Retailer photo of Kingston KC3000 512GB. View this offer in Where to buy
Kingston · SSD · PCIe 4.0
Kingston KC3000 512GB
The current Kingston KC3000 512GB price from retailers, its key specifications, and how it performs for each job.
Works well for: System Drive
Trade-offs: you want strong value with Balanced priorities specifically
- Capacity
- 512 GB
- Interface
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
- Sequential read
- 7300 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 7000 MB/s
- Endurance
- 400 TBW
- Form factor
- M.2-2280
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: MediumAt $172 the Kingston KC3000 512GB is priced in line with its $173 representative market level. Only 2 verified new offers stand behind it, so the level can move quickly.
Consider: Crucial P310 1TB offers stronger value around $147.Compare
Prices & availability
Kingston KC3000 512GB: current price and offers
Compare the offers we track for this model, across variants and retailers.
2 tracked offers · 2 retailers
| Variant | Store | Condition | Price (snapshot) | Value · Balanced | Checked | Offer link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingston KC3000 512GB | MemoryC | New | $172 | 48 | 2026-10-11 | View offer → |
| Kingston KC3000 512GB | Newegg | New | $173 | 48 | 2026-10-17 | View offer → |
| Kingston KC3000 512GBMultiple variants available | Amazon Affiliate | Varies | Find on Amazon | Not tracked | No price snapshot | Find on Amazon → |
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.
#52 of 243 graded solid state drives
- #49 Western DigitalWestern Digital WD_Black SN850X 1TB 49
- #50 KingstonKingston KC3000 1TB 49
- #51 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN850P 1TB 49
- #52 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 49
- #53 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB 49
- #54 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 2TB 49
- #55 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB 49
Value Balanced
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#104 of 243 currently priced solid state drives
- #101 KingstonKingston Fury Renegade Heat Sink 2TB 48
- #102 SamsungSamsung 980 Pro 2TB 48
- #103 CrucialCrucial P3 Plus 4TB 48
- #104 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 48
- #105 PatriotPatriot P400 Lite 1TB 48
- #106 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN750 1TB 46
- #107 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN580 2TB 46
Performance System Drive
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#52 of 243 graded solid state drives
- #49 Western DigitalWestern Digital WD_Black SN850X 1TB 49
- #50 KingstonKingston KC3000 1TB 49
- #51 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN850P 1TB 49
- #52 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 49
- #53 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO Plus 4TB 49
- #54 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 2TB 49
- #55 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO Plus 2TB 49
Value System Drive
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#38 of 243 currently priced solid state drives
- #35 Western DigitalWestern Digital SN7100 2TB 33
- #36 TeamGroupTeamGroup MP44Q 2TB 33
- #37 SamsungSamsung 990 EVO Plus 1TB 32
- #38 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 32
- #39 LexarLexar NM790 2TB 32
- #40 SamsungSamsung 990 Pro 1TB 31
- #41 CrucialCrucial T500 1TB 31
Performance Game
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#180 of 243 graded solid state drives
- #177 ADATAADATA Ultimate SU650 960GB 12
- #178 PatriotPatriot Burst Elite 960GB 12
- #179 KingstonKingston A400 960GB 12
- #180 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 6
- #181 TeamGroupTeamGroup FORCE G50 512GB 6
- #182 SamsungSamsung 970 Pro 512GB 6
- #183 PatriotPatriot P300 512GB 6
Value Game
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#185 of 243 currently priced solid state drives
- #182 TeamGroupTeamGroup MS30 512GB 37
- #183 PNYPNY CS1030 500GB 36
- #184 GigabyteGigabyte GP 1TB 36
- #185 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 36
- #186 CrucialCrucial P310 500GB 36
- #187 PNYPNY CS900 500GB 35
- #188 SamsungSamsung 970 Evo 1TB 35
Performance Heavy Creative Work
How much it can do. Price plays no part in this ranking.
#27 of 243 graded solid state drives
- #24 KingstonKingston KC3000 4TB 50
- #25 KingstonKingston Fury Renegade Heat Sink 2TB 50
- #26 KingstonKingston KC3000 1TB 50
- #27 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 50
- #28 SamsungSamsung 990 Pro 4TB 49
- #29 SamsungSamsung 990 Pro 2TB 49
- #30 TeamGroupTeamGroup MP44 2TB 49
Value Heavy Creative Work
How much of that you get for today’s price.
#69 of 243 currently priced solid state drives
- #66 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850 2TB 18
- #67 TeamGroupTeamGroup FORCE G50 4TB 18
- #68 Western DigitalWestern Digital Blue SN5000 2TB 17
- #69 KingstonKingston KC3000 512GB 17
- #70 Western DigitalWestern Digital Black SN850X 8TB 16
- #71 KingstonKingston NV3 2TB 16
- #72 TeamGroupTeamGroup FORCE G70 PRO Aluminum 1TB 15
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 Value48 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities Crucial P510 1TB 86 +51% capability · +5% price | |
| System DriveScenario capability | GradeS Value32 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities Crucial P510 1TB S 66 +51% capability · +5% price | |
| Game & File StorageScenario capability | GradeC Value36 | Higher capability TeamGroup CX2 1TB B 53 +95% capability · -30% price | Higher Value with current priorities Western Digital Blue SN570 1TB B 65 +95% capability · -28% price |
| Heavy Creative WorkScenario capability | GradeB Value17 | Higher capability Higher capability · Higher Value with current priorities Crucial P510 1TB S 45 +36% capability · +5% price | |
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 S for System Drive on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- You want strong value with Balanced priorities specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value with Balanced priorities — the calculation only gets there near $82, against a cheapest tracked $172
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
Works well if
- System Drive is your main prioritygraded S 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
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
- You are buying for System Drive and want no asterisksthe rubric caps this grade: read speed taken from another capacity of the same drive family — not measured for this exact model
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 S for System Drive
Consider other options if
- Game is what you actually need it forit grades C there; TeamGroup CX2 1TB grades B at $121
- You want strong value for Game specificallyat today's market no realistic price for this model reaches strong value for Game — the calculation only gets there near $50, against a cheapest tracked $172
- Value for money matters more to you than this exact modelWestern Digital Blue SN570 1TB holds Relative Value 65 against its 36 for Game, at $123
Works well if
- Heavy Creative Work is your main prioritygraded B for Heavy Creative Work on the same rubric as the tier list
Consider other options if
- 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
- Game & File Storage is what you actually need it forit grades only C there
- You are buying for Heavy Creative Work and want no asterisksthe rubric caps this grade: write speed inferred, not measured for this exact model
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 Kingston KC3000 512GB
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
- 7300 MB/s
- Sequential write
- 7000 MB/s
- Random read
- 0 IOPS
- Random write
- 0 IOPS
- Controller
- Phison PS5018-E18
Media
- Capacity
- 512 GB
- NAND type
- Micron 176-layer TLC
- DRAM cache
- 1GB DDR4
Power / Interface
- Interface
- M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
- Form factor
- M.2-2280
Physical / Outputs
- Heatsink included
- No
Show all specifications
Endurance & warranty
- Endurance
- 400 TBW
- Warranty
- 5 years
- Manufacturer part number
- SKC3000S/512G
Hover any value to see where it came from: a manufacturer specification, or a figure The Comparator calculated.
Sources: Comparator offer frame 2026-10-11–2026-10-17
What to check in your build
M.2-2280
The slot must take M.2-2280
M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4
PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot for full speed
PCIe 4.0 — runs in older slots at their speed
Fits under an M.2 shroud
Bare drive — it fits under a motherboard M.2 shroud
Meets the PS5 expansion requirements
M.2 2280 NVMe, PCIe 4.0, 7300 MB/s read — meets Sony's published requirements; a heatsink is required
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
Kingston KC3000 512GB offers a balanced view across an all-round mix of priorities. It ranks #52 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 7300. Crucial P310 1TB currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
Kingston KC3000 512GB offers S-grade capability for System Drive. It ranks #52 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 7300. Crucial P310 1TB currently clears the same practical bar with stronger Relative Value.
Kingston KC3000 512GB offers C-grade capability for Game. It ranks #180 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 7300. The C grade is the decisive limitation for this workload.
Kingston KC3000 512GB offers B-grade capability for Heavy Creative Work. It ranks #27 by capability in the current modelled field. Its clearest measured strength is drive capability 7300. The main limitation appears when Game & File Storage becomes the priority, where it grades C.
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 is shown as a discovery link when we do not have a permitted verified price snapshot. It is excluded from price comparisons, rankings and Relative Value until a compliant tracked price exists.
Useful links & sources
offer frame 2026-10-11–2026-10-17 · formula ssd-value-v1.5 · facts facts-2026-10-17 · 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.