PNY Technologies, Inc. CS2230 M.2 2280 500GB internal SSD M280CS2230-500-RB

PNY CS2230 500GB NVMe drive

The PNY CS2230 is a 500GB internal SSD built for consumer desktops and laptops that accept an M.2 2280 module. It uses 3D NAND flash and a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 interface with NVMe 1.4 protocol to deliver faster boot times and quicker application launches. The drive operates without a DRAM cache, relying on host memory buffer technology for low power consumption and quiet performance.

PCIe 3.0 x4 upgrade path

Moving to this drive from a slower storage device brings sequential reads up to 3,300 MB/s and writes up to 2,600 MB/s, improving overall system responsiveness. The jump is worth it when the platform supports PCIe 3.0 x4 and the workload benefits from higher throughput. No DRAM cache means the controller uses system memory for mapping tables, keeping the design cool and efficient.

500GB capacity headroom

The 500GB capacity suits operating systems, core applications and frequently played games, leaving room for updates and scratch files. Sustained workloads that exceed the rated sequential speeds or fill the drive near capacity will see reduced write performance. For larger media libraries or heavy creative workloads, a higher-capacity model provides more headroom.