Crucial P3 Plus 4000GB

The Crucial P3 Plus 4000GB uses the Phison PS5021-E21T controller paired with Micron 176-layer 3D QLC NAND. It is a DRAM-less design that relies on Host Memory Buffer (HMB) to store logical-to-physical mapping tables in the host RAM. Although the drive uses the PCIe 4.0 interface, the four-channel controller limits total throughput, placing its performance closer to the saturation point of PCIe 3.0. The drive uses a large dynamic SLC pseudo-cache (approximately 25–30% of available free space) to mask native QLC write speeds; when this cache is exhausted during sustained large-file transfers, write performance can drop significantly, often to around 100 MB/s. The 4TB model is single-sided M.2 2280, making it compatible with thin laptops. This configuration is best suited for read-intensive workloads or general OS usage rather than sustained heavy writes.

Key Specifications

• Interface: PCIe 4.0 x4 (NVMe 1.4)
• Sequential Read/Write: 4,800 MB/s / 4,100 MB/s
• Controller: Phison PS5021-E21T (ARM Cortex-R5, 4-Channel)
• NAND Type: Micron 176-Layer 3D QLC
• DRAM Cache: None (Uses HMB - Host Memory Buffer)
• Endurance: 800 TBW (Total Bytes Written)
• Physical Traits: Single-sided M.2 2280 PCB

Hardware Alternatives

• Solidigm P41 Plus: primary architectural rival using the Silicon Motion SM2269XT controller paired with QLC NAND; competes in the entry-level Gen4 QLC segment and uses similar HMB caching strategies
• Crucial P3 4000GB: essentially the non-Plus predecessor sharing the same Micron 176-layer QLC NAND and core controller architecture; the P3 Plus is a PCIe 4.0 revision allowing higher sequential throughput
• Kingston NV2 4000GB: competitor in the same performance bracket known for component variation (different controllers like Phison E21T or SM2267XT); the P3 Plus is distinct for its consistent use of Micron-sourced internal components