Crucial P510 1TB PCIe 5.0 x4 NVMe M.2 2280

The Crucial P510 delivers 11,000 MB/s reads at a price that undercuts most Gen5 rivals. It's DRAM-less, so sustained writes aren't its strong suit, but for gaming and everyday use it's fantastic. Grab it at USD 210 from Newegg and you've got one of the best value Gen5 drives on the market.

Sequential reads are the headline here, and they're legit. 11,000 MB/s reads and 9,500 MB/s writes put this drive in the 96th percentile for speed, which means it's one of the fastest drives we've tracked. Random performance is more middle of the pack at the 61st percentile, so everyday tasks like booting and launching apps feel quick but not dramatically better than a good Gen4 drive. The DRAM-less design shows up in sustained writes and heavy multitasking, where it can dip a bit. For gamers and home users, though, the real-world difference is mostly load times and file transfers, and those are excellent.

Against the Samsung 9100 PRO, the P510 trades blows on sequential reads but loses on random performance and sustained writes. The Kingston Fury Renegade is a Gen4 drive that's often cheaper and nearly as fast in real-world use, so it's a solid alternative if you don't need the Gen5 badge. The WD_BLACK SN8100 and Lexar NM1090 PRO both offer similar Gen5 speeds with DRAM caches, which makes them better for heavy workstation use. The Team Group MP44 is the budget pick, but it can't touch the P510's sequential numbers. For pure gaming and boot drive duty, the P510 is right up there with the best.

The P510 sits in a weird spot. In the US, prices range from USD 210 to USD 394, which is a huge spread for the same drive. At the low end, it's a steal for Gen5 speeds. At the high end, you're paying Samsung 9100 PRO money for a DRAM-less drive, and that's a harder sell. Newegg currently has the best US price at USD 210, so if you're buying, that's the one to grab. In Europe, the spread is EUR 262 to EUR 355, and again, the cheaper listings make this drive a no-brainer. Just don't overpay.

The Crucial P510 is a 1TB PCIe 5.0 drive that hits 11,000 MB/s reads and 9,500 MB/s writes. That puts it in the top tier of Gen5 SSDs, and the price is surprisingly sane for that kind of speed. It's DRAM-less, which usually makes us nervous, but Crucial's G8 TLC NAND and firmware tuning keep it from falling on its face.

Skip this if you do heavy video editing, large database work, or constant large file transfers. The DRAM-less design will bottleneck sustained writes, and drives like the WD_BLACK SN8100 or Lexar NM1090 PRO handle those workloads much better. Also skip it if you're on a strict budget and don't need Gen5, a good Gen4 drive like the Kingston Fury Renegade will save you money with barely any real-world difference.

If you want Gen5 speed without paying flagship prices, the Crucial P510 is the drive to beat. It's fast where it counts, reliable enough for daily use, and the software bundle is a nice touch. Gamers and home users will love it. Power users who hammer their drives with large sustained writes should look at DRAM-equipped alternatives.