PNY CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD Review & PNY M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X Review
Summary: The CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD & M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X are two affordably priced products form PNY!
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Affordable components
Courtesy of PNY, Impulse Gamer were given the opportunity to review their CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD and M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X with the later allowing you to connect a NVMe externally to your PC via USB-C (preferred) or USB. Needless to say, two very useful products for PC users.
PNY CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD Review
If you’re looking for an affordably priced entry-level PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD as an upgrade option (from $149AUD), then look no further as PNY have released their CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD which boasts transfer speeds up to 3,600MB/s with a generous 5-year warranty, including two sizes 500GB and 1TB (reviewed).
While built on the NVMe Gen 4×4 platform, it is not the fastest SSD on the market (slightly faster than Gen 3 x 4), however aggressively priced but nonetheless, a fast sequential read of up to 3,600MB/s and a sequential write of 3,200MB/s which is still considerably faster than non NVMe SSD’s that in turn translates to lighting fast boot-up speeds and greatly reduced loading times for both the O/S and apps.
Once out of its minimalistic packaging, the CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD mirrors other NVMe’s on the market with its tiny size (22 x 80 x 4mm) due to its form factor build and weight of just 6.6 grams. It has a TBW (terabytes written) of 400 plus secure erase and product health monitoring via Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T).
In terms of benchmarking, CrystalDiskMark did score similar speeds to PNY’s reported read/write times, including AS SSD Benchmark. So again, a slightly faster drive than a NVMe 3 x 4 gen drive.
CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD Highlights
- NVMe Gen4 upgrade from a SATA based SSD in an NVMe enabled computer
- High performance SSD with up to double the performance as compared to entry Gen3 x4 based SSDs
- Faster boot-up and quicker application launch
- Better overall system performance, reliable storage
- Low power consumption, cool and quiet operation
We also tested the CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD with PNY’s M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X that via USB-C/USB did score the following scores through CrystalDiskMark;
USB-C Score
USB Score
Considering that most non-NVMe SSD’s via internal SATA score around 550MB/s for read and even with USB connectivity, the CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD with M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X scored well, especially through USB-C but obviously not as good as 3,600MB/s through a internal M.2 expansion slot.
PNY M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X Review
Well packed from PNY, the M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X is ideal for users who want to connect a NVMe to their PC through either USB-C or USB 3.0 ports. Best of all, it comes with all the cables needed to connect it to your PC via USB-C or USB.
Installing a NVMe is a super easy process into this product and all you need to do is slide the interior component from the casing and then connect a NVMe SSD into the connector and then place it back together. It takes just under one-minute to do! The overall build quality is great, especially the metallic casing that offers additional protection. The enclosure even comes with Acronis True Image Data Protection Software to backup and protect your data. There is also a small LED light to indicate power is connected and when your PC is accessing it, the light will flicker.
Just remember though, if you are installing a brand new NVMe into the enclosure, you need Windows to format it, otherwise it won’t register.
Once installed, you’re ready to connect it to your PC. We tested the PNY M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X on the Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14 Gaming Desktop that scored the above results earlier in this review via CrystalDiskBenchMark. While considerably slower than an innate connection, it’s main goal here is to connect it to a PC via an external port (USB-C or USB 3.0), however just be wary of the reduced speeds.
Final Thoughts?
Both the CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD and M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X are two affordably priced products from PNY. The CS2140 M.2 NVMe SSD delivers an entry-level drive with good speeds, whereas the M.2 SSD Enclosure Elite-X gives you NVMe portability. Lastly the only issue I had with the enclosure was trying to open it up that did take a little bit of fiddling once the NVMe was installed but apart from that, a fantastic option to externally connect a NVMe to your system.
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