PNY has confirmed that it has evaluated other NAND options for the XLR8 CS3030 due to the global shortage of components. While performance remains intact on paper, the vendor has updated the TBW (terabyte written) rating. The original XLR8 CS3030, in fact, used 3D TLC (triple-level cell) NAND. PNY hasn't revealed any details about the replacement NAND but given the lower TBW values, we suspect it has switched to quad-level cell (QLC) NANDs, possibly explaining the fact that the company is now selling a 4TB model earlier. not present in the line-up.
In any case, the seller believes that the warranty period will, in all likelihood, expire before an average consumer reaches the TBW threshold. Therefore, the shorter lifespan of the product should not affect consumers who "use the SSD as intended". Finally, PNY explained how the company will handle the XLR8 CS3030 five-year warranty: units sold before May 17, 2021 will refer to previous TBW ratings, while those released after that date will be covered by the new specifications.
Here is the official statement provided by PNY:
The changes made by PNY to the warranty policies of the XLR8 CS3030 SSD have been driven by two factors: the increase in demand for the use of high-speed consumer grade SSDs for Chia farming and the shortage of NAND for the whole sector. These changes were published and made public on the company's website in both the warranty section and the CS3030 product data sheet on May 17, 2021.
The start of Chia farming has led many brands to review their their warranties, as consumer-grade hardware is typically not subjected to continuous write cycles. For this reason, PNY, like others, has introduced a Terabyte Written (TBW) policy in its SSD warranty. For consumers using the drives as intended, the warranty period (lasting years) will likely expire before the TBW thresholds are reached.
PNY Elite USB 3.1 240GB Portable SSD is currently on sale on Amazon at a discounted price.