Intel Corporation 2TB SSD PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Intel 670p is a 2TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe drive with QLC NAND and a DRAM cache. It hits 3,500 MB/s read and 2,700 MB/s write, with random performance that's actually quite good. The 5-year warranty and 740 TBW endurance are solid, but the pricing is inconsistent, especially in Europe where it ranges from 455 to 661 EUR. Compatibility issues with external enclosures and some laptops are a recurring theme in user feedback. Buy it for a PCIe 3.0 system at the right price, skip it if you have Gen4 slots.

The sequential numbers tell a straightforward story. 3,500 MB/s read and 2,700 MB/s write put this drive in the 61st percentile for speed. That's middle of the pack, which sounds underwhelming until you remember that most people can't tell the difference between a 3,500 MB/s drive and a 7,000 MB/s drive in daily use. Game load times, boot times, app launches, they all plateau hard once you get past SATA speeds. The random performance is where this drive actually shines. 310K random read IOPS and 340K random write IOPS land in the 84th percentile for random performance. That's a standout, and it matters more for real-world snappiness than sequential numbers do.

The QLC NAND is the trade-off here. QLC stores four bits per cell, which means higher capacity at lower cost, but it also means slower sustained writes once the SLC cache fills up. The DRAM cache helps with that, but if you're moving hundreds of gigabytes at once, you'll see write speeds drop off a cliff. For most people, that's a non-issue. For video editors or anyone doing massive file transfers regularly, it's worth knowing. The 740 TBW endurance rating is decent for QLC, and the 1.6 million hour MTBF is standard fare. Nothing here is going to blow your socks off, but it's competent.

The Western Digital Black SN850X and Samsung 990 PRO are the obvious elephants in the room. Both are PCIe 4.0 drives with TLC NAND, and they absolutely demolish the 670p in sequential performance. The SN850X hits around 7,300 MB/s read, and the 990 PRO is right there with it. If you're building a new system with a Gen4 slot and you want the fastest game loads possible, those are the drives to buy. The 670p is not in that conversation.

The Crucial T500 and Kingston Fury Renegade are also PCIe 4.0 drives that outclass the 670p on paper. The Micron T710 is another Gen4 option worth a look. But here's the thing, all of those drives cost more per gigabyte in most markets. The 670p's pitch is capacity and decent random performance at a lower entry point, assuming you find it at the right price. If you're on an older system with only PCIe 3.0 slots, the Gen4 drives won't give you their full speed anyway, which makes the 670p a more sensible choice than it looks on a spec sheet.

Here's where things get tricky. The USD price is 229, which is reasonable for a 2TB NVMe drive with DRAM. But the EUR pricing is all over the map. We're seeing 455 to 661 EUR across three listings in Germany, Spain, and France. That's a 206 EUR spread for the exact same drive. If you're in Europe, you need to shop around. The 455 EUR listing is the one to look for, and even that is not exactly a bargain when you consider what else is out there.

The affordability percentile sits at 28th, which means this drive is priced above most of its peers. For a PCIe 3.0 QLC drive in a world full of PCIe 4.0 TLC options, that's a tough sell. The 5-year warranty and Intel's reputation add some value, but you're paying a brand premium for a drive that's not competing on raw speed. If you can find it at the low end of that EUR range or around the USD price, it's a fair deal. At the high end, you're getting fleeced.

The Intel 670p is one of those drives that makes you do a double take. It's a 2TB NVMe SSD with QLC NAND, a DRAM cache, and a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface. That last part is the kicker. Most of the buzz in SSD land is around PCIe 4.0 and 5.0 drives hitting 7,000 MB/s and beyond, but the 670p tops out at 3,500 MB/s read and 2,700 MB/s write. For a lot of people, that's still a massive upgrade from a SATA SSD or spinning hard drive.

Who's this for? Someone who needs a big chunk of fast storage without paying flagship prices. The 2TB capacity lands in the 79th percentile for capacity, which means it's bigger than most drives out there. The feature set sits at the 85th percentile, which is solid. But the affordability ranking is rough, 28th percentile. That's a polite way of saying this drive is not cheap for what it is, especially when you look at the EUR pricing spread we're seeing.

Intel's pitch is everyday computing, mainstream gaming, and productivity. The 144-layer QLC NAND is a step up from the older 660p, with Intel claiming nearly 2x sequential read and a 20% endurance bump. The 740 TBW endurance rating is respectable for QLC, and the 5-year warranty is a nice safety net. But the compatibility chatter in the reviews is something you need to pay attention to before you click buy.

If you have a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 motherboard, this drive is leaving performance on the table. The WD Black SN850X, Samsung 990 PRO, Crucial T500, and Kingston Fury Renegade all offer roughly double the sequential speeds for a modest price premium. You'll notice the difference in large file transfers and any workload that saturates the interface. Gamers with Gen4 systems should absolutely go with one of those instead.

Also skip this if you plan to use it in an external enclosure. The compatibility issues are too well documented to ignore. Multiple users report the drive not being recognized, and troubleshooting an enclosure that doesn't play nice with a specific NVMe drive is a special kind of frustration. If you need portable storage, buy a purpose-built portable SSD or at minimum verify your enclosure's NVMe support with the manufacturer before pairing it with this drive.

If you have a PCIe 3.0 system and you want a big, reliable drive for everyday use, the 670p is a solid pick. The 2TB capacity, DRAM cache, and strong random performance make it a great OS drive or game library drive. The 5-year warranty is genuinely reassuring, and Intel's track record on SSD reliability is good, even if one reviewer had a drive die in six months. That's going to happen with any brand.

But if you're building a new system with PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 support, skip this. The Gen4 drives from WD, Samsung, Crucial, and Kingston are faster across the board and often not much more expensive. The 670p's compatibility quirks with external enclosures and certain laptops are another reason to pause. If you plan to use this in an enclosure, do your homework first. The Q&A threads are full of people who didn't, and they're not happy about it.