# Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB NVMe SSD Review (2026)

The Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB is a PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD using Kioxia's own controller and Toshiba 96-layer BiCS5 TLC NAND, delivering 3,400 MB/s reads and 3,200 MB/s writes at a mainstream price.

Quick answer: The Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB is a strong PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive with the unique advantage of Kioxia's in-house controller paired with their own BiCS5 NAND — a level of vertical integration that few competitors match at this price. The 3,200 MB/s write speed is a genuine differentiator, slightly higher than many PCIe 3.0 competitors. The 500GB capacity and 240 TBW endurance are adequate for a boot-and-game drive. Anyone who can stretch to the 1TB model gains significantly more space and endurance (427 TBW). For the price, the Exceria Plus 500GB is competitive with the Samsung 970 EVO Plus and WD Blue SN570, and worth comparing on price at time of purchase.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Interface | M.2 3.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Toshiba TC58NC1201GST-00-BB |
| Memory type | Toshiba 96L 3D TLC |
| DRAM cache | 2GB DDR4 pSLC-Cache |
| Sequential read | 3400 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 3200 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 680000 |
| Random write IOPS | 620000 |
| Endurance | 240 TBW |
| MTBF | 2 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

The Exceria Plus 500GB is rated for 3,400 MB/s sequential reads and 3,200 MB/s sequential writes — strong numbers for a PCIe 3.0 drive, with the write speed notably higher than many competitors that top out around 2,900–3,000 MB/s. Random performance is rated at 680K read IOPS and 620K write IOPS, which is competitive with the best PCIe 3.0 drives.

The pseudo-SLC cache absorbs burst writes at full speed. On the 500GB model, the cache is relatively small (roughly 20–40 GB), and sustained writes after cache exhaustion drop to native TLC rates around 1,200–1,500 MB/s. For read-heavy workloads — gaming, OS boot, application launches — the Exceria Plus 500GB performs on par with the Samsung 970 EVO Plus. The drive's in-house controller and native BiCS5 NAND pairing may offer slightly better consistency than drives using third-party controllers with the same NAND.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Kioxia rates the Exceria Plus 500GB at 240 TBW with a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20–30 GB per day, the endurance budget covers 21 to 32 years. The 2 million hour MTBF is a population-level reliability statistic. Kioxia provides an SSD utility for health monitoring. Warranty service is handled through Kioxia's RMA process or the retailer.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 3,400 MB/s reads and 3,200 MB/s writes on PCIe 3.0
- In-house Kioxia controller paired with native BiCS5 NAND
- 680K/620K random read/write IOPS — competitive
- DDR4 DRAM cache with pseudo-SLC caching
- Kioxia manufactures its own NAND — strong vertical integration
**Cons:**

- 500GB fills quickly for combined OS and game use
- Small SLC cache on the 500GB model
- Kioxia brand less recognized than Samsung or WD
- PCIe 3.0 — surpassed by Gen4 drives
- Limited management software compared to Samsung Magician


## Verdict

The Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB is a strong PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive with the unique advantage of Kioxia's in-house controller paired with their own BiCS5 NAND — a level of vertical integration that few competitors match at this price. The 3,200 MB/s write speed is a genuine differentiator, slightly higher than many PCIe 3.0 competitors. The 500GB capacity and 240 TBW endurance are adequate for a boot-and-game drive. Anyone who can stretch to the 1TB model gains significantly more space and endurance (427 TBW). For the price, the Exceria Plus 500GB is competitive with the Samsung 970 EVO Plus and WD Blue SN570, and worth comparing on price at time of purchase.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB good for gaming?

The Exceria Plus 500GB delivers 3,400 MB/s reads and 680K random read IOPS, providing fast game load times on par with other PCIe 3.0 NVMe drives. The 500GB capacity holds the OS plus 6–10 AAA games. The in-house controller and native BiCS5 NAND pairing delivers consistent read performance. For a boot-and-game drive, the Exceria Plus 500GB is a strong choice.

### Does the Kioxia Exceria Plus have a DRAM cache?

Yes. The Exceria Plus includes a DDR4 DRAM cache alongside the pseudo-SLC cache. The DRAM supports the Kioxia TC58NC1201GST controller's flash translation layer. The 500GB model has proportionally less DRAM than the 1TB and 2TB variants. DRAM cache is important for consistent random IO performance, giving the Exceria Plus an advantage over DRAM-less drives.

### What is the TBW endurance of the Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB?

The Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB is rated at 240 TBW (terabytes written), covered by a five-year limited warranty. At a typical consumer workload of 20–30 GB per day, the endurance budget covers 21 to 32 years. For a read-heavy boot drive, endurance is well within comfortable limits. The 1TB model offers 427 TBW for users who need more write headroom.

### How does the Exceria Plus compare to the standard Exceria?

The Exceria Plus is the enthusiast tier, while the standard Exceria is the mainstream tier. The Plus uses a faster in-house controller with DRAM cache and delivers 3,400/3,200 MB/s read/write versus the standard Exceria's 1,700/1,600 MB/s. Random IO performance is also significantly higher on the Plus. The standard Exceria is adequate for basic desktop use, but the Plus is the clear choice for gaming and performance-oriented builds.

### Who makes the Kioxia Exceria Plus controller?

Kioxia (formerly Toshiba Memory) designs and manufactures the TC58NC1201GST controller in-house. This is significant because most SSD brands use third-party controllers from Phison or Silicon Motion. Using their own controller with their own BiCS5 NAND gives Kioxia full control over firmware optimization and NAND pairing, potentially yielding better consistency than third-party controller implementations.

### Is the Kioxia Exceria Plus 500GB compatible with the PS5?

The Exceria Plus is a PCIe 3.0 drive, and the PS5 requires PCIe 4.0 or faster NVMe SSDs for its expansion slot. The Exceria Plus does not meet Sony's published requirements for PS5 storage expansion. For PS5 expansion, Kioxia offers the Exceria Pro and Exceria G2 lines, which use PCIe 4.0 and meet the PS5's speed requirements.

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Last updated: 2026-05-17. Source: https://ssdrive.net/kioxia-exceria-plus-500-gb