Product features
- LIGHTNING SPEEDS: Get incredible performance with sequential reads/writes up to 7,000/6,900MB/s and random read/writes up to 1.05M/1.35M IOPs
- COMPATIBLE: Ready for performance with your laptop, desktop or workstation, the T500 installs easily in your M.2 SSD slot
- ULTIMATE GAMING: Load games up to 16% faster and get faster texture renders and less CPU utilization with Microsoft DirectStorage
- CONTENT CREATION: Get up to 42% faster performance in content creation apps, run heavy workloads, and render photos or videos faster
- TECHNOLOGY: Gen4 engineering with the world’s first 232-layer NAND engineered by Micron
Crucial T500 4TB SSD Review
Overview
The Crucial T500 4TB SSD is a high-capacity PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 internal gaming SSD designed for both laptops and desktops. It boasts impressive read and write speeds of up to 7,000 MB/s, making it an excellent choice for gamers and content creators. The drive supports Microsoft DirectStorage, which enhances game loading times and reduces CPU usage. Additionally, it includes a one-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan, adding significant value for creative professionals.
Performance
The Crucial T500 4TB SSD delivers exceptional performance, with sequential read and write speeds reaching up to 7,000 MB/s. It also offers high random read and write IOPS, with up to 1,050K and 1,350K respectively. While it is slightly slower than the 2TB model in terms of throughput and IOPS, its real-world performance remains outstanding, outperforming many 8-channel controlled PCIe Gen4 SSDs and even some PCIe Gen5 SSDs in critical gaming scenarios.
Pros
- High Performance: The T500 4TB SSD offers top-notch performance, making it ideal for gaming and content creation.
- Capacity: With 4TB of storage, it provides ample space for large game libraries and extensive media collections.
- Power Efficiency: Despite its high performance, the drive is relatively power-efficient, thanks to its 4-channel controller and onboard DRAM.
- Microsoft DirectStorage Support: This feature significantly enhances game loading times and reduces CPU usage, providing a smoother gaming experience.
- Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription: The inclusion of a one-month subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud All-Apps plan adds significant value for creative professionals.
- Compatibility: The drive is compatible with a wide range of devices, including laptops, desktops, and workstations.
Cons
- Price: The T500 4TB SSD is priced higher than some of its competitors, which might be a drawback for budget-conscious buyers.
- Sustained Performance: While the drive performs exceptionally well in most scenarios, it can be inconsistent in longer sustained-write workloads. This is due to its large cache and the transition from pSLC to TLC flash, which can bottleneck performance.
- Dual-Sided Design: The drive's dual-sided design, necessitated by space constraints, might be a concern for some users.
Verdict
The Crucial T500 4TB SSD is an excellent choice for those seeking high-capacity storage with exceptional performance. Its support for Microsoft DirectStorage and the inclusion of an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription make it particularly appealing to gamers and content creators. While it may have some minor drawbacks in terms of price and sustained performance, its overall efficiency and real-world performance make it a top contender in the PCIe Gen4 SSD market.
Features Table
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 4TB |
| Interface | PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 |
| Read/Write Speed | Up to 7,000 MB/s |
| Random Read/Write IOPS | Up to 1,050K/1,350K |
| Microsoft DirectStorage Support | Yes |
| Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription | One-month subscription included |
| Power Efficiency | Relatively power-efficient |
| Compatibility | Laptops, desktops, workstations |
| Controller | Phison E25 |
| DRAM | Onboard DRAM |
| Warranty | Five years, up to 2,400TB writes |
| Encryption Support | TCG Opal 2.01 |
| Heatsink Optional | Yes |