The first Corsair PCIe 5 SSD has finally launched, with the company claiming that the M.2 Corsair MP700 is up to 40 percent quicker than the very fastest PCIe 4 SSDs from the last generation, such as the Samsung 990 Pro.
PCIe 4 SSD speeds generally top out at just over 7,000MB/s, with the theoretical limit of the 4x PCIe 4 interface maxing out at 8,000MB/s. However, Corsair claims that the MP700 sequential read speed is 10GB/s, and quotes the same speed for sequential writes as well.
These speeds are a fair bit behind the 12.4GB/s Crucial claims for the Crucial T700 PCIe 5 SSD, but they’re still a long way in front of the performance of current PCIe 4 drives. It’s also worth bearing in mind that these speeds will only be seen in very specific scenarios where you’re transferring large amounts of data in one go – in most real-world use scenarios you’re unlikely to notice the difference.
Corsair also quotes random read performance of 1.5 million IOPS and random write performance of 1.7 million IOPS. As a point of comparison, the WD Black SN850X has maximum random read and write figures of 1.2 million and 1.1 million respectively, so the Corsair MP700 is definitely quicker, even if it isn’t twice as fast.
These blistering data transfer speeds come at a cost in terms of cooling, though, as the Corsair MP700 will throttle its speed if it’s left to its own devices. Corsair says you can either fit a heatsink that comes with your motherboard, but it also recommends using its own Corsair Hydro X XM2 waterblock, which it says will deliver “top-of-the-line cooling and performance while virtually eliminating throughput throttling.”
The company has also provided a Corsair MP700 installation guide, which you can see in the video below.
Corsair MP700 specs
The Corsair MP700 specs list is:
| Interface | PCIe 5 |
| Capacities | 1TB, 2TB |
| Max sequential read / write speed | Up to 10GB/s / 10GB/s (2TB) |
| Max random read / write speed | Up to 1.7 million IOPS / 1.5 million IOPS (1TB) |
| Controller | Phison E26 |
| Endurance rating | Up to 1,400TBW (2TB) |
| Warranty | Five years |
| NAND | 3D TLC |
Corsair MP700 price
Price: Expect to pay $169 (£169) for the 1TB model, and $289 (£279) for the 2TB model.
Corsair is seemingly storming the SSD market at the moment, not just with its latest PCIe 5 SSD, but also with the new Corsair MP600 Mini, which can squeeze into tight spaces. If you’re on the lookout for a new SSD upgrade, make sure you check out our full guide to the best gaming SSD, where we list the very best options at a range of prices.
Are you tempted to upgrade to a new super-fast PCIe 5 SSD now that they’re starting to surface? Let us know your thoughts on the Custom PC Facebook or Twitter pages, or join the discussion on our 350,000+ member Custom PC and Gaming Setup Facebook group.