Patriot P300 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Patriot P300 is a decent PCIe 3.0 drive that's priced like a Gen4. Wait for a sale or buy something faster.

The sequential numbers are exactly what Patriot promises, 2100 MB/s read and 1650 MB/s write. That's solid for a PCIe 3.0 drive, but the random IOPS tell a more interesting story. The 290K read and 260K write IOPS put it in the 83rd percentile for random performance, which is actually impressive for a DRAM-less drive. The HMB technology is doing some heavy lifting here. But the speed percentile overall lands at 48th, dead middle of the pack. It's not slow, it's just not exciting. Boot times are where this thing shines though, multiple owners report going from minutes to seconds after swapping from a hard drive.

Stacked against the Crucial T500 or WD_BLACK SN7100, the P300 looks like it's from a different era. Those Gen4 drives deliver 7000+ MB/s reads for similar money, making the P300's 2100 MB/s feel sluggish. The Samsung 9100 PRO is in another league entirely. Even the Kingston FURY Renegade G5 makes the P300 look dated. The only scenario where the P300 makes sense is if you're upgrading an older system that's limited to PCIe 3.0 and you find it at a steep discount.

This is where the P300 falls flat. At $143-157 USD, you're paying a premium for what is fundamentally a budget drive. The 60th percentile affordability score confirms it's not a great deal. For the same money, you can often find Gen4 drives with double the sequential speeds. If you catch this on sale for under $100, it becomes a different conversation. At full price, it's a pass.

The Patriot P300 is a budget NVMe drive that gets the basics right. It's a DRAM-less PCIe 3.0 drive with 2100 MB/s reads and 1650 MB/s writes, which is fine for everyday use but nothing to write home about in 2024. The real story here is the price. At $143-157 USD, you're paying mid-range money for entry-level performance, and that's a tough pill to swallow when faster Gen4 drives are sitting at similar price points.

If you're building a new PC with a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 motherboard, skip this entirely. You're leaving performance on the table for no savings. Go grab a Crucial T500 or WD_BLACK SN7100 instead. If you're on a tight budget, there are cheaper DRAM-less Gen3 drives that perform similarly. The P300 only makes sense if you find it heavily discounted and you're limited to PCIe 3.0.

The Patriot P300 is a competent drive with a pricing problem. It does what it says on the box, boots fast, installs easily, and holds up over time. But the value proposition is broken at current prices. If you're building a new system, spend the same money on a Gen4 drive and get double the performance. If you're upgrading an older PCIe 3.0 machine and find this on sale, it's a reasonable choice. Just budget for a heatsink.