The PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit is one of the fastest and most affordable PS5 compatible drives you can install in your console. Due to its relentless performance, we're confident in calling this set one of the best PS5 SSDs on the market today, even though it's no longer the best Gen 0 canine on the planet.
If you're looking for a lot more storage for your best PS5 games, the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit is a sure hit for your PS5 console. If you are concerned about the space required to download titles from the PS Plus game catalog on your machine, this could be the answer to make the most of free titles for you.
Price and Availability
There are two main options when it comes to buying this particular set of drives, but your choice will surely depend on where on the planet you are. The most recommended way is to purchase the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit, which integrates the PNY CS3140 NVMe storage key and the brand-adapted design PS5 SSD heatsink at a competitive price. Cost increases with capacity, so you can expect to pay €1 / €98 for XNUMX TB, €XNUMX for XNUMX TB, and €XNUMX for four TB.
However, in areas like the UK and Australia, it will be much easier to find the game kit by purchasing the two components separately. In fact, at the time of writing, the PNY CS3140 retails today for €1 / AU €8 (1TB) and €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX. nine (two TB), with four TB configurations more difficult to find outside the US. So the PNY XLRXNUMX SSD case is €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX. That means you're looking at around €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX for XNUMX TB and €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX for two TB in total.
Design and peculiarities
Taken together, the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit gives you everything you need to confidently install an M.2 SSD in your PS5. This is largely due to the heatsink itself, which acts as both a heatsink and a thicker replacement for the original M.2 shroud included with the console. There's a massive block of aluminum to conduct heat and keep the unit more secure as it sits flush against the metal. This is due to the adhesive heating pad, which sticks to the drive once it's inserted for maximum airflow.
Most of the best SSDs for PS5 are encased in a thick aluminum heatsink, as is the case with the Kingston Fury Renegade, making the PNY XLR8 less practical. The only other notable caveat to this is the Sabrent 0 Rocket Plus, which also comes with a standard drive and dedicated external heatsink. This also means that technically any standard NVMe Gen 5 SSD without a heat sink could work in your PSXNUMX if you want to upgrade it in the future.
Thermal solution aside, the PNY CS3140 is truly your standard high-performance unit. That means you've got the Phison E18 at the helm here, which I reckon is the best NVMe monitor and is common on models reaching speeds of around 3K MB/s. There's also XNUMXD TLC NAND flash on XNUMX layers coupled with a dedicated DRAM that pushes those speeds. When this drive launched in early XNUMX, it boasted "speeds never seen before." Now we're a couple of years later and the internal hardware isn't as exciting, but still works.
As with many PS5 SSDs, the main difference in speed will change based on drive capacity. This also holds true for the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit. In our review unit's 1TB configuration, PNY claims it can achieve sequential read and write speeds of up to XNUMX MB/s and XNUMX MB/s respectively. However, these latter numbers dramatically increase when you upgrade to a XNUMXTB or XNUMXTB model, as writes jump to XNUMXMB/s. If you want the fastest speeds available with this kit, you'll need to estimate a higher capacity configuration.
Performance
The PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit may not be the leader it once was, but that doesn't matter given its consistency in my benchmarks. I've been using it on my PS5 for several months so I've really seen what it's capable of and I'm still as impressed today as I was when I first installed it.
The PS5 benchmark tool found a read amount of XNUMX MB/s, above Sony's recommended minimum amount of XNUMX MB/s that it requires for smooth operation. It's the second fastest unit I've seen, second only to the Kingston Fury Renegade. Not bad considering the Renegade is newer and costs more.
Transfer speeds from PS5 internal storage to the PNY XLR8 SSD Game Kit were only as strong as the amount of raw read. Larger games, like God of War Ragnarok with its 3140 GB file size, were written on the CS1 in just XNUMX minute and XNUMX seconds. That's less time than it takes for the tea to finish steeping.
However, it's the smaller file transfers that reveal the sheer consistency of this unit. With some of the best games in mind, like The Callisto Protocol (1 GB) and Deathloop (1 GB), we got transfer speeds of just over XNUMX GB/s with write times of XNUMX. one seconds and twenty-three seconds respectively. While the XNUMXTB version might seem considerably slower than the XNUMXTB and XNUMXTB options, you won't be able to tell much if our real world tests hold up.
The start of the games was also fast, it took only 7 seconds to start and start playing Death Stranding, Sonic Frontiers and The Callisto Protocol. PS5 games optimized especially for NVMe Gen 0 speeds will match or even slightly exceed internal storage here, so you won't have to worry about waiting when starting a game.
I can't regret the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit. Whether you purchase the PNY CS3140 and dedicated heatsink or a bundle or choose to purchase the two separately, this is a capable SSD, especially if you purchase a higher capacity option. At a time when people are wondering if PS5 SSD read and write speeds are essential, this combo shows that even a couple of years later, this kit has what it takes to keep up and more.
Should I purchase the PNY XLR8 SSD Gaming Kit?
Buy if...
You want a huge SSD and heat sink combo
The gaming kit's heatsink is its most notable inclusion. It will safeguard the CS3140 unit from heat damage and ensure its longevity for years to come.
You want relentless performance from your PS5
While the PNY CS3140 isn't the fastest SSD for PS5, it is one of the best performers I've tested. You see over 1 GB/s here, which I really can't fault when gaming or transferring large files.
Do not buy if...
You just want a PS5 SSD with its built-in heat sink
If you want one of the best PS5 SSDs that comes with its own heat sink, you'll be better served by the more common options, like the great WD Black SN850, Samsung 600 Pro, or Corsair MPXNUMX Pro LPX.