# Klevv CRAS C925 500GB: A Steady Budget PCIe 4.0 Pick (2026)

The Klevv CRAS C925 500GB is a DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive that trades outright speed for genuinely strong endurance in its price class.

Quick answer: The Klevv CRAS C925 500GB makes sense for anyone who wants a PCIe 4.0 boot or storage-expansion drive at a budget price and cares more about long-term endurance than chart-topping benchmarks; it's a solid fit for a laptop upgrade, a Mini PC, or a secondary PS5 drive. Buyers who move huge files constantly, like 4K video editors working directly off the drive, should skip it and look at a DRAM-equipped model instead, since the C925's SLC cache runs out faster on this smaller 500 GB capacity. If outright sustained write speed matters more than endurance headroom, the WD Black SN770 is worth comparing at a similar price. Overall this is a dependable, unglamorous drive: not the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD at its price, but one of the more durable ones, backed by a genuinely useful 5-year warranty.

## Specifications

| Specification | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Capacity | 500 GB |
| Interface | M.2 4.0 x 4 |
| Controller | Maxio MAP1602 |
| Memory type | TLC |
| DRAM cache | No |
| Sequential read | 7400 MB/s |
| Sequential write | 6200 MB/s |
| Random read IOPS | 670000 |
| Random write IOPS | 980000 |
| Endurance | 600 TBW |
| MTBF | 2000000 |
| Warranty | 5 years |

## Performance

The 500 GB Klevv CRAS C925 is rated for up to 7,400 MB/s sequential reads and 6,200 MB/s sequential writes, with up to 670,000 IOPS on random reads and 980,000 IOPS on random writes. Those are the smallest-capacity numbers in the C925 range; the 1 TB and 2 TB models climb to 6,300 MB/s and 6,500 MB/s write respectively, since they can spread writes across more NAND dies in parallel.

Like nearly every DRAM-less, HMB-based drive, the C925 leans on SLC caching to hit its peak sequential-write number; once sustained transfers exceed the cache, throughput drops toward the NAND's native TLC write speed, and that cache is proportionally smaller on a 500 GB drive than on the 1 TB or 2 TB models. Buyers moving very large files, like 100 GB+ game installs or video exports, will notice the fall-off sooner than owners of a bigger capacity. For everyday use, booting Windows, loading games, general file work, read speed and random IOPS matter more than sustained sequential writes, and there the drive performs in line with other mainstream PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives. Independent reviewers have generally found the C925 line delivers competent, if unremarkable, real-world performance for its price bracket rather than class-leading numbers.

## Endurance, TBW & Warranty

Klevv rates the 500 GB CRAS C925 at 600 TBW and backs it with a 5-year limited warranty, generous for a budget-tier DRAM-less drive, and one of the specific things Tom's Hardware called out as a genuine standout in its review. At a realistic 20-30 GB per day write workload, 600 TBW works out to roughly 55-80 years before the drive reaches its rated endurance limit, well beyond both the warranty period and the practical lifespan of the rest of the PC around it. Klevv also lists a 2,000,000-hour MTBF figure, though that's a population-level statistical average across many drives rather than a promise about any single unit's lifespan. Warranty service runs through Klevv's regional RMA process rather than the retailer directly, so keep your purchase receipt on hand.

## Pros and Cons

**Pros:**

- 600 TBW endurance, high for a budget drive
- 5-year manufacturer warranty
- 7,400 MB/s sequential reads on PCIe 4.0
- Single-sided M.2 2280 fits laptops and PS5
- AES 256-bit hardware encryption included
- Good power efficiency in independent testing
**Cons:**

- 500GB write speed trails the 1TB and 2TB models
- No DRAM cache, relies on HMB
- SLC cache exhausts sooner on this smaller capacity
- No heatsink included out of the box


## Verdict

The Klevv CRAS C925 500GB makes sense for anyone who wants a PCIe 4.0 boot or storage-expansion drive at a budget price and cares more about long-term endurance than chart-topping benchmarks; it's a solid fit for a laptop upgrade, a Mini PC, or a secondary PS5 drive. Buyers who move huge files constantly, like 4K video editors working directly off the drive, should skip it and look at a DRAM-equipped model instead, since the C925's SLC cache runs out faster on this smaller 500 GB capacity. If outright sustained write speed matters more than endurance headroom, the WD Black SN770 is worth comparing at a similar price. Overall this is a dependable, unglamorous drive: not the fastest PCIe 4.0 SSD at its price, but one of the more durable ones, backed by a genuinely useful 5-year warranty.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Is the Klevv CRAS C925 500GB good for gaming?

Yes, for typical PC gaming the 500 GB CRAS C925 performs well; its 7,400 MB/s sequential read speed and 670,000 random-read IOPS keep game load times competitive with other PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives. The 500 GB capacity is tight for a large modern game library though, so treat it as a boot drive plus a handful of installed titles rather than your entire library. If you need to install many AAA games at once, the 1 TB or 2 TB CRAS C925 gives more breathing room without changing the controller or NAND generation.

### Is the Klevv CRAS C925 500GB compatible with the PS5?

Yes. It meets Sony's published PS5 M.2 SSD requirements: PCIe 4.0 NVMe interface, sequential read speed above the 5,500 MB/s minimum (this drive is rated at 7,400 MB/s), and a compact single-sided design that fits within Sony's size limits even without an added heatsink. Klevv doesn't appear on Sony's official compatibility list by name, but the specifications line up with what the PS5 requires, and Klevv itself markets the C925 line as a PS5-ready upgrade.

### Does the Klevv CRAS C925 have a DRAM cache?

No, the 500 GB CRAS C925 is a DRAM-less design. Instead of an onboard DRAM chip, the Maxio MAP1602 controller uses Host Memory Buffer (HMB) technology, borrowing a small slice of the host system's RAM to store its mapping tables. This keeps costs down and lets Klevv offer the drive's 600 TBW endurance rating and 5-year warranty at a lower price point than a DRAM-equipped alternative, at some cost to sustained random-write consistency under very heavy workloads.

### What is the TBW endurance of the 500GB CRAS C925?

The 500 GB model is rated at 600 TBW, the lowest figure in the three-capacity C925 lineup; the 1 TB version is rated at 1,200 TBW and the 2 TB version at 2,400 TBW, scaling roughly linearly with capacity. Even at 600 TBW, a typical desktop or laptop user writing 20-30 GB per day would take somewhere around 55 to 80 years to reach that limit, so endurance is not a practical concern for mainstream use; it mainly matters for buyers doing constant heavy writes.

### Is the 500GB CRAS C925 slower than the 2TB version?

Yes, modestly. The 500 GB model shares the same 7,400 MB/s sequential read rating as the larger capacities, but its sequential write speed tops out at 6,200 MB/s versus 6,500 MB/s on the 2 TB model, and its random IOPS are also slightly lower (670K/980K versus 700K/1000K). The gap comes from having fewer NAND dies to write across in parallel. For typical desktop use the difference is barely noticeable, but it shows up more in large sustained file transfers.

### Does the Klevv CRAS C925 need a heatsink?

Not for typical desktop or laptop use. The C925 ships as a bare single-sided M.2 2280 drive without a heatsink, and its DRAM-less design and moderate power draw mean it doesn't run especially hot under normal workloads. A motherboard M.2 heatsink or PS5 heat spreader can still help during long sustained-write sessions, but it isn't a requirement the way it can be on higher-power flagship PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 drives.

### How does the Klevv CRAS C925 compare to the WD Black SN770?

Both are DRAM-less PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives aimed at mainstream buyers, with broadly similar sequential read speeds. The CRAS C925's main advantage is endurance; its 600 TBW rating on the 500 GB model and 5-year warranty are generous for this price tier, while the SN770 typically ships with a shorter warranty window. The SN770 has a slight edge in peak write speed and a longer independent testing track record. For a buyer prioritizing longevity and warranty coverage over the last few hundred MB/s, the C925 is the stronger pick.

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Last updated: 2026-08-28. Source: https://ssdrive.net/klevv-cras-c925-500-gb