Kingston NV2 256GB -- Budget PCIe 4.0 DRAM-Less NVMe Review
The Kingston NV2 256 GB is the entry-level capacity in Kingston's budget PCIe 4.0 line, built on the Phison E21T DRAM-less controller for basic desktop and office builds.
The NV2 uses the Phison PS5021-E21T controller — a PCIe 4.0 x4 design that is DRAM-less and relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB). At 256 GB it is rated at 3,500 MB/s reads and 1,300 MB/s writes. Endurance is 80 TBW, backed by a three-year warranty. The single-sided PCB fits thin laptops.
The NV2 is a budget-first design. The E21T controller delivers Gen4 read speeds but write throughput is limited at this capacity by reduced NAND parallelism. The drive is suitable for OS boot, office productivity, and light web browsing. It is not recommended for sustained file transfers, content creation, or gaming at this capacity. The 256 GB form factor is best viewed as a bare-minimum boot volume.
✅ Storage Comparisons:
🚀 Performance and benchmarks
The 256 GB NV2 delivers 3,500/1,300 MB/s sequential reads and writes. The HMB architecture provides adequate random I/O for light desktop use. Under sustained writes, the small NAND pool limits SLC cache size, and the drive transitions to native speeds quickly. Gaming load times are adequate but the 256 GB capacity holds only a handful of modern titles.
Kingston NV2 256 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.
- PNY XLR8 CS3140 1 TB: 7,500 MB/s read, 5,650 MB/s write
- PNY XLR8 CS3140 2 TB: 7,500 MB/s read, 6,850 MB/s write
- Asgard AN4 512 GB: 7,500 MB/s read, 5,500 MB/s write
- Asgard AN4 1 TB: 7,500 MB/s read, 5,500 MB/s write
- Kingston NV2 256 GB (this drive): 3,500 MB/s read, 1,300 MB/s write
🖥️ Endurance and warranty
Kingston covers the NV2 256 GB with a three-year warranty limited by 80 TBW, equivalent to roughly 73 GB/day over three years. At office-use write rates of 5-10 GB/day this spans 22-44 years.
📊 Specs
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 256 GB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Phison PS5021-E21 |
| Memory type [?] | Toshiba 3D TLC |
| DRAM [?] | HMB (DRAM-less) |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 3500 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 1300 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 3000000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 3000000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 80 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | n/a |
| Warranty (years) [?] | n/a |
Conclusion
The 256 GB NV2 is the absolute minimum capacity in Kingston's Gen4 budget line. Its 3,500 MB/s reads are adequate for OS boot, but the 1,300 MB/s writes and 80 TBW endurance reflect its entry-level positioning. At this capacity, the WD Blue SN580 256 GB and HP FX900 256 GB are direct competitors. Choose the cheapest option for a budget boot drive. For any workload beyond basic office use, step up to 512 GB or 1 TB.
+ Pros
- 3,500 MB/s reads -- adequate for boot drive
- DRAM-less HMB design keeps price low
- Single-sided PCB -- thin-laptop compatible
- Widely available
- Cons
- 1,300 MB/s writes -- among the slowest Gen4 drives
- 80 TBW endurance -- lowest in the lineup
- 256 GB is minimal for modern use
- Variable hardware -- components may change between batches
🛒 Buy this or similar SSD Storage:
✨ Video Review
Kingston Releases NV2 Series Entry level PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSDs
