Corsair MP700 PRO

The Corsair MP700 PRO is one of the fastest SSDs we've tested, with 12,400 MB/s reads and top-tier random performance. It runs hot and needs proper cooling, plus a PCIe 5.0 board to shine. Worth it for high-end builds, overkill for everyone else.

This thing is stupid fast. Sequential reads hit 12,400 MB/s and writes aren't far behind at 11,800 MB/s. Random performance is just as impressive, 1.5 million read IOPS and 1.6 million write IOPS, which lands it near the top of the charts. The 3D TLC NAND keeps things snappy without the endurance anxiety of QLC. One catch: you need real cooling. Corsair says it right on the box. Slap this into a board with no heatsink and you'll see thermal throttling before long. The included heatsink helps, but make sure your motherboard has room for it.

Against the Samsung 9100 Pro, the MP700 PRO trades blows on raw speed but Samsung's drive tends to run a bit cooler and has a more polished software suite. The WD_BLACK SN850X is a Gen4 drive that's cheaper and still plenty fast for most people, but it can't touch these sequential numbers. The Crucial T710 is another Gen5 option that's competitive on price, though the Corsair edges it out on random performance. The Kingston Fury Renegade and Seagate FireCuda 530R are both excellent Gen4 drives that make a strong value argument if you don't need bleeding-edge speed.

At $380 USD, this is a premium drive and it's priced like one. You're paying a real premium over Gen4 drives that are still very fast. In Canada the spread is wider, CAD 370 to CAD 580 depending on the listing, so shop around. If you're building a new high-end rig with a Z790 or X670 board and you want the absolute fastest storage, the price makes sense. If you're upgrading an older system, you won't see the full benefit and you'd be better off saving money on a solid Gen4 drive.

The Corsair MP700 PRO is a PCIe 5.0 drive that actually delivers on the Gen5 hype. 12,400 MB/s sequential reads and 11,800 MB/s writes put it in the top tier of our database, right up there with the fastest drives money can buy. It's a 2TB M.2 2280 stick with TLC NAND, a heatsink, and a 5-year warranty. If you want your PC to feel instant, this is the kind of hardware that gets you there.

Skip this if you're on an older platform without PCIe 5.0, you won't see the full speed and you'll be paying for performance you can't use. Also skip it if your case or motherboard has tight clearance around the M.2 slot, that heatsink adds real bulk. And if you're just gaming casually, a good Gen4 drive like the SN850X will feel nearly identical in real-world use for less money.

Buy this if you're building a top-tier gaming or workstation PC on a current-gen platform and you want the fastest storage available. The MP700 PRO delivers best-in-class sequential and random performance with solid endurance. Just make sure your motherboard has proper M.2 cooling and enough clearance for the heatsink.