3-year warranty vs 5 years from competitors
- 2,500 MB/s writes — slowest in PX4480 lineup
- 500GB capacity is limiting for modern use
Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
Video Review
KINGMAX Announces PX4480 M 2 NVMe PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD Series
