The Crucial P5 Plus is quicker than any Gen3 SSD, yet it costs nearly the same as the competition, owing to a generous Amazon discount.
With every technological breakthrough, there comes a tipping moment at which the once-premium hardware becomes competitively priced with the previous-generation technology, at which point everyone should upgrade. That’s pretty much where we are with PCIe 4.0 SSDs right now: owing to a generous discount at Amazon, the $135 1TB version of the new Crucial P5 Plus is currently priced at the same level as the top PCIe 3.0 drives.
Because of this, it’s toward the top of our list when it comes to suggesting new SSDs, and it’s also near the top of our list when it comes to our guide to SSD vs HDD Gaming. We were still recommending the 1TB WD Black SN750 is a fantastic, economical SSD choice for anyone who wasn’t using a Gen4 platform until recently, though. However, this has changed significantly in recent years, with additional Intel and AMD alternatives being available, as well as the impending discontinuation of PCIe 5.0 SSDs later this year.
Now, the Crucial P5 Plus is the NVMe SSD that we would suggest to anyone who is searching for a new NVMe storage device. There are no differences in pricing between it and a high-end PCIe 3.0 SSD, and even if you don’t have a motherboard that supports the newer interface, the Crucial drive will still perform far more quickly than virtually any Gen3 SSD.
Crucial P5 Plus 1TB PCIe 4.0 3D NAND NVMe M.2 Gaming SSD, up to 6600MB/s
| Critical P5 Plus 1TB | |
| 6,600MB/s read | |
| $159.99 $134.99 on Amazon (a $25 save) Crucial P5 Plus 1TB | |
| PCIe 4.0 | |
| 5,000MB/s write |
The sequential read/write performance of the 1TB version of the P5 Plus will be outstanding, especially if you’re upgrading from a pure PCIe 3.0 SSD. Furthermore, it is around the same price as a 1 TB last-generation drive. Even if you are not already running a PCIe 4.0 compliant motherboard, this drive will fit into your system for a reasonable price and provide excellent performance right out of the box.
To put it another way, you’re still covered for today’s systems, won’t be out of pocket while missing out on a significant amount of performance on an earlier Gen3 platform, and will be prepared for a significant speed increase the next time you upgrade your system. This is a drive that will remain in your memory for quite some time.
The only thing that can be said about it is that it is practically a cheap PCIe 4.0 SSD, which means that it performs at a slower rate than the unequivocal finest Gen4 SSDs in terms of performance. However, you get what you pay for, and the P5 Plus is still no slouch in this regard. You’re getting a really great drive whatever way you look at it, with advertised sequential rates of 6,600 MB/s and 5,000 MB/s for reads and writes, respectively, and performance that puts it on pace with the Samsung 980 Pro.
Even at its usual $160 price tag, it’s not a horrible choice, but spending that much money will get you the better WD Black SN850, which happens to be our current favorite SSD. Despite the fact that the Crucial P5 Plus is now available for $135 (the lowest price it has ever been), it is a bit of a next-generation SSD bargain at this time.
What exactly is a solid-state drive (SSD)?
It is a physical component of a computer that stores data, known as a storage device for data (SDD). When storing data on your computer, external devices such as flash drives or external hard drives can be utilized as backup solutions. SSDs provide a number of advantages over hard disk drives, including faster read/write rates, lower latency, and a more competitive pricing per gigabyte of storage.
In terms of performance, an SSD for gaming is faster and more responsive, particularly when it comes to loading times. The smaller SSD solid-state drives have a number of advantages, the most noteworthy of which is that they do not overheat when in use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a PCIe 4.0 SSD?
Absolutely. PCIe 4.0 SSDs are the quickest drives currently available, and they are the best choice if you want the very fastest disk possible. They are far faster than any PCIe 3.0 drive and will allow you to transmit massive files for tasks like video editing in record time. As a result, they will be well-prepared for the future of gaming on Microsoft Windows 11.
Are PCIe 4.0 SSDs worth it?
It is intended that the PCIe 4.0 specification will increase data transfer rates from 8 GT/s (PCIe 3.0) to 16 GT/s (2 GB/s per lane), allowing SSDs, GPUs, network interface cards, and other devices to provide better I/O output than previous PCIe revisions. The PCIe 4.0 specification is expected to be released in the first half of 2015.
Is PCIe faster than SSD?
SATA has been replaced by PCI Express as the most recent high bandwidth interface. Compared to the earlier generation of SATA 3.0 SSDs, entry-level PCIe SSD speeds are two to three times quicker. This is mostly due to the number of channels included by each SSD for data transfer (roughly 10 for SATA and 25 for PCIe).
Can I use PCIe 4.0 SSD?
Absolutely Yes, You may utilize the PCIe 4.0 SSD on any motherboard as long as it includes an NVMe M. 2 slot, which is almost all of them. However, it is quite crucial to note that the performance, or the speed, that you obtain from your v4 is really significant.
