PNY CS900 500GB
The current PNY CS900 500GB price from retailers, its key specifications, and how it performs for each job.
PNY · SSD · SATA
Retailer photo of PNY CS900 500GB. View this offer in Where to buy
Works well for: System Drive
Trade-offs: you want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically
- Capacity
- 500 GB
- Interface
- SATA 6.0 Gb/s
- Sequential read
- 500 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 500 MB/s
- Endurance
- 300 TBW
- Form factor
- 2.5"
Move a slider and the page re-scores this product against the same market frame.
What does it cost today, and is that a good price?
Market confidence: MediumConsider: Patriot P300 256GB offers stronger value around $54.Compare
Prices & availability
PNY CS900 500GB: current price and offers
Compare the offers we track for this model, across variants and retailers.
4 tracked offers · 4 retailers
| Variant | Store | Condition | Price (snapshot) | Value · Balanced | Checked | Offer link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNY CS900 500GB | Amazon | New | Check on Amazon | 35 | 2026-11-09 | View offer → |
| PNY CS900 500GB | B&H | New | $80 | 35 | 2026-11-09 | View offer → |
| PNY CS900 500GB | Newegg | New | $90 | 31 | 2026-11-09 | View offer → |
| PNY CS900 500GB | MemoryC | New | $111 | 25 | 2026-11-09 | View offer → |
Prices are dated snapshots, not live quotes — confirm the final price at the store. New, refurbished and used offers are listed separately; used offers carry warranty and seller risk.
Performance and where it ranks
Two different questions, side by side. Performance compares what the hardware can do; Value compares what that capability costs at today’s price. A product can rank high on one and low on the other — that gap is the point.
Performance Balanced
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#228 of 239 graded solid state drives
- #225 KingstonKingston A400 960GB 3
- #226 PatriotPatriot P220 512GB 3
- #227 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 3
- #228 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 3
- #229 SamsungSamsung 860 Evo 500GB 3
- #230 PatriotPatriot Burst Elite 480GB 3
- #231 LexarLexar NQ100 480GB 3
Value Balanced
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#150 of 239 currently priced solid state drives
- #147 KingstonKingston Fury Renegade Heat Sink 2TB 36
- #148 SeagateSeagate FireCuda 530R 1TB 36
- #149 TeamGroupTeamGroup CX2 512GB 36
- #150 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 35
- #151 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 34
- #152 Silicon PowerSilicon Power A55 1TB 34
- #153 SeagateSeagate FireCuda 530R 4TB 33
Performance System Drive
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#228 of 239 graded solid state drives
- #225 KingstonKingston A400 960GB 3
- #226 PatriotPatriot P220 512GB 3
- #227 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 3
- #228 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 3
- #229 SamsungSamsung 860 Evo 500GB 3
- #230 PatriotPatriot Burst Elite 480GB 3
- #231 LexarLexar NQ100 480GB 3
Value System Drive
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#166 of 239 currently priced solid state drives
- #163 Silicon PowerSilicon Power A55 512GB 15
- #164 Silicon PowerSilicon Power XS70 2TB 15
- #165 TeamGroupTeamGroup CX2 512GB 14
- #166 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 14
- #167 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 13
- #168 TeamGroupTeamGroup MS30 512GB 13
- #169 PNYPNY CS3140 4TB 13
Performance Game
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#214 of 239 graded solid state drives
- #211 PNYPNY CS1030 500GB 6
- #212 SamsungSamsung 870 Evo 500GB 6
- #213 SamsungSamsung 850 Evo 500GB 6
- #214 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 6
- #215 SamsungSamsung 860 Evo 500GB 6
- #216 PatriotPatriot Burst Elite 480GB 6
- #217 LexarLexar NQ100 480GB 6
Value Game
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#106 of 239 currently priced solid state drives
- #103 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850 2TB 64
- #104 Silicon PowerSilicon Power UD90 2TB 64
- #105 PatriotPatriot P300 256GB 64
- #106 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 63
- #107 SamsungSamsung 990 Pro 2TB 63
- #108 LexarLexar NQ790 2TB 63
- #109 CrucialCrucial BX500 2TB 62
Performance Heavy Creative Work
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#204 of 239 graded solid state drives
- #201 SamsungSamsung 860 Pro 1TB 4
- #202 PatriotPatriot P220 512GB 4
- #203 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 4
- #204 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 4
- #205 SamsungSamsung 860 Evo 500GB 4
- #206 PatriotPatriot Burst Elite 480GB 4
- #207 LexarLexar NQ100 480GB 4
Value Heavy Creative Work
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#173 of 239 currently priced solid state drives
- #170 PNYPNY CS900 250GB 13
- #171 TeamGroupTeamGroup CX2 512GB 13
- #172 TeamGroupTeamGroup AX2 1TB 13
- #173 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 13
- #174 PNYPNY CS900 1TB 13
- #175 TeamGroupTeamGroup QX 1TB 13
- #176 PatriotPatriot P210 512GB 13
These ladders follow the preset scenario shown above. Your own weights re-score this product, not the whole field.
What it is good for
| Scenario | this productCapability grade · Value at current price | Higher capability | Higher Value with current priorities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced (all-round)Weighted all-round view | GradeNo grade Value35 | Higher capability Kingston NV3 500GB 90 +1100% capability | Higher Value with current priorities Patriot P300 256GB 67 +320% capability |
| System DriveScenario capability | GradeA Value14 | Higher capability Kingston NV3 500GB A 85 +1100% capability | Higher Value with current priorities Patriot P300 256GB C 56 +320% capability |
| Game & File StorageScenario capability | GradeC Value63 | — | Higher Value with current priorities Patriot Burst Elite 480GB D 75 -4% capability |
| Heavy Creative WorkScenario capability | GradeD Value13 | Higher capability Kingston NV3 500GB B 60 +700% capability | Higher Value with current priorities PNY CS1030 250GB C 35 +410% capability |
Balanced has no letter: it is a weighting preset, not a capability rubric. A grade answers “how well does this handle that job?” — price is never part of it. Relative Value puts the current market price back in.
Compare these grades with the full tier list
Browse shortlists for different uses
Trade-offs
Works well if
- System Drive is your main prioritygraded A for System Drive on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically$35 is where Relative Value reaches 80 with Balanced priorities, in the 2026-11-02–2026-11-09 offer frame
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelPatriot P300 256GB holds Relative Value 67 against its 35 with Balanced priorities, at $54
- Not the pick if Heavy Creative Work is your main useit grades only D there
Works well if
- System Drive is your main prioritygraded A for System Drive on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value for System Drive specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for System Drive per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelPatriot P300 256GB holds Relative Value 56 against its 14 for System Drive, at $54
- Not the pick if Heavy Creative Work is your main useit grades only D there
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Game is not actually your main job — System Drive isit grades C for Game, but A for System Drive
- Strong-value threshold: ~$63$63 is where Relative Value reaches 80 for Game, in the 2026-11-02–2026-11-09 offer frame
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Game is your main useGraded C; Patriot P320 512GB reaches C. Check on Amazon.
- Current offer is above the strong-value threshold (~$63); check the price on Amazon$63 is where Relative Value reaches 80 for Game, in the 2026-11-02–2026-11-09 offer frame
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelPatriot Burst Elite 480GB holds Relative Value 75 against its 63 for Game, at $65
For the selected scenario this is not a strong fit — the grade above is the reason, and the models below suit it better.
Works well if
- Heavy Creative Work is not actually your main job — System Drive isit grades D for Heavy Creative Work, but A for System Drive
Consider other options if
- Not the pick if Heavy Creative Work is your main useit grades D there; Kingston NV3 500GB grades B at $95
- You want strong value for Heavy Creative Work specificallycompeting products deliver so much more for Heavy Creative Work per dollar that no price this model realistically trades at reaches the strong-value mark for this job
- You are buying for Heavy Creative Work and want no asterisksthe rubric caps this grade: the sata interface caps sustained writes near 500 mb/s, so this is graded on endurance among sata drives rather than against nvme scratch disks.
Every line states the fact it was derived from, for the scenario selected above. Thresholds are calculated points on our value curve — information about where the maths turns, not instructions about what to pay.
Similar options to the PNY CS900 500GB
Chosen for Balanced
Chosen for System Drive
Chosen for Game
Chosen for Heavy Creative Work
Alternatives stay near this product’s price range. Step-up options may exceed the standard budget envelope when the capability gain is meaningful.
More head-to-head comparisons in this category
Upgrade planner
Judge the change in the active scenario, then make the cash gap explicit.
Using page scenarioWhat are you upgrading from? These are the axes we compare on, and where this product stands in the current market.
Capability differences are expressed as tiers and index points, not as benchmark percentages we did not measure.
Specifications and compatibility
What this product is, and what to check before it goes into your build.
Performance
- Sequential read
- 500 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 500 MB/s
- Random read
- 0 IOPS
- Random write
- 0 IOPS
- Controller
- Phison PS3111-S11
Media
- Capacity
- 500 GB
- NAND type
- 3D TLC
- DRAM cache
- None (DRAM-less)
Power / Interface
- Interface
- SATA 6.0 Gb/s
- Form factor
- 2.5"
Physical / Outputs
- Heatsink included
- No
Show all specifications
Endurance & warranty
- Endurance
- 300 TBW
- Warranty
- 3 years
Hover any value to see where it came from: a manufacturer specification, or a figure The Comparator calculated.
Sources: Comparator offer frame 2026-11-02–2026-11-09
What to check in your build
2.5"
The slot must take 2.5"
SATA 6.0 Gb/s
Does not fit the PS5 expansion bay
The PS5 bay takes M.2 2280 NVMe drives only
Found an error? Report this specification Email the field, corrected value and an optional source.
Compatibility guidance is practical help, not a score. Missing data is shown as unknown, never invented.
Summary
PNY CS900 500GB offers a balanced view across an all-round mix of priorities. It ranks #228 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 500. Patriot P300 256GB currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
PNY CS900 500GB offers A-grade capability for System Drive. It ranks #228 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 500. Patriot P220 512GB currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
PNY CS900 500GB offers C-grade capability for Game. It ranks #214 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 500. The C grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
PNY CS900 500GB offers D-grade capability for Heavy Creative Work. It ranks #204 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 500. The D grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
FAQ
Why does Relative Value change when I choose another scenario?
Each scenario changes the weights applied to capability, price and the other published factors. The hardware facts stay fixed, but the value question changes, so its score and rank can change too.
Why can Amazon appear without a tracked price?
Amazon listing snapshots can participate in Value while fresh. We show Check on Amazon instead of its price; confirm the current price and availability at the store. When no current listing snapshot exists, Amazon is a search link only.
Useful links & sources
offer frame 2026-11-02–2026-11-09 · formula ssd-value-v6.1 · facts facts-2026-11-09 · Relative Value is an estimate from our current dataset, the selected weights and dated market prices — not an official product rating and not a price forecast. Target prices are calculation thresholds, not predictions. Methodology We are not a shop. Affiliate links may earn us a commission; they never change the calculations or the ranking.