PNY CS2241 2000GB

The PNY CS2241 is an entry-level PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive that raises throughput over the previous generation while avoiding the power consumption and thermal density of high-end NVMe drives. It uses the DRAM-less Phison PS5021-E21T controller with Host Memory Buffer (HMB) support and high-density 3D QLC NAND (typically Micron’s 176-layer QLC). The drive relies heavily on dynamic SLC caching (allocating roughly 25% of free space as high-speed cache), so sustained writes beyond about 450GB–500GB in a single session will see speeds fall to native QLC levels (often below 200 MB/s). It is noted for good power efficiency and low thermal output, and its endurance rating is characteristic of QLC media.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe Gen 4.0 x4 / NVMe 1.4
• Controller: Phison PS5021-E21T (4-channel, ARM Cortex-R5)
• NAND Flash: 3D QLC (typically Micron 176-layer QLC)
• DRAM Cache: No (DRAM-less; Supports HMB)
• Max Sequential Read: 5,000 MB/s
• Max Sequential Write: 4,200 MB/s
• Physical Layout: Single-sided M.2 2280 PCB
• Endurance: 640 TBW

Hardware Alternatives

• Crucial P3 Plus 2000GB: same Phison E21T controller paired with Micron QLC NAND; very similar tiered cache behavior and recovery characteristics.
• Solidigm P41 Plus: QLC-based competitor using the Silicon Motion SM2269XT controller and a different driver stack for cache management.
• Kingston NV2 2000GB: often ships with the Phison E21T architecture but NAND type can vary by batch (QLC or TLC), unlike the CS2241 which targets QLC specs.