Crucial T710

The Crucial T710 2TB hits 14,500 MB/s sequential reads, putting it in the 99th percentile for speed in our database. Random performance is nearly as impressive at the 98th percentile. The endurance rating is a weak spot at the 14th percentile, so it's best for speed-hungry gamers and creators, not heavy sustained write workloads.

Let's talk numbers, because the T710 has plenty of them. Sequential reads hit 14,500 MB/s and writes reach 13,800 MB/s. That's 99th percentile territory, the absolute best right now. For context, the Samsung 990 PRO tops out around 7,450 MB/s. The T710 nearly doubles that. It's a PCIe 5.0 drive, so you'll need a compatible motherboard to actually see these speeds, but if you've got the slot, this drive will use every bit of it.

Random performance is just as impressive. 2,200K random read IOPS and 2,300K random write IOPS put it at the 98th percentile. That translates to snappy load times in games, quick file transfers, and a generally responsive system. The TLC NAND and DRAM cache keep things consistent under load. DirectStorage support is a nice bonus for games that use it, cutting load times even further. The heatsink is included, which is good, because PCIe 5.0 drives run hot and you'll want the thermal headroom.

The T710's closest competition is the Samsung 990 PRO, Western Digital Black SN850X, Seagate FireCuda 530R, Kingston Fury Renegade, and SanDisk WD_BLACK SN8100. Here's the thing: all of those are PCIe 4.0 drives. The 990 PRO and SN850X top out around 7,000-7,500 MB/s. The T710 doubles that. If you have a PCIe 5.0 slot, there's no contest on raw speed. But the 990 PRO and SN850X have much better endurance ratings and years of proven reliability. The FireCuda 530R and Fury Renegade are also solid PCIe 4.0 options with better long-term track records. The T710 wins on speed, but it's a first-generation PCIe 5.0 product, and the endurance numbers reflect that.

Pricing is all over the place right now. US listings range from $350 to $468, a $118 spread depending on where you shop. Best Buy has it listed with a price match guarantee, so if you find it cheaper elsewhere, they'll match it. That's worth doing, because $468 is a lot to pay when the same drive is available for $350 at another vendor. For a 2TB PCIe 5.0 drive with this kind of speed, $350 is actually reasonable. At $468, you're paying a premium for convenience. Shop around before you commit.

The Crucial T710 2TB is one of the fastest drives we've ever tested. 14,500 MB/s sequential read and 13,800 MB/s write put it in the 99th percentile for speed in our database. That's not just fast, it's the kind of number that makes last year's flagship drives look like they're standing still. The 2,200K random read IOPS and 2,300K random write IOPS land at the 98th percentile, so this thing doesn't just sprint in a straight line, it's quick off the line too.

But here's the catch. The endurance rating sits at the 14th percentile, which is rough for a drive positioned as a premium option. The TLC NAND and DRAM cache help with consistency, but the long-term durability story is not this drive's strong suit. If you're after raw speed for gaming and creative work, this is a monster. If you're planning to hammer it with constant writes for years, you might want to look elsewhere.

Skip this drive if you're doing heavy sustained write workloads. The endurance rating sits at the 14th percentile, which is one of the worst we've seen for a drive in this class. Video editors who render constantly, anyone running a database, or people who write hundreds of gigabytes per day should look at drives with better endurance, even if it means giving up some speed. Also skip it if you don't have a PCIe 5.0 motherboard. You'd be paying for performance you can't actually use.

The Crucial T710 2TB is a speed demon, plain and simple. 99th percentile sequential performance and 98th percentile random performance make it one of the fastest drives on the market right now. If you're building a new system with a PCIe 5.0 motherboard and want the absolute best load times for gaming or creative work, this is a strong pick. Just be aware of the endurance rating. At the 14th percentile, it's not built for heavy sustained write workloads. For most gamers and creators, that's fine. For anyone doing constant video rendering or database work, a drive with better endurance might be the smarter long-term choice.