PNY has unveiled the XLR8 CS3150 SSD, a new PCIe Gen-5 M.2 model that boasts blisteringly fast read and write speeds. With sequential read speeds of up to 12,000MB/s and sequential write speeds of 11,000MB/s, this drive is among the fastest available for a regular M.2 SSD.
The new PNY SSD arrives mere hours after Corsair also took the wraps of its own new flagship PCie Gen 5 SSD, the Corsair MP700 Pro, which boasts speeds that just pip PNY to the post. It can hit 12,400MB/s and 11,800MB/s. It also follows a few weeks after the arrival of the Crucial T700 that boasts 12,400MB/s and 11,800MB/s speeds, respectively. In practical terms, all three will offer identical performance but Corsair and Crucial have just sneaked the spec sheet win there.
The PNY XLR8 CS3150 will be available in 1TB and 2TB versions, with no 4TB yet hinted at. Again, both Corsair and Crucial have either announced a 4TB model is available or incoming. The drive also includes a 5-year warranty.
Included with the drive is an actively-cooled heatsink with two ludicrously tiny fans stacked on top. This cooler is available in either black, white, or black with RGB options. Compared to the MP700 Pro, the PNY cooler is much lower profile but we’ve no word yet on how the two compare for SSD temperatures and noise levels. Meanwhile, the T700 has just a passive heatsink. The Corsair drive is also available with a water-block cooler for adding to a water-cooled system – oh how we laughed when Corsair introduced an SSD water block, but look at us now!
Notably, PNY isn’t selling the CS3150 without a heatsink, though you will be able to just remove the heatsink and use the one included with your motherboard, for instance, assuming it has the cooling capacity.
PNY XLR8 CS3150 specs
The PNY XLR8 CS3150 specs list is:
| Cache | Not stated |
| Cooling options | Actively-cooled air cooler with two fans |
| Capacities available | 1 TB, 2 TB |
| Rated max sequential speeds | 12,000MB/s read, 11,000MB/s write |
| NAND | Not stated |
| Interface | 4x PCIe 5, NVMe 2 |
| Controller | Not stated |
| Warranty | Five years |
PNY XLR8 CS3150 price
The PNY XLR8 CS3150 price is $179 for the smallest capacity drive in the range. This is expensive for a 1TB SSD, but its price matches that of the Corsair MP700 Pro and includes the heatsink, whereas Corsair’s drive doesn’t include a heatsink at that price.
Prices:
- $179 (£185) – 1TB PNY XLR8 CS3150 with black heatsink
- $189 (£199) – 1TB PNY XLR8 CS3150 with black heatsink with RGB
The PNY XLR8 CS3150 will be available from December 2023 onwards.
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