An established name in the storage arena, Kingston built the NV3 as the successor to its popular NV2 line, and the jump to a Gen 4x4 controller brings a meaningful speed increase - it can hit read speeds up to 6,000MB/s. PCIe 4.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD rated for read/write speeds up to 6,000/4,000MB/s, with lower power consumption and reduced heat versus the previous NV2 generation.
What happened
An established name in the storage arena, Kingston built the NV3 as the successor to its popular NV2 line, and the jump to a Gen 4x4 controller brings a meaningful speed increase - it can hit read speeds up to 6,000MB/s.
Where the sources line up
PCIe 4. 0 x4 NVMe M. 2 2280 SSD rated for read/write speeds up to 6,000/4,000MB/s, with lower power consumption and reduced heat versus the previous NV2 generation.
Practical impact for readers
The headline number is up to 6,000MB/s of sequential read performance, and independent testing has generally found the NV3 hits close to its rated speeds, putting it in the same territory as several established TLC-based drives despite using cheaper QLC NAND.
Who should pay attention now
Kingston keeps costs down with a DRAM-less design that relies on Host Memory Buffer, borrowing a slice of system RAM instead of including a dedicated cache chip. For typical use, booting, loading applications, and gaming, that trade-off is barely noticeable, and it's part of how Kingston is able to price the NV3 competitively.
What is still unclear
The single-sided M. 2 2280 layout keeps the drive slim enough for thin laptops and small-form-factor desktops, and Kingston's reputation for reliable, mainstream storage gives some reassurance on a component you don't want to think about after installing it.
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