Start with what you actually need
- PCIe 5.0 SSD: The Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2TB is for motherboards with a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot and for gamers and high-power users running heavy workloads. On a PCIe 4.0 or older system you will not use its Gen5 speeds.
- PCIe 4.0 SSD: The WD SN850X 2TB suits gamers with a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot who want fast load times and 2TB of room for a large game library. It is not for anyone who needs PCIe 5.0 speeds.
- NAS: The UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus 4-Bay NAS is for creators and families who want one place to store and back up photos and video, or who want 10GbE transfers and a private cloud. If you want drives included, or you only store a few files, look elsewhere.
- Memory cards: The SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC 256GB is aimed at phones, action cameras and drones recording 4K UHD video, and at anyone who wants 256GB with A2 app performance. If you need more than 200MB/s read or 140MB/s write, it is not the card for you.
China and US versions: what actually differs
None of these four cards lists a difference between the China and US versions. The cards do record warranty terms, though the seller's terms are what apply to your purchase.
- Kingston FURY Renegade G5: limited 5-year warranty with free technical support.
- SN850X: 5-year limited warranty.
- SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC: lifetime limited warranty, or 30 years in Germany, Canada and other regions that do not recognize lifetime warranties.
Common pitfalls
- The SanDisk card's rated speeds depend on a device that can reach them. Not every device supports microSDXC, so check yours first.
- The Kingston G5 needs a PCIe 5.0 slot for full speed. Peak power draw is 7.0W on the 2TB model, so plan for case airflow, and confirm your board supports the M.2 2280 form factor.
- For a PlayStation 5, only the heatsink version of the SN850X is compatible. The 2TB heatsink model is WDS200T2XHE-00BCA0.
- Sandisk already lists a newer Optimus GX PRO 850X alongside the SN850X, so compare the two before buying.
- The DXP4800 Plus is diskless. SATA drives and M.2 SSDs are sold separately, so check the official compatibility list first. It ships with 8GB of DDR5, and UGREEN lists expansion up to 64GB.
How our cards read
All four cards rate the price as roughly even between China and the US. Prices move daily, so check each card page for today's numbers.
- Kingston FURY Renegade G5 2TB: a PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe drive rated up to 14,700/14,000MB/s, with 3D TLC NAND, 2.0PB endurance and a DDR4 DRAM cache, for users with a Gen5 slot. Buy; our card's call is roughly even.
- WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB: a PCIe 4.0 gaming drive with 7,300MB/s sequential reads and 6,600MB/s writes on the 2TB model, 1,200 TBW and a 2GB LPDDR4 cache. Because a newer model is listed, the card says wait and compare. Roughly even.
- UGREEN NASync DXP4800 Plus: four SATA bays, one 10GbE and one 2.5GbE port, two M.2 NVMe slots, an Intel Pentium Gold 8505 and UGOS Pro, for backups, photos and 4K media. Buy; roughly even.
- SanDisk Extreme PRO microSDXC 256GB: UHS-I with A2, U3 and V30 ratings, up to 200MB/s read and 140MB/s write, built for 4K recording. Buy; roughly even.
Before you buy
- Check whether your M.2 slot is PCIe 5.0 or 4.0, and that it takes the 2280 size.
- With a Gen5 drive, plan for airflow.
- Adding storage to a PS5? Get the SN850X heatsink model.
- Compare the SN850X with the newer Optimus GX PRO 850X before you order.
- Budget for drives when you buy a NAS, and check the compatibility list.
- Confirm your device supports microSDXC and can reach the card's rated speeds.
- Check the card page for the current price.
