Crucial T700

The Crucial T700 is a PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD with blistering sequential speeds up to 11,700 MB/s, making it one of the fastest internal SSDs you can buy. Its random performance, however, isn't much better than top Gen4 drives, and the large heatsink can cause installation headaches. It's a great pick for PCIe 5.0 workstation builds, but most gamers and everyday users are better off saving money on a Gen4 drive.

Sequential performance is where the T700 flexes. In our testing and across user reports, this drive regularly hits or exceeds its rated speeds. One owner benched it at 12,400 MB/s read and 11,800 MB/s write in CrystalDiskMark, which is actually above Crucial's official numbers. That puts it in the 95th percentile for speed among all SSDs in our database, and it's not close. Copying large video files or moving entire game libraries feels instant.

Random performance is a different story. The T700 is rated for 1,350K random read IOPS and 1,400K random write IOPS, which lands it in the 95th percentile overall, but the real-world gap versus Gen4 drives is much smaller here. Multiple users note that random speeds are about the same as a good Gen4 drive like the WD_BLACK SN850X or Samsung 990 PRO. So if your workload is mostly small file operations, boot times, and game loads, you won't see a night-and-day difference. The T700's endurance rating of 1,200 TBW is also strong, sitting in the 94th percentile, which means you can hammer this drive with writes for years without sweating it.

The Crucial T700's main competition comes from the Samsung 990 PRO, WD_BLACK SN850X, and Kingston KC3000. The 990 PRO and SN850X are Gen4 drives, so their sequential numbers top out around 7,000 to 7,300 MB/s, roughly 40% slower than the T700's rated reads. But in random operations, which matter more for everyday responsiveness, all three are in the same ballpark. The 990 PRO is often cheaper and has a more compact heatsink option, making it easier to fit in tight builds. The SN850X is a favorite for gamers thanks to its excellent random performance and aggressive pricing.

The Kingston KC3000 is another Gen4 option that trades blows with the 990 PRO and SN850X while sometimes undercutting them on price. The Team Group MP44 is a budget Gen4 drive that can't touch the T700's sequential speeds but costs far less. If you're on a Gen4 motherboard, there's almost no reason to buy the T700 over any of these, since you won't see the Gen5 speed benefit anyway. The T700 only makes sense if you have a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot and a workload that actually leverages sequential throughput.

Pricing on the 1TB T700 is all over the place depending on where you shop. US listings range from $245 to $297, which is a $52 spread for the exact same drive. If you're buying in the US, it's worth checking both listings before you pull the trigger, because paying $297 when you could pay $245 is just leaving money on the table. In Canada, the single listing sits at CAD 383. Even at the low end, you're paying a meaningful premium over top-tier Gen4 drives like the Samsung 990 PRO or WD_BLACK SN850X, which often sell for noticeably less. For most people, that extra cash buys sequential speed they'll rarely feel. But if you're moving massive files daily or want the fastest possible storage for a high-end workstation, the T700's performance-per-dollar is actually reasonable for what it delivers.

The Crucial T700 is a PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD that sits at the top of the internal SSD food chain right now. It's a 1TB M.2 2280 drive built around Micron's 232-layer TLC NAND and a Phison E26 controller, and it's aimed squarely at people running Intel 13th Gen or AMD Ryzen 7000 systems who want the fastest storage money can buy. Crucial rates it for 11,700 MB/s sequential reads and 9,500 MB/s writes, which is roughly double what the best Gen4 drives manage. The 1TB model we're looking at carries a 1,200 TBW endurance rating and a 5-year warranty, so longevity shouldn't be a worry for most buyers.

Is the Crucial T700 good for gaming? For most people, the honest answer is that it's overkill. DirectStorage is still in its early days, and while the T700 can render textures faster and reduce CPU load in supported titles, the real-world difference in everyday gaming versus a solid Gen4 drive is smaller than the spec sheet suggests. Where this drive earns its keep is in heavy workstation use, large file transfers, 8K video editing, and anyone who just wants the absolute fastest sequential throughput available.

One thing to know before you buy: the heatsink version is chunky. It's a well-built aluminum and nickel-plated copper unit that does a great job keeping the drive cool, but it can interfere with motherboard slots, GPU clearance, and expansion cards. If you're building in a compact case or using a board with tight M.2 spacing, the non-heatsink version might be the smarter call, assuming your motherboard has its own cooling solution.

Skip the T700 if you're on a Gen4 or Gen3 motherboard, since you'll pay a Gen5 premium for speeds you can't use. Gamers on a budget should also look elsewhere, the WD_BLACK SN850X or Samsung 990 PRO deliver nearly identical real-world gaming performance for less money. If you're building in a small form factor case or a board with tightly spaced M.2 slots, the bulky heatsink can be a genuine problem, and the non-heatsink version requires motherboard cooling you may not have. And if your workload is mostly random reads and writes, like booting Windows or launching apps, the T700's advantage over Gen4 drives is barely measurable. In all these cases, a good Gen4 drive gets you 95% of the experience for a lot less cash.

Should you buy the Crucial T700? If you have a PCIe 5.0 motherboard and you regularly move huge files, edit 8K video, or just want the fastest sequential storage available, yes. This is one of the best Gen5 SSDs on the market, and it delivers on its speed promises. The heatsink does its job well, and the endurance rating means you won't wear it out anytime soon.

But for most people, the answer is no, not yet. The random performance gains over a good Gen4 drive are minimal, DirectStorage games are still rare, and the price premium is significant. You can buy a 2TB Gen4 drive for roughly the same money as this 1TB T700, and in daily use you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. The T700 is a fantastic piece of hardware that most users simply don't need.