Corsair has upped the ante in the battle for the fastest SSD, with a brand new PCIe 5 NVMe SSD that boasts sequential read speeds of up to 12,400MB/s. It looks like the new Corsair MP700 Pro gets pretty toasty when it’s running at full pelt as well, as the company provides a heatsink with an active fan for it, as well as a waterblock option.
Corsair’s previous flagship SSD was the Corsair MP700, which lost out to the faster Crucial T700 when it came to being listed on our guide to the best SSD for gaming. However, the new Corsair MP700 Pro SSD matches the Crucial T700’s top claimed sequential read speed of 12,400MB/s, as well as its top sequential write speed of 11,800MB/s. Both drives use the same Phison controller, so it’s no surprise that they both top out at the same maximum claimed speeds.
Unlike Crucial, however, Corsair has also paid serious attention to cooling this monster of an SSD. We found that the Crucial T700’s basic heatsink only dropped the temperature by a small amount compared to not using one in our Crucial T700 review, but Corsair has gone well beyond the standard heatsink offering with the air-cooled version of the MP700 Pro.
The MP700 Pro air cooler is a large block that sits directly on top of the SSD, featuring some seriously chunky heatsink fins with a metal top, as well as a small fan that gets its juice from a SATA power connector.
If you’re lucky enough to have a custom water-cooling system, then Corsair also has an SSD cooling option for you in the form of the MP700 Pro Hydro X Series. This version of the SSD comes with a factory-fitted waterblock, which has a copper contact plate and a pair of standard 1/4-inch fittings to plumb into a pair of standard water cooling fittings.
Both 1TB and 2TB capacities of the MP700 Pro are available at launch now, with a 4TB version promised in the future.
Corsair MP700 Pro specs
The Corsair MP700 Pro specs list is:
| Cache | 4 GB LPDDR4 4266MHz DRAM (on 2 TB drive) |
| Cooling options | No heatsink, actively-cooled air cooler, waterblock |
| Capacities available | 1 TB, 2 TB, 4 TB |
| NAND | Micron 3D TLC |
| Interface | 4x PCIe 5, NVMe 2 |
| Controller | Phison E26 |
| Warranty | Five years |
Corsair MP700 Pro price
The Corsair MP700 Pro price is $179 for the lowest drive in the range. This is expensive for an SSD, but it offers the fastest speeds available, and the cooling options on more expensive models look really effective.
Prices:
- $179 (£185) – 1TB Corsair MP700 Pro with no heatsink
- $189 (£199) – 1TB Corsair MP700 Pro with air cooler
- $325 (£335) – 2TB Corsair MP700 Pro with air cooler or Hydro X Series waterblock
While it’s great to see SSDs pushing the boundaries of data-transfer performance, it’s also important to remember that these big numbers rarely translate into the same level of real-world benefits in general use, including gaming. However, these fast SSDs are ideal if you do a lot of file transfers, and it’s really good to see Corsair focusing on cooling these hot-running new drives.
Are you going to jump on the PCIe 5 SSD bandwagon now, or are you quite happy with your old PCIe 4 or PCIe 3 SSD? Let us know your thoughts on the Custom PC Facebook page, via Twitter, or join our Custom PC and Gaming Setup Facebook group and tap into the knowledge of our 420,000+ members.