PNY CS2150 2TB SSD Review - An Elite Mainstream SSD

TweakTown Rating: 95%

Our Verdict

PNY's CS2150 2TB drive is currently our favorite mainstream SSD.

Pros

• Throughput performance
• Real-world performance
• Single-sided design
• Cool running

Cons

• None

Should you buy it?

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Buy at Amazon for $179.99 USD

Buy at Amazon for $244.99 CAD

Buy at Amazon for £199.42

Introduction & Drive Details

PNY, as a longtime Phison partner, always delivers its own latest and greatest Phison-controlled mainstream SSDs. This round, it's their CS2150 SSD powered by Phison's renowned PCIe Gen5 x4 PS5031-E31T DRAMless controller, better known as simply the "E31T" controller. Phison's E31T controller has become a mainstream favorite across the globe because it offers some of the most efficient and cool-running PCIe Gen5 performance money can buy.

For its CS2150 BOM, PNY is pairing Phison's E31T controller with Kioxia BiCS8 3D TLC NAND. This is the same component configuration as found on Corsair's MP700 Elite SSD we reviewed back in December 2024, so we already know that this SSD is going to be among the best of its kind ever made.

We love the hardware combination chosen, and in fact, it is currently our favorite retail configuration for mainstream PC, laptop, and PlayStation 5 DIY storage upgrades. Why is it our all-around favorite mainstream SSD configuration? It runs cool, is single-sided and extremely power efficient, while at the same time it can deliver over 10,000 MB/s throughput when running over the PCIe Gen5 interface.

Additionally, gamers take notes because the CS2150 is fortified with Phison's exclusive gaming firmware - fully optimized for DirectStorage. Microsoft's DirectStorage technology loads high-resolution, detailed game assets faster and maximizes I/O performance. When enabled, a properly equipped device can load up to 60% more gaming data with 99% less CPU utilization.

Now, let's get into this review so we can show you firsthand what PNY's 2TB CS2150 SSD can do for you by the numbers.

Drive Details

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The drive we have in hand is a Phison E31 T-controlled and BiCS8 TLC-arrayed. The drive is a preferred single-sided design. Like most PNY SSDs, its CS2150 is supported by free Acronis and SSD Toolbox software, enabling convenient features such as secure erase, system migration, and firmware updates directly from your desktop. Get them both HERE.

Further SSD Reading – Our Latest Reviews

• Biwin Black Opal X570 Pro 2TB SSD Review - Powerful and efficient single-sided goodness
• PNY CS3250 2TB SSD Review - An Ultra Elite Enthusiast SSD
• Transcend MTE260S 2TB SSD Review - Transcendent Performance

Jon's Test System Specifications

Intel Test System

AMD Test System

Please note: We employ an M.2 AIC for testing on our Intel Core Ultra 9 285K platform.

Best Deals: PNY CS2150 2TB SSD

	Today	7 days ago	30 days ago
	$179.99 USD	$179.99 USD	-	Buy
	$244.99 CAD	$244.99 CAD	-	Buy
	£199.42	£177.02	-	Buy
	$179.99 USD	$179.99 USD	-	Buy
* Prices last scanned 12/15/2025 at 4:05 am CST - prices may be inaccurate. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. We earn affiliate commission from any Newegg or PCCG sales.

Sony PlayStation 5 - M.2 Storage Expansion

PS5 Read Performance

With Sony's wildly popular PlayStation 5 console now enabled for M.2 NVMe SSDs to be used as fast storage expansion, we are including results for PS5-compatible SSDs we test as a part of our reviews going forward.

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For SSDs that don't have an adequately sized PS5 compatible heatsink or other SSDs where the heatsink provided doesn't fit right and can be removed, we both use and recommend Sabrent's unparalleled PS5 heatsink available HERE.

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We only chart SSDs that can deliver a minimum of 5,500 MB/s read, which is Sony's original recommendation.

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Delivering a stout 6,553 MB/s read speed, the CS2150 shows itself to be among the very best choices for PS5 storage expansion. And because it is a DRAMless 4-channel offering, it runs nice and cool in comparison to most fire-breathing 8-channel SSDs.

Synthetic Benchmarks: CDM, Max IOPS, ATTO

CrystalDiskMark

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We employ CDM as our standard measurement for both sequential throughput and 4K Q1T1 random read. In terms of sequential throughput, we find our test subject more than capable of achieving quoted up-to-factory sequential throughput specifications, even while running in our more demanding user state. Additionally, with 110 MB/s, 4K Q1T1 random read is looking great here as well. This is a powerful synthetic indicator that its real-world performance will be excellent.

Max IOPS

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Max 4K random performance for the CS2150 2TB is factory spec'd for up to 1,300k random read IOPS and up to 1,500k random write IOPS. We are seeing well in excess of both of these stated figures on both of our testing platforms. Excellent.

ATTO

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ATTO gives us a clear picture of what transfer sizes a particular SSD favors in terms of QD4 sequential throughput. We chart 128K transfers. At a queue depth of four, our 2TB PNY SSD favors sequential transfers of 2MB or larger when serving data to the host (reading) and 128KB or larger when programming (writing) data.

Real-World Testing: Transfers, 3DMark SSD Gaming Test, PCM10 Storage

Transfer Rates

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Our 100GB data transfer test is not your ordinary 100GB of data; ours is a crushing mix composed of more than 62K files. Write performance, random or sequential, is an infrequent operation and as such, we do not consider it to be an important performance metric in the consumer space. An example is how many times a game is installed vs. how many times it's played. Exceptional result here, and it is in fact the highest we've ever seen from any flash-based DRAMless SSD.

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Unlike programming (writing) data, serving data to the host (reading) is typically an important performance metric as it relates to the consumer space. This is where transfer rates matter most, and we like what our test subject is delivering, as it is yet again the highest rate we've seen from a retail DRAMless SSD.

3DMark SSD Gaming Test

UL's newest 3DMark SSD Gaming Test is the most comprehensive SSD gaming test ever devised. We consider it superior to testing against games themselves because, as a trace, it is much more consistent than variations that will occur between runs on the actual game itself. This test is the same as running the actual game, just without the inconsistencies inherent to application testing. In short, we believe that this is the world's best way to test an SSDs gaming prowess and accurately compare it against competing SSDs. The 3DMark SSD Gaming Test measures and scores the following:

• Loading Battlefield V from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Call of Duty Black Ops 4 from launch to the main menu.
• Loading Overwatch from launch to the main menu.
• Recording a 1080p gameplay video at 60 FPS with OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) while playing Overwatch.
• Installing The Outer Worlds from the Epic Games Launcher.
• Saving game progress in The Outer Worlds.
• Copying the Steam folder for Counter-Strike Global Offensive from an external SSD to the system drive.

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Gaming is a performance metric that matters to most DIY consumers, especially for the enthusiast crowd that TweakTown caters to. Now we've reached the point where results start to matter as they are a direct reflection of user experience.

Our contender is virtually tied for the best delivered by a flash-based DRAMless SSD. Outstanding.

PCM10 Storage Tests

PCMark 10 Storage Test is the most advanced and most accurate real-world consumer storage test ever made. There are four different tests you can choose from; we run two of them. The Full System Drive Benchmark and the Quick System Drive Benchmark. The Full System Drive Benchmark writes 204 GB of data over the duration of the test. These tests directly correlate with mainstream user experience.

PCMark 10 Full System Drive Benchmark

This test writes 204GB of data and covers a broad range of common consumer tasks, including booting Windows 10, file transfers, Adobe and Office applications, and startup times for games such as Battlefield V, COD Black Ops 4, and Overwatch. Unlike synthetic numbers, this is comprehensive real-world data, which is why we use it to rank SSDs in terms of user experience.

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We consider a score here of 5,000 to be a milestone for any DRAMless SSD. Few DRAMless SSDs can achieve this level of real-world performance. Impressive.

PCMark 10 Quick System Drive Benchmark

The Quick System Drive Benchmark writes 23 GB of data over the duration of the test.

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Of all the benchmarks we run, it can be argued that this one offers the best reflection of a typical consumer use case scenario. A score of 5,600 is again among the best for a DRAMless SSD. Excellent.

Final Thoughts

PNY is once again delivering the goods at some of the best pricing going. As we alluded to previously, this hardware configuration is currently our favorite for mainstream storage expansion. The CS2150 is identically configured to Corsair's MP700 Elite yet can be had for a whopping 20% less of your hard-earned cash, making it a bargain not to be missed. And it offers the very same high level of free software support.

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We rank SSDs in terms of overall user experience (performance where it matters most) as expressed by PCMark 10 storage and 3DMark gaming storage tests. Currently, we consider a user experience score of 19K or more to verify an SSD as a TweakTown Elite performer. We no longer consider any flash-based PCIe Gen4 SSD to be a TT Elite performer. Third best for a retail DRAMless SSD. Impressive.

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It's currently our favorite mainstream SSD. Editor's Choice.