Crucial P2 CT500P2SSD8 500 GB

When price decides

The Crucial P2 is another low-cost M.2 SSD that, due to its low price, competes not so much with other fast NVMe SSDs, but rather with slower and bulkier models running on the SATA 3 bus. Unlike the slow modifications of the P2 based on QLC memory, our test unit uses a more reliable and faster 96-layer 3D TLC NAND memory. The slow versions of the Crucial P2 have the prefix "UK CA" in the name.

P - drawdowns

Given the official price list, performance records are out of the question. According to the passport, 940 MB / s are claimed for linear recording and 2300 MB / s during reading. Like many entry-level drives, it cannot boast of having a full-fledged DRAM chip for caching, which negatively affects the speed of the drive when copying large data arrays. However, not as much as we feared. In real tests, the linear write speed is kept at the promised 940 MB / s, but when the buffer is full, it does not drop below 418 MB / s. For comparison, most SATA SSDs roll down to 150 Mbps once the buffer is full. And some with their 55 – 70 MB / s unsuccessfully cosplay slow mechanical hard drives.

Decent option for laptops and compact PCs

At the same time, each Crucial P2 model is accompanied by an extended five-year warranty from the manufacturer, and the mining resource is quite decent, albeit not a record 150 TB. Plus, the P2 controller heats up slightly, so the P2 will fit into the case of a compact PC or laptop like a native. All this makes the P2 almost an perfect option for upgrading an existing SSD (if there is not enough capacity) or completely replacing a standard hard drive (this is if there is not enough speed).