PCIe5.0 SSD - Best Options

[MnsoonMally]

Please, stick to answering the questions directly - and nothing about 'why' I'm making the choice. I've binned two forums this week, simply as people are posting answers to questions I didn't ask; or, questioning why I made such a decision. I've made my decision. Now I'll looking for the specific item.

Early next year, I'll be building a new PC.
It will have 1 x PCIe5.0 SSD and 2 x PCIe4.0 SSD's.

For the PCIe5.0 SSD, I'm looking for what people consider to be:

a) Best-in-class (fastest) - regardless of cost.

and

b) Options that are very-close-to 'Best/Fastest', but, are significantly cheaper.

I have already Googled, but also want input from a 2nd source.....experts on here.

Again, I shouldn't have to - but please - stick to answering a) and b) directly, give me the name of the specific SSD I should look at; without going into side issues that I've checked, and are not relevant......I WILL be going with a PCIe5.0 SSD.

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

You need a giant heatsink and fan on most of them, so be sure you have room and are ready to cool them. Personally, I'd wait and get a Samsung or WD, but they don't have 5.0 models at the moment, so I'd go with an MSi or Seagate.

Be sure to get a 5.0 x4 , not a 5.0 x2

 

[MnsoonMally]

You need a giant heatsink and fan on most of them, so be sure you have room and are ready to cool them. Personally, I'd wait and get a Samsung or WD, but they don't have 5.0 models at the moment, so I'd go with an MSi or Seagate.

Be sure to get a 5.0 x4 , not a 5.0 x2

Yes, a lot of them come with heatsinks, and cooling is for sure a factor. I'll be looking at cooling them - the motherboards I'm looking at offer this option.

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

I would prefer active cooling for them, but it is up to you. W1zzard has a bunch of reviews on 5.0 drives.....you be the judge. I'd also look for one with dram cache vs a dram-less one.

 

[MnsoonMally]

I would prefer active cooling for them, but it is up to you. W1zzard has a bunch of reviews on 5.0 drives.....you be the judge. I'd also look for one with dram cache vs a dram-less one.

I'll take a look, thanks.

 

[68Olds]

Currently on the TPU SSD review list, the Corsair MP700 Pro SE 4TB seems to be best in class.

Corsair MP700 Pro SE 4 TB Review

The Corsair MP700 Pro SE solid-state-drive boasts impressive speeds of up to 14 GB/s, thanks to the lightning-fast PCI-Express 5.0 interface. In our review we're testing the 4 TB version, which offers tons of space and incredible performance that's the best of all the drives we tested so far.

www.techpowerup.com

I think the Corsair MP700 Elite 2TB is in 2nd place.

Corsair MP700 Elite 2 TB Review

The Corsair MP700 Elite marks our first test of an SSD built around Phison’s new E31 controller. The E31 supports PCI-Express 5.0 but is specifically designed to minimize power usage, enabling fan-free operation. Our review confirms: no thermal throttling and excellent performance.

www.techpowerup.com

Here's a list of PCIe gen 5x4 M.2 SSD from the TPU SSD database so you can compare specs (rather than performance reviews).

TechPowerUp

Solid-state-drive database with specifications for products launched in recent years. Includes specs, photos, and technical details.

www.techpowerup.com

Keep in mind a lot of new products might be released around Jan 2025 at CES.

CES - The Most Powerful Tech Event in the World

CES® is the most powerful tech event in the world — the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, CES is the only trade show that showcases the entire tech landscape at one event.

www.ces.tech

 

[Kapone33]

I have 2 Corsair MP700s one is a boot and the other is for storage, They were well priced at the time but have gone up in price since.

 

[ir_cow]

I have 2 Corsair MP700s one is a boot and the other is for storage, They were well priced at the time but have gone up in price since.

The MP700 has the new controller that takes half the power. der8buer did a video on it. Still with throttle though. Just not as quick.

 

[dgianstefani]

If you want fastest, get Optane P5800X.

If you want biggest number on the box, get a PCIe 5.0 drive like the MP700 Pro and put a fan on it, will still be slower.

The MP700 has the new controller that takes half the power. der8buer did a video on it. Still with throttle though. Just not as quick.

2% slower than MP700 Pro, 1% faster than 990 Pro gen 4. Half the reason it takes less power is because it's not as fast.

 

[MnsoonMally]

If you want fastest, get Optane.

If you want biggest number on the box, get a PCIe 5.0 drive like the MP700 Pro and put a fan on it, will still be slower.


2% slower than MP700 Pro, 1% faster than 990 Pro gen 4. Half the reason it takes less power is because it's not as fast.

This is all good useful information - exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[ir_cow]

Or grab a KLEVV 4TB for $200. Only 5000MB/s Read/Write, but are you going to ever hit that really?

 

[MnsoonMally]

Or grab a KLEVV 4TB for $200. Only 5000MB/s Read/Write, but are you going to ever hit that really?

I won't be buying/building until February, so if I can get a few top performers and a couple that are close but cheaper, I'll be able to make a decision when it comes to it.

It's for OS, Flight-Simming, and hi-end-Gaming, so it does need to be able to perform.

 

[dgianstefani]

I won't be buying/building until February, so if I can get a few top performers and a couple that are close but cheaper, I'll be able to make a decision when it comes to it.

It's for OS, Flight-Simming, and hi-end-Gaming, so it does need to be able to perform.

None of these things benefit from sequential speeds, which is the only thing gen 5 drives offer over gen 4 drives. Hence there being a 3% performance differential between the best gen 4 drive and the best gen 5 drive.

 

[MnsoonMally]

None of these things benefit from sequential speeds, which is the only thing gen 5 drives offer over gen 4 drives. Hence there being a 3% performance differential between the best gen 4 drive and the best gen 5 drive.

3% improvement, I'll take.

'give me the name of the specific SSD I should look at; without going into side issues that I've checked, and are not relevant......I WILL be going with a PCIe5.0 SSD.'

 

[Psychoholic]

Back when i was trying to figure out which one to go with, i had it narrowed down to either the Corsair MP700 pro or the Micron T705.
Went with the MP700 Pro, splitting hairs really though.

 

[MnsoonMally]

Back when i was trying to figure out which one to go with, i had it narrowed down to either the Corsair MP700 pro or the Micron T705.
Went with the MP700 Pro, splitting hairs really though.

for sure, there are very fine margins - no doubt price will be a deciding factor on the day I buy.

If I can ID four or five that are as close as being identical, maybe one of them will be on sale somewhere.

I'm trying to do all this effort for each component in the new build, so when it comes to buying I already know what I have to choose between.

Bit of a ballache really, but, needs to be done for optimal results.

 

[TumbleGeorge]

The fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD you'll be able to pick up in early 2025, after all the holidays and the main PC hardware event "CES" is over, probably hasn't been marketed and tested yet. So if you get a tip from here right now, it might not meet the fastest requirement. Even worse, there are might also differences in performance depending on the platform and the specific configuration.

 

[MnsoonMally]

The fastest PCIe 5.0 SSD you'll be able to pick up in early 2025, after all the holidays and the main PC hardware event "CES" is over, probably hasn't been marketed and tested yet. So if you get a tip from here right now, it might not meet the fastest requirement. Even worse, there are might also differences in performance depending on the platform and the specific configuration.

Yes, my thinking too. New releases will be available in February.
Hence, why I want to get the front runners ID'd now, for comparison purposes.

It will literally be, on the day I buy all the parts for the new build, I'll have a list of priority order of each item, a Gen5 SSD being one of them - and I'll pick according to best/fastest and price.

SSD A, say, performs at 100, and costs 100
SSD B, say, performs at 98 and costs 95
SSD C, say, performs at 98 and costs 93

Then I would choose between A and C; depending upon overall budget for all other PC parts I'd need.

My budget is 3650GBP for the whole computer; At this moment, no GPU is needed as I will recycle my existing one - meaning the budget I have is pretty heavy.
* 1GBP per day, over 10 year PC lifecycle. **I also have 1GBP per day, over 10 years, for upgrades and 'new tech' in that time too - meaning for 2GBP per day, over 10 years, I should have a tip-top PC.

 

[Frick]

Hence there being a 3% performance differential between the best gen 4 drive and the best gen 5 drive.

*theoretical difference*

I'm trying to do all this effort for each component in the new build, so when it comes to buying I already know what I have to cho

As the previous poster said, if you're building your system in several months doing all that research now seems a bit unnecessary. But yeah if speed is literally the only thing you look at with zero consideration for money Intel Optane is the way to go. But then you say

for sure, there are very fine margins - no doubt price will be a deciding factor on the day I buy.

So this is where things get complicated. Them Optanes are fast a shit, but they're also really very expensive, and there will be a point of "diminishing returns" for your intended use (gaming). How much extra are you willing to spend on something that will not actually *feel* faster? Where I live a 400GB Optane 580X is about €1300, is that worth it over a €330 2TB Corsair MP700Pro?

EDIT: Ok you adressed this. Wait and see unless you find a good deal on say the MP700 Pro on Black Friday or something.

 

[MnsoonMally]

*theoretical difference*


As the previous poster said, if you're building your system in several months doing all that research now seems a bit unnecessary. But yeah if speed is literally the only thing you look at with zero consideration for money Intel Optane is the way to go. But then you say


So this is where things get complicated. Them Optanes are fast a shit, but they're also really very expensive, and there will be a point of "diminishing returns" for your intended use (gaming). How much extra are you willing to spend on something that will not actually *feel* faster? Where I live a 400GB Optane 580X is about €1300, is that worth it over a €330 2TB Corsair MP700Pro?

'As the previous poster said, if you're building your system in several months doing all that research now seems a bit unnecessary. But yeah if speed is literally the only thing you look at with zero consideration for money Intel Optane is the way to go. But then you say'.

No, this fits my method. I kind of describe my method in my previous post.....which I was writing before I saw this.

New stuff will be out, yup. I'll be using this new stuff against what I've already measured, in order to give me a priority list.

*theoretical difference*


As the previous poster said, if you're building your system in several months doing all that research now seems a bit unnecessary. But yeah if speed is literally the only thing you look at with zero consideration for money Intel Optane is the way to go. But then you say


So this is where things get complicated. Them Optanes are fast a shit, but they're also really very expensive, and there will be a point of "diminishing returns" for your intended use (gaming). How much extra are you willing to spend on something that will not actually *feel* faster? Where I live a 400GB Optane 580X is about €1300, is that worth it over a €330 2TB Corsair MP700Pro?

EDIT: Ok you adressed this. Wait and see unless you find a good deal on say the MP700 Pro on Black Friday or something.

Sadly, my budget doesn't start until February.....so I miss any deals before then.

However, I'm also stuck now between 9950X3D processor, and what Intel will offer better than it's current 285K by then too...........I've still not decided on the final architecture, which confuses matters quite a lot - I need to spec-up two sets of components in some cases; motherboards for example.

Quite painstaking work, really, but will be worth it when I press 'buy'.

My last system lasted me a fantastic 13 years, by doing this effort in advance. Got great value for money.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I hear tons of good things about Crucial T705. However, it is pretty pricy, and the benefits of a Gen 5 drive are currently debatable at best - unless you mean to move tons and I mean absolute metric tons of data to and from the drive, buy a higher capacity Gen 4 or even Gen 3 drive.

Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review - PC Perspective

Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review When we looked at Crucial's initial PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD product, the T700, last July, it was truly in a class by itself.

pcper.com

$230 for the smallest 1 TB variant with no heatsink (this assumes your motherboard has a heatsink assembly ready for it, or you purchased an aftermarket one) all the way up to $730 for the 4 TB heatsinked variant.

 

[Frick]

Flight-Simming

This BTW I assume is the big item on that list, and I absolutely suggest you go to some "proper" forums for whatever you're playing. MS Flight Simulator 2024 is due in just a few days, by february there should (or might) be some nice data on if PCIe 5.0 drives actually make a difference vs 4.0 drives.

 

[Hankieroseman]

I hear tons of good things about Crucial T705. However, it is pretty pricy, and the benefits of a Gen 5 drive are currently debatable at best - unless you mean to move tons and I mean absolute metric tons of data to and from the drive, buy a higher capacity Gen 4 or even Gen 3 drive.

Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review - PC Perspective

Crucial T705 PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD Review When we looked at Crucial's initial PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD product, the T700, last July, it was truly in a class by itself.

pcper.com

$230 for the smallest 1 TB variant with no heatsink (this assumes your motherboard has a heatsink assembly ready for it, or you purchased an aftermarket one) all the way up to $730 for the 4 TB heatsinked variant.

Just paid $287 for a 2TB T705

 

[MnsoonMally]

This BTW I assume is the big item on that list, and I absolutely suggest you go to some "proper" forums for whatever you're playing. MS Flight Simulator 2024 is due in just a few days, by february there should (or might) be some nice data on if PCIe 5.0 drives actually make a difference vs 4.0 drives.

Yes, it's out very soon.

However, my experience with the release of MSFS2020 means I'll be ignoring this new release, until nearer the end of 2025.

It took a whole year for MSFS2020 to become useable - whilst I suspect MSFS2024 will be better, sooner - I'm not going to be paying for it until it is proven worthwhile.

I'll stick with MSFS2020 for the next year.

 

[Onasi]

The sanest way to go for what you want (well, sanest all things considering) is to wait until you are actually buying, going to your web stores of choice, sorting by Gen 5 SSDs and buying whatever is the cheapest for the amount of storage you want at the moment of you doing so. Then, if it doesn’t come with its own cooling, splurge for an aftermarket one from the likes of Thermalright. Any performance differences between Gen 5 drives are theoretical at best. Newer controllers seem to be cooler and less prone to throttling, but THEORETICALLY slower. Nothing to indicate it actually would affect anything in practice, but yeah, if sim gaming is your thing just wait for the relevant sim version to be tested.