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Today, we present the latest and the fastest Corsair SSD – MP700 PRO. The SSD arrived to us a while ago, and we had plenty of time to test it, so the conclusions in this review are based on synthetic tests and daily workloads.
The MP700 PRO is one of the fastest M.2 SSDs we can buy in stores, and even though it shares the same Phison controllers as all the fastest PCIe 5.0 SSDs, the MP700 PRO’s design is improved compared to the competition. Of course, I won’t share everything in the introduction, but you can expect some exceptional results.
As usual in our reviews, we start with the specifications and features of the MP700 PRO SSD, and later, I will tell you more about things you can’t find on Corsair’s website.
Specifications and Features
MP700 PRO WITH AIR COOLER
PCIe Gen5 x4 NVMe M.2 SSD – TURBOCHARGED GEN5 SPEEDS
Experience the performance of PCIe Gen5 storage in your system, with unbelievable sequential read and write speeds using the high-bandwidth NVMe 2.0 interface for great performance and longevity.
Key Features
- UNPRECEDENTED GEN5 STORAGE PERFORMANCE
PCIe Gen5 x4 combines with the massively high-bandwidth NVMe 2.0 interface to unleash higher-speed data transfers and greater M.2 SSD performance than ever before.
The included cooler ensures the MP700 PRO performs optimally and stays cool while offering incredible throughput.UP TO 12,400MB/sec Sequential Read
UP TO 11,800MB/sec Sequential Write - YOUR PC MADE FASTER
Delivers up to 75% faster sequential read and write speeds compared to PCIe 4.0 SSDs and up to 20 times the speed of some SATA SSDs. - HIGH-DENSITY 3D TLC NAND
Combines high-speed performance with outstanding endurance, ensuring that your drive will last and perform well through many years of use.
- COMPACT M.2 2280 FORM-FACTOR
Fits directly into your motherboard and includes its own active cooling for optimal performance. - MICROSOFT DIRECTSTORAGE
Enables the MP700 PRO to communicate directly with your graphics card when playing compatible games, for unbelievably fast load times. - COMPREHENSIVE FIVE-YEAR WARRANTY
Long-term reliability and industry-leading customer support for peace of mind.
Specifications
| Corsair MP700 Pro 2TB Specifications | |
| Form Factor | M.2 2280 |
| Heatsink | Yes, black with an active cooler |
| Interface | PCIe Gen 5.0 x4 |
| SSD Max Sequential Read CDM | Up to 12400MB/s |
| SSD Max Sequential Write CDM | Up to 11800MB/s |
| Max Random Read QD32 IOMeter | Up to 1.5M |
| Max Random Write QD32 IOMeter | Up to 1.6M |
| Storage Temperature | -40°C to + 85°C |
| Operating Temperature | 0°C to +70°C |
| Endurance | 1400 TBW |
| MTBF Hours | 1,600,000 Hours |
| Storage Humidity | 93% RH (40°C) |
| Power Consumption Active | 11.5W Average |
| NAND Technology | 3D TLC – Micron 232-layer NAND |
| Controller | Phison PS5026-E26 |
| DRAM Cache Size | 4GB Hynix (2GB for the 1TB version) |
| Encryption | AES 256-bit |
Full specifications and features for the MP700 Pro can be found on the Corsair product website.
Packaging and Product Photos
The MP700 PRO SSD arrived in a retail package, which is larger than a typical M.2 SSD package because of the included large heatsink with an additional fan.
The package’s exterior tells us everything we may need about the SSD, and we can find more details on Corsair’s website. We will find a well-protected SSD, a safety and compliance information card, and a quick user’s guide inside the box. It’s everything we may need for the installation.
The SSD is in the most popular M.2 2280 form factor. However, the heatsink is huge, so it may cause problems in some M.2 sockets – especially in the sockets below the graphics card. Most gaming motherboards leave the top M.2 socket (above the graphics card slot) without any interference, but also those sockets almost always have their heatsinks.
The MP700 PRO looks good and should match every gaming PC. Its design is clearly better than some competitive M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSDs. Temperatures are the lowest we could register on the PCIe 5.0 SSD (so far), and it looks high-end.
The only thing I dislike, but it’s hard to avoid, is the SATA power cable for the fan. The cable is 450mm, so it is long enough to connect to the PSU on the back of the motherboards. It makes it barely visible. It’s still weird to see additional power cables for the SSD. Again, the cable is pretty good quality and is braided, so it looks better than some competitive solutions.
Thermal pads are on both sides of the PCB. On the front, three pads cover the Phison PS5026-E26-52 controller, Micron 232-layer 3D TLC NAND, and 4GB of Hynix cache. On the back, there is one smaller pad, which helps heat transfer the remaining two NAND chips.
SUNON makes the installed MF20101V1-1Q040-A99 fan. It’s rated at 16500 RPM at 25 dBA. Even though it’s a high RPM, the fan is quiet. It’s good news for all who could hear competitive PCIe 5.0 SSD with small and noisy fans. The fan’s size is 20x20x10mm, so it’s tiny, but it does work well as the temperatures are only a bit above 60°C under load.
The maximum registered temperature was 61°C, but it may change depending on the ambient temperature and used PC.
After ADATA Legend 970, I was pretty surprised about the low noise and low temperatures of the Corsair solution. Not only does it behave better, but it also performs significantly better. Now, we can move to the performance tests, so you will see what I am talking about.
Comparison Tests
| Test Setup | |
| Processor | Ryzen 7 7800X3D |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B650E Master |
| Graphics Card | Colorful RTX4080 Advanced OC 16GB |
| Memory Kit | Corsair Dominator Titanium 48GB DDR5-7200 CL36-46-46 1.40V |
| Power Supply | Corsair HX1200, 1200W 80+ Platinum |
| OS Storage | Kingston Fury Renegade 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| Test Storage | Acer Predator GM7000 4TB PCIe 4.0 SSD ADATA Legend 970 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD ADATA XPG GAMMIX S70 Blade 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Corsair MP600 Core Mini 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Corsair MP700 Pro 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Crucial T500 Pro 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Crucial T700 Pro 2TB PCIe 5.0 SSD Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD KLEVV CRAS 930 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD Patriot VP4300 Lite 2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD TEAMGROUP CARDEA A440 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD TEAMGROUP MP44 1TB PCIe 4.0 SSD |
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro x64 with the latest updates |
Tests were performed on popular synthetic benchmarks and benchmarks that simulate daily workloads. Most tests are free, so you can compare some results at home without spending money.
I must point out that the results were made on the latest AMD Ryzen platform. If you use Intel chipsets, then expect significantly worse maximum sequential results. It’s not due to the SSD, but the used chipset.
Benchmarks list includes:
- AIDA64 Storage Benchmark: Random Read and Write
- ATTO Disk Benchmark
- CrystalDiskMark: Sequential Read and Write, Random Low Queue Read and Write, IOPS
- PCMark 10 Storage Benchmarks: Data, Quick, and Full System Tests
- 3DMark Storage Benchmark
ATTO Disk Benchmark
ATTO used to be the most popular benchmark to test storage performance. However, it focuses on sequential bandwidth, which, in recent years, hasn’t been as important as random operations. It still counts and is the main factor describing the storage performance by the marketing of all brands.
The latest versions of the ATTO Benchmark show slightly lower maximum results on all tested SSDs. It still clearly indicates that the MP700 PRO beats all the competition. The Crucial T700 uses exactly the same controller and is the closest with the results but loses in the write bandwidth.
CrystalDiskMark
Nowadays, CrystalDiskMark is the leading benchmark for home and office storage devices. It’s free, easy to use, and provides many valuable results.
Our results in sequential tests are nearly exactly as declared by Corsair. There are a few MB/s differences, but still very close to the reference values. The MP700 PRO is significantly faster than the second in line, Crucial T700, not to mention the ADATA Legend 970. All three are using the same Phison controller.
Low queue random operations are essential for daily usage. The read bandwidth is especially important for gaming. The MP700 PRO is, so far, the fastest SSD in our tests. The same in the random write; we were expecting that the MP700 PRO would be on top of the list. There is a surprise as, theoretically, the slowest Corsair MP600 Core Mini (which will be reviewed soon) has the best result. It’s an M.2 2230 SSD designed for mobile devices and handheld consoles, but I decided to add it to the list as it’s very interesting how it compares to high-series M.2 SSDs.
IOPS results are more important for professional work and content creation. The MP700 PRO performs slightly worse on our test platform than the Crucial T700. It still achieves very high results. I’m unsure if it’s a matter of OS or something with the test platform, as I expected higher IOPS in writes. The result was repeatable.
PCMark 10 Storage Benchmarks
PCMark 10 shows us expected performance gains in popular applications and daily workloads. The MP700 PRO clearly beats all the competition and nearly reaches the 10k mark in the Data Drive test! All results in the PCMark 10 are amazing and confirm the top performance of the MP700 PRO SSD.
3DMark Storage Benchmark
3DMark Storage Benchmark seems limited as all the SSDs based on the latest Phison controllers do not have significantly different scores. The MP700 PRO is still at the top of the list with the best (so far) result for a single SSD that I have seen on my test platform.
AIDA64 Disk Benchmark
In the end, the AIDA64 Disk Benchmark is in random read and write operations. This benchmark isn’t popular but gives us one specific workload – extended random operations. We wouldn’t expect that, but all the newest and top-speed SSDs based on Phison E2x series controllers perform well but are still far from the best results for the single SSD. As long as it doesn’t describe the whole performance of the SSD, it’s an interesting test showing if the SSD throttles during the extended high load.
The MP700 PRO doesn’t throttle at all. As we can see above, the graph shows a nearly straight line (the same in read and write). Many other tested SSDs have problems keeping a sustained bandwidth during the test.
Even though some results are a bit unexpected, the MP700 PRO is definitely the fastest SSD focused on the best results in gaming and home workloads, but it is also perfect for content creation. A large cache and low operating temperatures help to keep great results during extended work.
Conclusion
I won’t hide that after previous reviews, I was skeptical about an SSD with a fan. However, the MP700 PRO is something else. We don’t hear the fan in a typical PC as everything else, even the coil whine from other components, makes much more noise. We can’t see high temperatures that could cause thermal throttling. The cooler’s design is also eye-catching, perfect for any high-end PC.
The performance is the most important thing for all who decide on the latest PCIe 5.0 SSD. We had no problems reaching the values specified by Corsair, and the performance is the best. Faster (but not much faster) SSDs will probably appear in a couple of weeks, but so far, nothing can beat the MP700 PRO. If you are searching for the fastest SSD without throttling issues, then the MP700 PRO is the answer.
The only problem for most users can be the price. Corsair offers the 2TB version for around $325 in its online store ($325 on Newegg and Amazon). The non-heatsink version costs about $300. Unless you have a high-series motherboard with a large heatsink, I recommend the heatsink version of the MP700 PRO. Smaller heatsinks on motherboards can’t handle these top SSDs well.
If you are searching for the best SSD for a home PC or gaming, but have read about all the possible issues with some PCIe 5.0 SSDs, I can assure you that the MP700 PRO is well-designed and problem-free. The highest performance and top quality in one.
Corsair MP700 PRO 2TB is an impressive and highly recommended M.2 SSD for all who desire the best storage for daily challenges!
Click the stamp for an explanation of what this means.
Bartosz Waluk – Woomack
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