Kingston NV1 has made a grand entry into the SSD market a few months ago. But, the A2000 is a well-established and popular product in this field for years. However, a lot of people are now trying to pick the right one between the both because the offerings are somewhat similar.
So, I thought it is my responsibility to help you make the right decision. So, here I am again with a brief comparison between Kingston A2000 and Kingston NV1.
Before starting, I would like to tell you that the NV1 is a DRAM-Less SSD whereas the A2000 has a DRAM cache. So, if you think that you are going to get similar results from both, it is not possible. But, the competition is surely going to be tough. So, without any further delays, let’s get started.
Theoretical Specs (Comparison)
Let’s see what are the basic offerings promised by the company for both its products.
| Specifications | Kingston A2000 (1TB) | Kingston NV1 (1TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Storage Options | 250GB, 500GB, 1TB | 500GB, 1TB, 2TB |
| Interface | NVMe PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 | NVMe PCIe Gen 3.0 x4 |
| NAND Type | 3D TLC by Micron | 3D TLC by Micron |
| Sequential Read Speed | 2200 MB/s | 2100 MB/s |
| Sequential Write Speed | 2000 MB/s | 1700 MB/s |
| Warranty | 5-Years | 3-Years |
| Availability | Check Price | Check Price |
You can see that there are two major differences here between these SSDs. The theoretical sequential write speed of NV1 is lesser than the A2000. Also, the warranty period of NV1 is 3-years i.e. 2 years lesser than the A2000. There are numerous others as well which we are going to discuss below very soon.
Benchmark Scores (Synthetic)
When it comes to the real-time results, it is very easy to trust A2000 because it is a well-tested product. But, NV1 is the latest and it is worth testing it properly in order to reach a conclusion. So, below are the highest benchmarking results from both these SSDs.
Note: On both the SSDs, I saw a very little difference in speed with either 0% or 100% full storage space. So, I will only show you to results with the 0% full products. The benchmarks were done using CrystalDiskMark.
Benchmark Scores Comparison Table
| Benchmark Name | Kingston A2000 (1TB) | Kingston NV1 (1TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Sequential Read (Highest) | 1957 MB/s | 1818 MB/s |
| Sequential Write (Highest) | 1825 MB/s | 1725 MB/s |
| Random 4K Read (Highest) | 787 MB/s | 525 MB/s |
| Random 4K Write (Highest) | 698 MB/s | 424 MB/s |
With these benchmarks, I have found that there is very little difference between the sequential read and write speed of both these SSDs. But, because the NV1 doesn’t have DRAM, it is lacking a lot in random read and write speed as well.
Durability
When it comes to choosing the SSDs, we often think about the life of the product first of all. Investing in an SSD can be an expensive decision. So, let’s take these both into consideration in terms of durability.
We generally determine the life expectancy of an SSD with its TBW (Tera-Bytes Written) limit. You can know more about it here.
| Kingston A2000 | TBW | Kingston NV1 | TBW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 GB | 150 | 500 GB | 120 |
| 500 GB | 350 | 1 TB | 240 |
| 1 TB | 600 | 2 TB | 480 |
Hence, we can say that the A2000 has a better life expectancy. Also, the warranty period of A2000 is 5 Years and NV1 is 3 Years. So, in terms of reliability, A2000 is better.
The NV1 comes with a 1.5 Million hours life expectancy whereas the A2000 is offering 2 Million MTBF.
NAND, DRAM, and Controller
Both of the SSDs are using 3D TLC NAND Flash for storage purposes. The A2000 has 64/96 layers of flash.
If we talk about the DRAM, you might have been aware that the NV1 is a DRAM-Less SSD. However, the A2000 has a DDR4 DRAM buffer. This is one of the main advantages you get when you choose A2000 over NV1.
The controller used in A2000 is Dual-core and four-channel SMI SM2263. Whereas, the NV1 is using another variant called SMI SM2263XT. It also has the same configurations.
Price
Price is one of the main factors to consider when it comes to choosing an
SSD. I am going to compare the prices of both from the official websites. They may change as per your location, shopping platform, and the time you are buying them.
Kingston A2000
Kingston NV1
Which one should you buy? NV1 or A2000
We all know that the A2000 is a well-known and trusted product. But, the NV1 has also gathered a great reputation after its launch. Also, we saw how it performs in a real-time environment above. Another great thing about NV1 is that it has a 2TB variant.
But, on the other hand, A2000 is beating the NV1 in most aspects except the price. The NV1 is surely less expensive than the A2000. But, do all these things make A2000 a better choice. Yes, sure. A2000 has a 5-years warranty period along with a DRAM cache which contributes to its reliability even more.
So, if you ask me to choose between them both, I would say A2000. But, I would also not hesitate to go for the NV1 if I have a tight budget. The reason is that I believe in Kingston.
Thanks for reading!!!
My Favorite SSDs in 2021!
| Image | Model | Features and Specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Samsung 870 Evo | Capacity: 250GB – 4TB Interface: SATA Speed: 550/510 MB/s Endurance: 2,400 TBW | Check Price |
 | Crucial MX500 | Capacity: 250GB – 4TB Interface: SATA Speed: 560/530 MB/s Endurance: Up to 700 TBW | Check Price |
 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus | Capacity: 250GB – 2TB Interface: PCIe 3.0 Speed: 3500/2500 MB/s Endurance: 1200 TBW | Check Price! |
 | Crucial P5 | Capacity: 250GB – 2TB Interface: PCIe 3.0 Speed: 3400/3000 MB/s Endurance: 1200 TBW | Check Price! |
 | Kingston A2000 | Capacity: 250GB – 1TB Interface: PCIe 3.0 Speed: 2200/2000 MB/s Endurance: 600 TBW | Check Price! |