Intel 670p Series 1TB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Intel 670p is a reliable budget NVMe drive that's perfect for everyday use, but sustained writes will make you wait. The five-year warranty is the real selling point here.

The 3500 MB/s sequential read and 2500 MB/s write are respectable for PCIe 3.0, and the 330K random write IOPS actually surprised us, it's well above average for a DRAM-less QLC drive. But the sustained write story is where things get real. Once that SLC cache fills, writes drop off a cliff. If you're copying a 200GB game library over, you'll feel it. For normal use, booting, launching apps, loading game levels, you won't notice a thing.

The 670p sits in an awkward spot. The Samsung 9100 PRO and Crucial T710 are PCIe 4.0 drives that absolutely demolish it in raw speed, but they cost more. The Western Digital SN7100 is a closer match on price and offers better sustained performance. If you're on a strict budget and just need a reliable boot drive, the 670p works. But if you can stretch your budget even a little, the SN7100 is the better buy for most people.

At USD 141 for 1TB, the 670p is a decent deal, but not a steal. There are cheaper drives out there that outperform it in sustained writes. The five-year warranty and Intel's reliability track record add real value though. If you can find it on sale, it's a no-brainer for a budget build. At full price, shop around first.

The Intel 670p is a solid budget NVMe drive that punches above its weight for everyday use. It's not going to win any benchmark wars, but for booting Windows, loading games, and general productivity, it gets the job done without drama. The one thing to know: this is a QLC drive with no DRAM cache, so sustained writes will slow down hard once the SLC cache fills up. For most people, that's a non-issue. For heavy file movers, it's a real limitation.

If you're regularly moving large files, editing 4K video, or running workloads that hammer the drive with sustained writes, this isn't it. The QLC NAND and lack of DRAM cache will frustrate you. Go get a TLC drive with DRAM instead, like the Western Digital SN7100 or a Samsung 980 Pro. You'll pay more, but you'll save yourself the headache.

The Intel 670p is a fine drive for what it is: a budget-friendly, reliable NVMe SSD for everyday computing. It's not the fastest, it's not the most feature-rich, and the sustained write performance is a genuine weakness. But for booting your OS, loading games, and general productivity, it's more than adequate. The five-year warranty is the cherry on top. If you're building a budget PC or upgrading an older laptop, this is a solid choice. Just don't expect it to keep up with PCIe 4.0 drives in heavy workloads.