Fikwot FX520 128GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Fikwot FX520 128GB is one of the cheapest NVMe drives we track, landing in the 96th percentile for affordability. You get 1100 MB/s reads, a 5-year warranty, and AES-256 encryption for around $40 USD or €34-40. Just know that 128GB is tiny and the 600 MB/s writes are barely above SATA speeds.

The FX520 uses PCIe 3.0 x4 and TLC NAND, but it's DRAM-less, which tells you a lot about where the corners got cut. Sequential reads top out at 1100 MB/s and writes at 600 MB/s. For context, that's roughly SATA SSD territory in the write department, and only about 2-3x faster than a spinning hard drive on reads. The dynamic SLC cache helps smooth out bursty writes, but once that cache fills up, you'll feel the lack of DRAM.

In our database, the speed score lands at the 41st percentile, which is solidly middle of the pack. The endurance score is a bit better at the 57th percentile, so the TLC NAND isn't a total slouch for longevity. The feature set is actually a standout at the 78th percentile, mostly thanks to AES-256 hardware encryption and the composite thermal sticker. For a drive this cheap, having hardware encryption is a pleasant surprise.

Stacked against the competition, the FX520 is playing a different game. The Crucial P5 Plus, PNY CS2241, Kingston NV3, Western Digital PC SN5000S, and Samsung 950 PRO all offer 500GB to 1TB capacities and significantly faster speeds. The Samsung 950 PRO and Crucial P5 Plus are PCIe 4.0 drives that will run circles around the FX520's 1100 MB/s reads. But here's the thing: those drives cost 2-3x more. The FX520's 96th percentile affordability score means it's competing on price, not performance. If you need a cheap boot drive for an older laptop or a basic desktop, the FX520 makes sense. If you're building a gaming rig or doing any kind of content creation, the Kingston NV3 or PNY CS2241 are worth the extra money for the capacity alone.

At $40 USD or €34-40 in Europe, the FX520 is aggressively cheap. The 96th percentile affordability score backs that up. If you're shopping in Europe, the spread between €34 and €40 across DE, ES, FR, and IT listings is worth paying attention to. A €6 difference is about 15% of the total price, so it's worth checking which store has the €34 listing before you click buy. For the money, you're getting a 5-year warranty and hardware encryption, which is more than most budget drives offer. The trade-off is capacity and speed, but at this price, that's a fair deal.

The Fikwot FX520 128GB is a budget NVMe drive that sits in the 96th percentile for affordability in our database. At around $40 USD or €34-40 depending on where you shop, it's one of the cheapest ways to get your foot in the NVMe door. The headline numbers are 1100 MB/s read and 600 MB/s write, which puts it in the 41st percentile for speed. That's not going to win any races, but for a drive this cheap, it's about what you'd expect.

Capacity is the real story here. 128GB lands in the 7th percentile, which means it's smaller than 93% of drives we track. That's fine for a boot drive or a lightweight office machine, but you'll be juggling space if you try to install more than a couple of modern games. The 5-year warranty is a nice touch for a budget drive, and the 4.5/5 rating from 157 reviews suggests buyers are generally happy with what they got.

Skip this drive if you need any meaningful amount of storage. The 128GB capacity sits in the 7th percentile, which means it's smaller than 93% of drives in our database. That's a problem for gamers, content creators, or anyone who stores photos and videos locally. The 600 MB/s write speed is also a weak spot, landing in the 41st percentile overall. If you're moving large files around regularly, the DRAM-less design will make sustained writes feel sluggish. And if you were hoping to drop this into a PS5, don't bother, it's explicitly not compatible.

The Fikwot FX520 128GB is a budget drive that knows exactly what it is. The 96th percentile affordability score is the headline, and the 5-year warranty plus AES-256 encryption make it a surprisingly well-rounded package for the price. The 7th percentile capacity and 41st percentile speed are the trade-offs, and they're real ones. If you need a cheap, reliable boot drive for a basic machine, this is a solid pick. If you need storage for games, media, or anything that requires more than a handful of gigabytes, you'll outgrow this drive fast.