A high-capacity PCIe 5.0 SSD for demanding workloads
The PNY XLR8 CS3250 4 TB delivers PCIe 5.0 sequential speeds up to 14,900 MB/s using Phison's E28 controller and Micron 232-layer TLC NAND.
PNY positions the XLR8 CS3250 as the flagship of its gaming and enthusiast SSD lineup. At its core sits the Phison PS5028-E28 controller, an eight-channel design built on TSMC's 12nm process with a dedicated DRAM cache. This controller is paired with Micron 232-layer TLC NAND flash, providing the density needed to reach 4 TB in a standard M.2 2280 form factor.\n\nThe E28 platform targets the PCIe 5.0 x4 interface, doubling theoretical bandwidth over PCIe 4.0 drives. A DDR4 DRAM buffer handles the flash translation layer, which keeps sustained write performance stable once the SLC cache fills. The drive is backward-compatible with PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 slots, though speeds will drop to the respective bus limits. PNY ships the CS3250 as a bare module; buyers who need active cooling should pair it with a compatible motherboard heatsink or aftermarket M.2 cooler.\n\nCompetitors in this capacity bracket include the Crucial T705 4 TB, which uses the same Phison E28 platform, and the Samsung 990 EVO Plus 4 TB, which opts for a PCIe 5.0 dual-mode interface but tops out at lower sequential speeds. The CS3250 distinguishes itself with its raw throughput ceiling and the 2,400 TBW endurance rating, which is generous for a consumer drive. At 4 TB, the CS3250 provides enough space for large game libraries, video projects, and professional creative workflows without needing a secondary storage device.
✅ Storage Comparisons:
🚀 Performance and benchmarks
At 4 TB, the PNY XLR8 CS3250 reaches up to 14,900 MB/s sequential read and 13,500 MB/s sequential write over the PCIe 5.0 x4 bus. Random performance peaks at approximately 1,500K IOPS for both read and write operations. The E28 controller uses an eight-channel NAND layout with interleaving, which helps maintain throughput as the queue depth increases.\n\nSequential writes start at full speed while the SLC write cache is available, then settle to the native TLC write rate once the cache is exhausted. For a 4 TB drive with a large SLC allocation, this transition is less noticeable in everyday use than on smaller capacities. Random 4K read latency is competitive with other PCIe 5.0 drives, though the gap over high-end PCIe 4.0 models like the Samsung 990 Pro is most visible in queue-depth-heavy workloads such as game loading and large file extraction. The drive uses HMB (Host Memory Buffer) in addition to its onboard DRAM for mapping tables.
PNY XLR8 CS3250 4 TB vs M.2 5.0 x 4 peers
Switch between sequential throughput and random IOPS to see how this drive stacks up against other M.2 5.0 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 CS3250 4 TB (this drive): 14,900 MB/s read, 13,500 MB/s write
- PNY XLR8 CS3150 1 TB: 12,000 MB/s read, 11,000 MB/s write
🖥️ Endurance and warranty
PNY backs the XLR8 CS3250 4 TB with a five-year limited warranty and a 2,400 TBW (terabytes written) endurance rating. That means you can write approximately 1.3 TB of data every day for five years before exceeding the rated endurance, which is more than sufficient for gaming, content creation, and general productivity. The drive also carries a 2 million hour MTBF rating. If the drive fails under normal use within the warranty period and has not exceeded its TBW limit, PNY will replace it. Users who write 20 to 50 GB per day, which covers the overwhelming majority of consumer workloads, will not approach the endurance ceiling within the warranty window.
📊 Specs
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity [?] | 4 TB |
| Interface [?] | M.2 5.0 x 4 |
| Controller [?] | Phison E28 |
| Memory type [?] | 232-L TLC |
| DRAM [?] | Yes |
| Read speed (MB/s) [?] | 14900 |
| Write speed (MB/s) [?] | 13500 |
| Read IOPS [?] | 1500000 |
| Write IOPS [?] | 1500000 |
| Endurance (TBW) [?] | 2400 |
| MTBF (million hours) [?] | 2000000 |
| Warranty (years) [?] | 5 |
Conclusion
The PNY XLR8 CS3250 4 TB is a strong choice for users who need both high capacity and PCIe 5.0 speeds in a single M.2 slot. Its 14,900 MB/s read throughput and 2,400 TBW endurance rating make it well-suited for video editing, large game libraries, and data-intensive applications. The five-year warranty adds confidence.\n\nGamers building a new system with a PCIe 5.0-capable motherboard will benefit most from this drive. Those still on PCIe 4.0 platforms should consider cheaper alternatives like the Samsung 990 Pro 4 TB, which delivers nearly the same real-world performance at lower power draw. If you need maximum sequential speed and the endurance to match, the CS3250 earns its place in a high-end build.
+ Pros
- Up to 14,900 MB/s sequential read speed
- 2,400 TBW endurance for 4 TB capacity
- Phison E28 controller with DRAM cache
- 232-layer TLC NAND for high density
- Five-year warranty included
- 4 TB capacity in standard M.2 2280
- Cons
- Requires PCIe 5.0 motherboard for full speed
- Higher power draw than PCIe 4.0 drives
- Runs warm under sustained writes
- No included heatsink
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