Crucial T700 SSD: Recordshattering PCIe 5.0 performance

This SSD from Crucial shattered all our data transfer records—color us impressed, and then some

- JON L. JACOBI

Nothing revs a storage reviewer’s engine more than a large jump in mainstream performance. Hitting that long skinny pedal for me was Crucial’s T700 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD, which transferred data a full gigabyte per second faster than any SSD we’ve tested to date. All I can say is, “Yowser!”

PRICE, DESIGN, AND SPECS

The T700 is available in 1TB, 2TB (tested), and 4TB capacities. It’s sold bare or with a rather beefy heatsink for $180/$210, $340/$370, $600/$620, respectively. Alas, that’s nearly twice as expensive as for some very good PCIe 4.0 competition, though you’re paying for a genuine leap in performance (see below). Note that those were pre-release prices provided by Crucial, so you might find it cheaper after launch. Look around.

As to the optional heatsink, most users will be fine without it, but if you’re going to pound on the drive in a system with lots of other heat-producing components, it couldn’t hurt.